While doing research to compile a list of hard rock songs for Mother’s Day, I was reminded of one of my favorite bands, Mama Kettle. Like many independent hard rock bands of today, Mama Kettle enjoyed a certain degree of success, but for various reasons including bad luck and bad timing, they were never able to land the record deal that would have helped launch their career. The band built a loyal following with their live show, but were never able to develop a lasting independent career in the pre-social media days. To fans like me who followed the band closely, Mama Kettle was more than a band; they were an experience. But to the rest of the world, Mama Kettle is nothing more than an “undiscovered hard rock gem.”
In their heyday, Mama Kettle opened for a number of well-known acts and worked with high-profile managers. The band may not have gotten the recognition that they deserved, but the individual members have not all remained undiscovered.
While most of the band peaked during their Mama Kettle days, frontman, Steve Broderick, has gone on to perform in arenas as one of the singers in Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s annual Christmas show. These days, Broderick is working on a solo career, and in recent years, he has rerecorded some of the classic songs that he wrote with Mama Kettle, keeping the music and memories alive.
Mother’s Day may inspire Mama Kettle fans to reminisce about days gone by and wonder what might have been, but the only “mamas” on Broderick’s mind this weekend are his own and his wife (the mother of his three children).
Check out the Mama Kettle video below. These undiscovered hard rock gems truly were the “Genuine Article!”
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