Sons of the Vegetal Mother
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Founder | Ross Wilson, Ross Hannaford |
| Defunct | 1971 |
| Headquarters | Melbourne , Australia |
| Products | Music recordings, live performances |
Sons of the Vegetal Mother—often referred to by fans as The Vegetals—was an Australian progressive band with an esoteric and special-occasion focus, established in late 1969 and fronted by Ross Wilson alongside Ross Hannaford. In 1970, a side project emerged called Daddy Cool, which specialized in 1950s-inspired doo-wop and original compositions. Daddy Cool eventually outshone its predecessor when their debut single "Eagle Rock" climbed to the top of Australia’s national charts.
Background
The group Sons of the Vegetal Mother brought together the four musicians who would later form Daddy Cool: Ross Wilson and Ross Hannaford, both formerly of The Pink Finks and The Party Machine; singer and drummer Gary Young; and bassist Wayne Duncan, who had played with Melbourne’s veteran outfit The Rondells, known for supporting the pioneering beat duo Bobby & Laurie.
In early 1969, Wilson received an invitation to join the UK-based progressive pop ensemble Procession. This band, which had evolved from backing Normie Rowe as The Playboys, had relocated to Britain in 1968 but was struggling to gain momentum. After receiving an insurance settlement from a prior accident, Wilson dissolved The Party Machine and traveled to London to become part of Procession.
"Brian Peacock called me from the UK. They were undergoing lineup changes and thought adding a frontman might help. I paid my own way but had just gotten an insurance payout from a traffic accident and was eager to leave Melbourne and explore the world."
Wilson arrived in London in April 1969. Over three months, Procession performed irregularly and recorded three unreleased tracks at Olympic Studios: Mick Rogers' "Surrey" alongside Wilson’s "Papa's in the Vice Squad" and "I Wanna Be Loved". Wilson contributed to steering the band toward a theatrical style influenced by Frank Zappa. One song that remained unrecorded was "Make Your Stash".
"That track was later recorded by both Spectrum and Daddy Cool. It also inspired Manfred Mann's Earth Band album that incorporated Gustav Holst's Planets Suite. 'Make Your Stash' borrowed themes from that suite, paired with my lyrics and bridge, which Mick adapted for Manfred Mann with new lyrics."
By June 1969, Procession was waning, but their manager David Joseph secured a student cruise from London to New York scheduled for August 1969 to alleviate financial burdens.
"That cruise was one of our best experiences," recalls Wilson. "We played nightly and participated in some innovative student performances during the day."
After returning to London in August, Procession effectively disbanded:
"We ran out of funds and industry support," Wilson explains. "By then, David Joseph had shifted his focus to the New Seekers, and I think the new lineup with me and Chris caused the group to lose its direction."
Formation
Upon returning to Melbourne late in 1969, Wilson brought fresh material with plans to establish an "esoteric special-occasion progressive band" featuring a flexible roster designed to explore theatrical and progressive music inspired by Zappa.
The Vegetals performed intermittently at multimedia events and galleries such as the TF Much Ballroom. The lineup included Mike Rudd—formerly of The Party Machine alongside Wilson and Hannaford and later of Spectrum—and bassist Tim Partidge from Company Caine. Other potential collaborators included Wilson’s acquaintances Keith Glass and Gulliver Smith.
Their sole known recording is the Garden Party EP, which was custom-pressed for distribution at an event sharing its name but never commercially released. Songs like "Make It Begin" and "Love is the Law" were later featured on Raven’s compilation Golden Miles as well as on Ross Wilson’s retrospective album Now Listen!.
Performance footage of the band appears in Chris Lofven’s experimental short film 806, which is included on the DVD release of his 1976 film OZ.
A subgroup consisting of Wilson, Hannaford, Young, and Duncan formed Daddy Cool as a lighter complement to The Vegetals’ progressive sets, focusing on 1950s-style doo-wop and rock & roll. Daddy Cool rapidly gained traction, eventually surpassing their parent band in popularity.
Sons of the Vegetal Mother appeared at one of Australia’s earliest outdoor rock festivals held at Myponga in January 1971. Daddy Cool’s energetic performance there garnered significant acclaim, overshadowing The Vegetals and contributing to their eventual phase-out. Footage from this festival was incorporated into the promotional video for "Eagle Rock".
Shortly after, Daddy Cool signed with Sparmac Records under producer Robie Porter. Their debut single "Eagle Rock," released in May 1971, achieved number one on the charts and maintained that position for a then-record ten weeks.
Between Daddy Cool’s disbandment and the emergence of Mighty Kong in 1973, Wilson and Hannaford briefly revived the Sons of the Vegetal Mother name during performances at Prahran’s Station Hotel.
Band members
- Wayne Duncan (bass guitar, vocals)
- Trevor Griffin (piano)
- Ross Hannaford (guitar, vocals)
- Jeremy Kellock (also known as Jeremy Noone) (tenor saxophone*)
- Mike Rudd (bass guitar)
- Tim Partridge (bass guitar)
- Ian Wallace (alto saxophone#)
- Simon Wettenhall (trumpet#)
- Ross Wilson (guitar, vocals)
- Bruce Woodcock (tenor saxophone#)
- Gary Young (drums, vocals)
Discography
- Garden Party (EP) (released November 1970)
- Side One is presented in a buff shade and credited to Sons of the Vegetal Mother with Ross Wilson as the composer; Side Two displays an orange color.
- Only 250 copies were produced for this limited edition
- "Love Is The Law" *
- "The Garden Party" / "Make It Begin" #