Michelle was a believer in free love, so marriage to John didn't keep her from an affair with Doherty (among others). Elliot was in love with Doherty, who wasn't interested in her as a romantic partner. They were one of the first well-known groups to have men and women singing together, a set-up that in their case opened the door to romantic resentment. Their first album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears (1966), was a huge success. Relationship issues and unrequited love drove wedges between the band members The Mamas & the Papas in 1967 Photo: Wilson/Mirrorpix/Getty Images It’s true." The group headed to California and signed to a record label in 1965. "I had a bad headache for about two weeks and all of a sudden I was singing higher. "I did get hit on the head by a pipe that fell down and my range was increased by three notes." Elliot told Rolling Stone in 1968. According to Rolling Stone, Elliot was only allowed to sing with the other three after she'd followed them around, including to the Virgin Islands (the four did travel there, but Elliot's sister has suggested this version of the story may have been skewed due to John's jealousy that Elliot became the breakout star of the group).Īccording to Elliot, her trip to the islands was significant in another way: It left her with an expanded vocal range for the beautiful harmonies John composed. However, John felt her being overweight would turn off audiences.
But John objected when Elliot, another figure in New York City's music scene, wanted in as well.Įlliot's voice wasn't a problem, as she had a standout contralto.
John, who'd left his first wife to marry Michelle, was ready for the couple to sing with tenor Denny Doherty. The drama started for the Mamas & the Papas before they were even a group. As Michelle recalled to Vanity Fair of their time together from 1965 to '68, "It was two and a half years of total melodrama." Mama Cass Elliot was not allowed to join the band at first because of her weight Folk-rockers the Mamas & the Papas - made up of John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot - provided the musical backdrop to the late 1960s with hit songs like "California Dreamin'" and "Monday, Monday." Yet the groovy era didn't save the group from behind-the-scenes upheaval that included affairs and heartbreak, break-ups and reunions, substance abuse and epic parties.
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