The Mamas and the Papas

The Mamas and the Papas were a foursome composed of husband and wife John and Michelle Phillips as well as Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot. The lifespan of the group was very brief, lasting only from about 1965 to 1968 with a brief reunion in 1971 when they released an album to fulfill contractual obligations. The group encountered many turbulences during their time together including extramarital affairs by Michelle with Doherty among others and the pressure to be perfect put on the others by John. In fact, the pressure John put on the others lead to Elliot’s eventual resignation and the end of the band. 
The Mamas and the Papas had a very Californian folk rock sound and the vocals, especially by Elliot, will always be remembered. Although the group encountered about as much failure as they did success, the Mamas and the Papas left its fans with plenty of quality music distributed over five studio albums plus numerous singles. Even with all the adversities they faced they still played some very notable performances including the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 and the Hollywood Bowl where Jimi Hendrix opened for them in August of the same year. Unfortunately, members of the band viewed their Hollywood Bowl performance as the climax of their career with the end in sight. 
After the dismemberment of the Mamas and the Papas, each member went on to release their own solo album. However, only Elliot’s received commercial success which encouraged her to continue to perform until her untimely death in 1974. After the failure of her only solo album, Michelle Phillips began a successful career in acting. She appeared in numerous movies and television shows throughout her life. 
John Phillips’ album, John, The Wolf King of LA, did receive some critical success leading him to continue to produce music in the form of mostly soundtracks while working to overcome a heroin addiction. Doherty went on to release a second solo album which had contributions from both Elliot and Michelle Phillips but still showed no commercial or critical success. He then returned to his hometown and began television work while also battling an addiction, though to alcohol, up until the early 1980s when he became sober. John Phillips and Doherty attempted to revitalize their music talents by forming the New Mamas and Papas in 1980 with Phillips daughter Mackenzie replacing Michelle Phillips and Elaine McFarlane replacing Elliot. The group never released a studio album and never reached great success with a very long lineup of members as people dropped out and were added into the band. 
Listening Recommendations:
• Monday Monday
• California Dreamin’
• I Saw Her Again Last Night