- Dan Chauncey (38 Special, Gregg Allman & Friends)
"Cookin Mama was one of those rare bands that existed in a limited place and time yet their impact on local music was truly transformative. It’s not an overstatement to say that most musicians, including myself, who saw them live had our musical perspectives and trajectories changed in the best possible way. As a guitarist myself, I have always given credit to Pat Thrall as one of my most important influences. I saw him for the first time in this band and my jaw was literally bruised from hitting the floor. He, like the rest of the band, played with a fire and freedom that has continued to be an inspiration to me for the last 50+ years. I will forever be grateful for this band, this album, and the influence they’ve had on my playing and career. Rock on Brothers!"
"The Best Unsigned San Francisco Hippie-Era Band...you've never heard of..."
Cookin' Mama
Imagine an unknown band of teenagers in 1972 from a small town in Northern California, who collectively went on to contribute to over 600 albums with some of the biggest artists in music history.
Names like: Michael Jackson, Li'l Wayne, Beyonce, Gregg Allman, Katy Perry, Jay Z, Sammy Hagar, Asia, Stevie Wonder, REO Speedwagon, Celine Dion, Steve Winwood, Pat Travers, Meat Loaf, Tina Turner, Heart, Whitney Houston, Jack Bruce, Little Steven van Zandt, Automatic Man, Hughes/Thrall, Ry Cooder, Joe Satriani and Eddie Money, to name just a few.
It's now been just over 50 years since we released our only album, "New Day," which we produced, designed, promoted, and distributed without a record company.
We have re-mastered it, changed the title to "Warts and All,"
and added one previously unreleased track, "Frog Parade," which was recorded "live" @ The Fillmore West.
So, put on a plaid shirt, stick a flower in your hair,
and take a trip with us back to 1972.
Visit our Store page to download the re-mastered album,
or just click on "Buy The Album" below.
Pat, Paul and Tommy @ "The Church" recording studio - 1972
About Us
L - R in back: Kevin "Charles" Smith, Paul Trousdale, Vince Palazzotto, Paul Hahn, Pat Thrall, Preston Thrall
L - R in front: Lou Sarrica, Jesse Harms, Sherry Foxx, Tommy Thompson
Between 1969 - 1972, “Cookin’ Mama” performed and recorded their original music in the musically thriving San Francisco Bay Area. Led by Pat Thrall, Tommy Thompson, and Paul Hahn, the band played shows at San Francisco’s Fillmore West, The Family Dog, Keystone Korner, and The Matrix, as well as at, The Lion's Share, Mandrakes, The New Orleans House, The Longbranch, Babylon, The New Monk, and other classic Bay Area venues. Sharing the stage with the likes of: Boz Scaggs, Big Brother & the Holding Co., John Lee Hooker, Tower of Power, Mike Bloomfield, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Musselwhite, Robben Ford, Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show, Bill Champlin, Mike Finnigan, and a host of others. At the time, none of them could have ever imagined in their teen-aged minds that this particular musical chrysalis of young musicians would actually end up being one of the major launching pads for their later accomplishments in the music world. After the band broke up in ’72, lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter/bassist/drummer/producer/engineer Pat Thrall went on to perform and/or record with a large number of heavy hitters in the music industry. This partial list includes: Michael Jackson, Steve Winwood, Bono, The Pat Travers Band, Beyonce, Asia, Tina Turner, Little Steven van Zandt, Jack Bruce & Meatloaf. Thrall also received 3 Grammy Nominations, as well as being awarded "Best New Talent" in 1980 by Guitar Player magazine. All of which testify to his musicianship and creativity. In 2016, Pat, Tommy, and Paul were made aware of the fact that the music they wrote, recorded and produced on their 1972-release Cookin’ Mama album, entitled “New Day,” had been pirated and sold online by a number of very dubious individuals for more than a decade. It was not just the fact that the quality of these pirated versions was universally awful…no, it had more to do with the realization that this was just wrong on so many levels. It was then and there that the three of them decided that it was time to shut down the quacks, have Pat re-master the album, and re-release their music according to their own standards. They borrowed an old nickname the 3 of them used back in the day, and "Three Frogs Productions" was born. (Hence, the re-mastered & re-released album being re-named “Warts & All.”) This website was originally built for the sole purpose of selling the re-mastered album. However, once they got started on the project, Pat, Tommy, and Paul began to realize that their site should contain much more than just the original album cuts. The idea of adding “bonus tracks” from all of the “live” and other studio recordings they were able to find - writing a history of the band in story form - and inserting pictures from that time period, would all help to better set the scene for everyone. As their website brought the music they wrote and loved during those 4 earlier years back into the public’s eye. Three Frogs Productions now invites you all to enter into our site and get a taste of what we experienced back in those days. All ya have to do is let your hair down, open up your mind, hop on board and take a ride with us...as we go back in time to an era where youth was eternal, true love was always just around the bend...and music was the backdrop for all of it. Ribbet, y'all... Three Frogs Productions -Pat Thrall -Tommy Thompson -Paul Hahn