Jim Sherwood

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Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood
Birth nameEuclid James Sherwood
Born(1942-05-08)May 8, 1942
Los Angeles, California, United States
DiedDecember 25, 2011(2011-12-25) (aged 69)
Genres
Instrument(s)
Years active1957–2011
Labels

Euclid James "Motorhead" Sherwood (May 8, 1942 – December 25, 2011) was an American rock musician notable for playing soprano, tenor and baritone saxophone, tambourine, vocals and vocal sound effects in Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. He appeared on all the albums of the original Mothers line-up and the 'posthumous' releases Burnt Weeny Sandwich and Weasels Ripped My Flesh, as well as certain subsequent Zappa albums. He also appeared in the films 200 Motels, Video from Hell and Uncle Meat.

Biography

Sherwood was born in

R&B group The Black-Outs,[2]
at various performances, where he was often a highlight.

Sherwood and Zappa subsequently played together in the

Garrick Theater in 1967, of which future bandmate Ruth Underwood, then an audience member, recalls that "there were some nights that you just heard pure music, and other nights, Motorhead'd be talking about fixing his car, with Jim Black's drum beat in the background".[4]

Zappa disbanded the original Mothers line-up in 1969. Sherwood was one of several members that would play for him again in subsequent years, appearing on 1981's

Allmusic's Bruce Eder notes the record's "beautifully crafted breaks on sax"[5] by Sherwood and Robert "Buffalo" Roberts. Ruben and the Jets toured in support of Zappa on the West Coast in 1972 and produced one other album, but split after lead singer Rubén Guevara was offered a solo recording contract in the mid-1970s. There were also financial difficulties, Sherwood noting that the group played "too many benefits and not enough paying gigs."[6] Between 1975 and 1979 not much is known of Sherwood. Zappa said he'd “got into scientology for a while, but then he recovered."[7] He returned to the music industry in 1980 reuniting with former members of the Mothers of Invention to form the Grandmothers. He also worked as a plumber during this time.[citation needed
]

The nickname "Motorhead" was coined by fellow Mothers member

Ray Collins, who observed that Sherwood always seemed to be working on repairing cars, trucks or motorcycles, and joked that "it sounds like you've got a little motor in your head".[1] Sherwood was also occasionally credited as his alter ego "Larry Fanoga".[8]

In later years, Sherwood contributed to various projects alongside his fellow Mothers alumni, including records by The Grandmothers, Mothers keyboardist Don Preston, Ant-Bee and Sandro Oliva.

Death

Sherwood died December 25, 2011.[9][10] He is reported to have been suffering from an inoperable brain tumor and to have died in his sleep with no pain.[11]

Discography

With the Mothers of Invention

With Frank Zappa

With Ruben and the Jets

With The Grandmothers

  • Grandmothers (Line, 1980)
  • Fan Club Talk (Panda, 1981)
  • Lookin' Up Granny's Dress (Rhino, 1982)
  • A Mother of an Anthology (One Way, 1993)

With Ant-Bee

With Don Preston

  • Vile Foamy Ectoplasm (Muffin, 1993)

With Sandro Oliva

  • Who the Fuck Is Sandro Oliva?!? (Muffin, 1995)

Filmography

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-946719-51-9
    .
  2. ISBN 0-671-70572-5
    .
  3. ISBN 1-84354-092-4
    .
  4. The Late Show
    , first broadcast March 11, 1993
  5. Allmusic
    . Retrieved July 12, 2009.
  6. ^ Eder, Bruce. "Ruben & the Jets | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-12-22.
  7. OCLC 31750298
    .
  8. Allmusic
    . Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  9. ^ "Jim Sherwood, Original Mother of Invention, Dies at 69", Rolling Stone, December 28, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  10. ^ "Mothers of Invention Jim Sherwood Dies", music-news.com, December 27, 2011. Retrieved December 31, 2011.
  11. ^ "Zappa.com • View topic - RIP Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood". forum.zappa.com. Retrieved 2018-12-22.

External links

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