Mamas and the Papas

John Phillps, Michelle Phillips, John Doherty & Cass Elliot

The band's first single, Go Where You Wanna Go, was released in 1965, failing to chart.  However, the second single, California Dreamin', was released later in 1965 and quickly peaked at number 4 in the US and 23 in the UK.  The band's debut album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, was released in early 1966 and became the band's only number 1 album on the Billboard 200.  The third and final single from their debut was Monday, Monday, which became the band's only US number 1 hit.  The song brought the band international success when it peaked at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart and the first number 1 in the Spanish Los 40 Principales chart. The Groups second album was recorded amidst the controversial firing of Michelle on June 4, 1966 for having an affair with John Doherty.  Michelle was replaced by Jill Gibson who had performed on several Jan & Dean recordings.  However, in the spinning world of the Mamas & Papas, Michelle was reinstated in August and Jill paid to leave with an undisclosed sum of money.  Michelle Phillips is quoted as saying that she does not know for sure who is singing on the second album, that she and Jill both recorded many of the same songs.  Phillips says only Engineer Bones Howe and Producer Lou Adler know for sure who was on the final record.  The singles I Saw Her Again and Words of Love both reached to number five in the US (11 and 5 respectivly in the UK) while Dancing in the Street was released as the third and final single in the US and reached number 75. The first single from their third album Deliver was Look Through My Window, which peaked at number 24 in the US, but failed to chart in the UK.  However, the second single, Dedicated to the One I Love, gave the band a comeback, reaching number two in both the US and the UK.  That success helped the album peak at a strong number two in the US and number four in the UK.  The third single Creeque Alley showcased the band's history before their success.  It reached number five in the US and number nine in the UK.  The fourth and final single, a cover of My Girl, peaked at number 15 in the US, but failed to chart in the UK.  Shortly afterward, a non-album single called Glad to Be Unhappy was released and reached number 26 in the US, but failed to chart in the UK.  Also that year, a song from the group's second album titled Dancing Bear was released as a single and peaked at number 51 in the US.

In October 1967, the group went to Europe hoping to spark their creativity while recording their next album.  While in England, Cass Elliot was talking to Mick Jagger at a party thrown by their record label Dunhill Records when John Phillips made an insulting remark about her in front of everyone.  Disgusted and humiliated, she stormed out of the party and quit the group.  However, Elliot was contractually bound for the band's next LP and therefore appeared on The Papas & the Mamas, their fourth album. The first single 12:30 (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon) peaked at number 20 in the US, but failed to chart in the UK.  The album was then released and was another commercial success in both the UK and US (although it was their first album not to go gold or peak in the top ten in America).  After the second single, failed on the charts, only making it to number 53, their label released Cass Elliot's solo song from the album, a cover of Dream a Little Dream of Me and it ended up peaking at number twelve in the U.S.  It also became their first single to chart in the UK after five failed singles, peaking at number eleven.  It was their only single to ever chart higher in the UK than the U.S. Despite splitting up, with Cass and John releasing solo works, the group was under contract to produce a 5th and final album - People Like Us in 1971.  The only single, Step Out, peaked at number 81 in the US and failed to chart in the UK. With the failure of the lead single, the album failed to chart in the UK and became the first album of the band's not to chart in the top 20 on the Billboard 200, peaking at number 84.  After that, the band officially split again, with each member embarking on solo careers.

Cass Elliot had a successful solo career, touring the U.S. and Europe, becoming popular with hits such as Make Your Own Kind of Music and It's Getting Better.  She had many successful appearances on American variety shows, including the highly popular Carol Burnett Show and the CBS game show Match Game '73.  She also starred in two U.S. prime-time network television specials - The Mama Cass Television Program airing on ABC in January 1969 and Don't Call Me Mama Anymore airing on CBS in September 1973, the soundtrack of which was her third and final album for RCA.  After featuring her solo act in a sold-out two-week engagement at the London Palladium in July 1974, Elliot died of a heart attack in a London flat owned by Harry Nilsson following the closing night performance on July 29. After the official breakup, John Phillips issued the country-flavored album The Wolf King of LA, featuring the minor hit single, Mississippi, but it was not a commercial success peaking at No. 32 on the Hot 100 on 18 July 1970, and he continued to write songs for solo performers and other acts.  Perhaps his best-known effort outside of The Mamas & the Papas was his contribution to the Beach Boys' No. 1 hit Kokomo, of which he was a co-writer.  On July 31, 1980, he was arrested on drug charges.  John, along with Doherty and his daughter, McKenzie Phillips continued to perform as variations of the Mamas & Papas.  However, drug abuse by both father and daughter clouded any success they had.  John Phillips died of heart failure on March 18, 2001. Denny Doherty released a few solo LPs and singles after the breakup of the Mamas and the Papas, however none charted.  In the 1990s, Denny was the host and narrator of a popular children's television show in Canada, Theodore Tugboat — a series of anthropomorphized boats who live in Halifax Harbour, similar to Thomas the Tank Engine.  Denny Doherty died on January 19, 2007, at his home in Mississauga, Ontario, from kidney failure following surgery on an abdominal aneurysm. After appearing in the 1973 movie Dillinger and following the unsuccessful release of a 1977 album, Victim of Romance, Michelle Phillips went on to a successful acting career, appearing in Bloodline (1979), The Man with Bogart's Face a 1980 Sam Spade tribute/spoof, American Anthem (1986) and Let It Ride in 1989.  She also had a successful run in television drama, including Hotel, Knots Landing and Beverly Hills, 90210.  As the last surviving original member of The Mamas and The Papas, and the copyright owner for the song California Dreamin', Michelle was a major contributor to the 2005 PBS Television Special California Dreamin': The Songs of The Mamas and the Papas.

Wanderin' Spirit
January, 2013
"Mamas and Papas"

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