The Rocky Career Of The Mamas And The Papas
A folk rock group, The Mamas and the Papas were together between 1965 and 1968, and are considered to be a driving force behind the counterculture movement of the era. Nothing short of successful, four of five of the band's albums made it onto the Billboard top ten. The Mamas and the Papas sold more than 40 million records. But the group had more than their own fair share of internal strife. The bigger they became the more the group was torn apart by addiction and romantic issues. Take a look to see what happened.
Far From Perfect
From the perspective of a fan of the band, The Mamas and the Papas may have appeared to have the best lives on the planet. They made excellent music, appeared to be a close-knit group of friends, and were a part of a revolution that would change society forever.
Nevertheless, behind the veil that they put in front of them, not everything was as it seemed. The lives of John Phillips, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty, and Cass Elliot were far from perfect.
A Rocky Start
Tension within the band wasn't anything new to these four musicians. Even starting out, the group were at each other's throats. As they started their musical career the band initially appeared to be a complete failure.
In the beginning, songwriter John Phillips established two versions of a folk-rock trio that called themselves The Journeymen. Unfortunately, they failed to achieve any recognition from the big record labels. This initial failure led to some resentment among its members.
Changing With The Times
At the time of The Journeymen, John, along with his wife Michelle and band mate Denny, were deeply involved in New York's burgeoning folk scene.
Although everything seemed to be fine and the scene was stable, by the time that 1965 rolled around, the group was sensing that change was in the air. They figured that they needed to adjust their style to fit along with the times, and that would require a new member.
A Disagreement About Cass Elliot
Denny was the first to suggest the addition of a new member to their group, and suggested Cass Elliot, who he described as having the most beautiful voice that he had ever heard. While Michelle was on board with the idea, it was John who had his doubts about bringing Cass into the band.
Unbelievably, he had concerns about her weight and her voice, although it was most likely he was afraid she would steal his spotlight.
She Was Brought On Anyway
Eventually, John agreed. I twas most likely the result of majority rules, as the other two were ready for a change. And so, Cass was added to the band. Now a quartet, the band decided that they needed to spend some time bonding as a group before getting to work.
So, the four decided to go on a retreat to the Virgin Islands and experiment with numerous substances in order to find some inspiration.
Finding The Perfect Name
One problem during their island psychedelic retreat was that the band argued for weeks over what they should call themselves as a group.
At one point, they almost all agreed on the name the Magic Cyrcle, yet, for a few of them, some memories of some Hell's Angels members that they had met helped to inspire the name. This notorious biker gang was known for calling their female members "Mamas," which Cass and Michelle took a particular liking too.
Combining The Two
With the girls in the band wanting to be referred to as the "Mamas," it was only logical that the boys would be called the "Papas." Thus, their band name of The Mamas and the Papas was born.
While still in the Virgin Islands, the band sent out a series of recordings, with a number of executives offering to sign them. Nevertheless, to their dismay, their single "Go Where You Wanna" had little success on the charts.
Second Time's The Charm
Yet, the band was unwilling to give up and knew they had what it takes to make it big. Luckily for them, they weren't wrong. Their second release was the now-iconic "California Dreamin,'" which skyrocketed the band into popularity.
It also made the top of the charts on both sides of the Atlantic. Before long, the Mamas and the Papas' album was flying off the shelf, and everyone wanted their own copy of the track.
Rising To The Top
After the success of "California Dreamin,'" it seemed that the band couldn't be stopped. They continued to release a slew of other hit singles. At this point, the band was on top of the world, and they knew it.
Eventually, the band began appearing on all of the major television shows and found themselves attending big celebrity parties. The newfound fame would take a severe toll on the band, eventually resulting in their fall from grace.
Their Intimate Relations Became Complicated
While things may have been semi-stable at first, all of their fame resulted in their personal relationships becoming increasingly complicated. At their core, the band was comprised of four adulterers who had no issue sleeping with each other and just about anyone else they could find, which wasn't hard.
