Every Mother's Nightmare

One of the myriad of hard rock bands to form during the ’80s, Tennessee’s Every Mother's Nightmare, despite strong label support, was also one of the bands of the genre to be swept aside by the alternative rock acts of the early ’90s. Formed in 1987 by lead singer Rick Ruhl and guitarist Steve Malone, they added bassist Mark McMurtry and drummer Jim Phipps to flesh out their lineup and became a successful draw in the clubs of Nashville and Memphis. Although McMurtry and Phipps both briefly left the following year (and were replaced), the two rejoined the band and, in April 1989, Arista’s Clive Davis came to Memphis to see them perform. When the act with whom they were playing refused to let Every Mother's Nightmare use their lighting or sound equipment, they instead auditioned for Davis in a warehouse studio and impressed him enough to be signed a week later. Although metal had begun to run its course by the time they issued their self-titled debut in 1990, Arista pushed the band hard and “Love Can Make You Blind” received enough attention to give Every Mother's Nightmare a minor hit. It was sufficient enough to keep the label in the band’s corner, including enlisting hitmaker Kevin Elson to produce the follow-up. However, by the time Wake Up Screaming was released in 1993, the band found that musical tastes had shifted so that it failed to meet label expectations. Dropped by Arista, the band underwent numerous lineup changes over the next seven years. In 2000, Ruhl returned with a new incarnation of Every Mother's Nightmare, which included guitarists Travis Hall and Jeff Caughron, bassist Troy Fleming, and drummer Kris “Newt” Beavers, releasing Smokin’ Delta Voodoo through Perris. ~ Tom Demalon