Mama's Boys

by Greg PratoIn the wake of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal explosion of the early '80s, several bands attempted to blend in with the movement even though they formed long after such bands as Iron Maiden and Def Leppard began to enjoy success, one such band being a hard rockin' trio of brothers, the Mama's Boys. The trio hailed from Northern Ireland and was comprised of Pat McManus (guitar, vocals), John McManus (bass), and Tommy McManus (drums). The band issued several albums during the early to mid-'80s, including such titles as 1982's Plug It In, 1983's Turn It Up, 1984's self-titled release, 1985's Power and Passion, and 1987's Growing Up the Hard Way, which brought the band some mild success in Europe, but failed to amount to much in the U.S. (although the group enjoyed some brief U.S. MTV success with a cover of Slade's "Mama Weer All Crazee Now," until Quiet Riot covered the same song shortly thereafter). The group reunited in 1992 for the recording of a new album, Relativity, which remained shelved until a few years later. In 1994, Tommy McManus passed away after a long battle with leukemia.