Cat Mother and The All Night Newsboys was co-founded by Roy Michaels (February 25, 1942 – September 23, 2008) and Bob Smith (July 7, 1942 – March 21, 1991) in late 1967. Michaels had previously been playing with
Stephen Stills and
Richie Furay in the
Au Go Go Singers, prior to the formation of
Buffalo Springfield. Initial members were Bob Smith on
vocals,
keyboards and
drums, Roy Michaels on vocals and
bass guitar, William David "Charlie" Chin on vocals and
guitar, Larry Packer on guitar and
violin, and Michael Equine on drums and guitar.
Jay Ungar was also initially associated with the group, on violin, and rejoined the group for their second album. Core band membership consisted of Michaels, Smith and Equine. The ensemble's popularity in New York grew during 1967 and 1968, through regular appearances at the
Cafe Wha?, which led to an engagement as the
house band at New York's
Electric Circus. The band was particularly notable for its
rock and roll medley "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll", a
Top 40 hit in the summer of 1969, reaching No. 13 in Canada, No. 21 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Chart, and which also ranked Number 35 in the "Top 50 Songs from the Summer of 1969", just behind
The Youngbloods' "
Get Together" (No. 34) and ahead of
Bob Dylan's "
Lay Lady Lay" (No. 41) and The
Plastic Ono Band's "
Give Peace a Chance" (No. 43). Number 1 on this list, reflecting an era before stricter
radio formatting, was
Zager and Evans' "
In the Year 2525". "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll" included
cover versions of "
Sweet Little Sixteen" by
Chuck Berry, "
Long Tall Sally" by
Little Richard, "
Chantilly Lace" by
The Big Bopper, "
Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" by
Jerry Lee Lewis, "
Blue Suede Shoes" by
Carl Perkins and "
Party Doll" by
Buddy Knox. "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll" was covered by
the Dave Clark Five later in 1969. A second single "Can You Dance To It" reached No. 78 in Canada later in 1969. The
single and the band's first
album,
The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away, were
produced by
Jimi Hendrix. The association with Hendrix came through the band meeting him in New York City. Cat Mother was initially managed by
Michael Jeffery, who also managed Hendrix. Cat Mother opened for Hendrix on several occasions, as a result. Other notable early appearances included playing at the
Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, the historic concert headlined by
The Doors, where
John Lennon and The
Plastic Ono Band appeared in a surprise performance. Other popular songs by the band included "Track in A" and "Strike a Match and Light Another." However, the band's principal chart success remained "Good Old Rock 'n' Roll", a work not representative of the diversity of its sound but rather the group's ability in original, late 50s rock style. Similar to contemporaries
Moby Grape,
Poco and the post-1967
Byrds, as well as predating the
Eagles, Cat Mother was one of the first rock bands to blend rock and
country music. As part of the band's actions to sever ties with manager Michael Jeffery, the group relocated to San Francisco in 1970, Smith Packer, Chin, Ungar, Johnson, Prichard, Davidson and Harcourt all continued in music. (As of November 2020, Michael Equine is alive and the last remaining corporate officer of the band.)
The Street Giveth ... and the Street Taketh Away and
Albion Doo-Wah are available through streaming services and as a digital downloads. == Discography ==