John forgave Michelle when she became a little too close with Denny, but their relationship began to crumble after he found her in bed with a member of The Byrds.
Further Problems
While still married to Michelle, regardless of their marital problems, John had Michelle fired from the band. Then, Jill Gibson, best known for her contributions to the surf rock group Jan and Dean, took over Michelle's responsibilities for both recording and touring.
Unsurprisingly, fans of the band, especially the married couple, were furious with the change that was made. While John may have seemed to be the one in the wrong, that wasn't exactly the case.
John Wasn't All That Great Either
While John may have pointed out Michelle's affairs with Denny and the member of The Byrds, he was no angel himself. In the band's adulterous ways, he was also involved in an affair with Mia Farrow, who was married to Frank Sinatra.
Yet, when Sinatra found out, rumor has it that he had a few of his mob friends go and teach John a lesson. It likely ended that affair rather quickly.
The Change In Lineup Didn't Last Long
Despite all of the drama that John had caused, just months after kicking his wife out of the band, he allowed her to rejoin. Back on track, the band was seeing more success than they had previously, to the point that Jimi Hendrix was opening up for them!
Of course, same as before, the cost of fame resulted in copious excess of drugs and internal strife that saw the band on a downward spiral.
The Solo Record That Changed Everything
Despite all of the drugs, alcohol, infidelity, money, and fame, what really pushed the band to the brink was the release of a solo record. Over time, Cass had established herself as the undisputed star of the group, which already brought up some issues.
Yet, everything really hit the fan when Cass released a single record of a cover of "Dream a Little Dream of Me." This time, the record was credited to Mama Cass with the Mamas and the Papas.
Crashing And Burning
After the song was released under that credit, it was all downhill from there. Their beloved fans had to watch from a distance as their favorite band slowly began to fall apart.
What's worse, their addictions began to spiral out of control. Denny began struggling with alcoholism which became rampant in the following decades. It was hard for fans to watch, although many were impressed that the singer managed to live to the age of 66.
Cass Met Her End Too Soon
The whole process of the rise to fame and downfall was especially hard on Cass. The pressure drove her into heavy alcohol and drug abuse, as well as bouts of binge eating and self-starvation.
This was nothing more than a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, in July 1974, Cass Elliot died in her sleep in a London flat. It was believed that her death was the result of a heart attack.
Michelle Made Off Well
While many of the other members of the band were battling with personal demons that eventually got the best of them, that's not exactly the case for Michelle. Eventually, she became involved in the film and television and had a series of celebrated performances over the next 40 years.
She's noted for her impressive eight-day-long marriage to actor Dennis Hopper. This occurred incredibly close to the date John and her finally solidified a much-needed divorce.
John Barely Squeaked By
After the band dissolved, John's life became less than spectacular. Completely overcome by his addiction, he still managed to release a few critically respected, although commercially unpopular records over the next decade.
John also made a sincere attempt to turn his five children into musicians, to follow in his footsteps. Overall, only a few of his kids would remember their dad as a good father. He would later go on to die of heart failure in 2001.
There Were Major Issues With John Phillip's Family
Besides attempting to force his children to become musicians, it turns out that he was also an abusive father. After his death, his eldest daughter, Mackenzie, revealed that they had carried on an incestuous relationship when she was just a minor.
Although other members of Phillip's family had denied these claims, the fact that they were believable has left a permanent stain on John Phillip's legacy, which already wasn't looking that great, to begin with.
The Rise And Fall
Even though many people still deeply enjoy the music of The Mamas and the Papas to this day, many people can't ignore what was actually going on behind the curtain.
Theirs is a story of tough beginnings, a rise to stardom, and a drastic fall from grace. Not only is it tragic, but it can be seen as a lesson for many burgeoning artists about the dangers of money, fame, and the internal problems of a group.
