Jim ‘Motorhead’ Sherman from Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention died on Christmas Day at the age of 69.
Sherwood was the sax player and vocals and vocal sounds effects for the Mothers and played on the Zappa albums ‘200 Motels’, ‘Burnt Weeny Sandwich’, ‘Weasals Ripped My Flesh’ and ‘We’re Only In It For The Money’.
He also appeared in Zappa’s films ‘200 Motels’, ‘Video From Hell’ and ‘Uncle Meat’.
After the demise of The Mothers Sherwood occasionally got together with other ex-Mothers and performed as The Grandmothers.
Shewood and Frank Zappa were childhood friends. They met in 1956. Jim was in the same class at school with Frank’s brother Bobby Zappa. Jim and Frank first played together in 1964 in Zappa’s very first band The Blackouts.
He joined the Mothers of Invention initially as a roadie and contributed sound effects to the first album ‘Freak Out’ in 1966. In 1967 he became a full-time member of the band.
Jim’s nickname was Motorhead, named because he was always repairing old cars, trucks and motorbikes.
