Cass
Elliot (born September 19, 1941 – July
29, 1974), also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The
Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums.
In 1998, Elliot, John Phillips, Denny Doherty, and Michelle Phillips were
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their work as The Mamas &
the Papas.
Best-known
as one of the singers of the renowned '60s psychedelic pop outfit the Mamas
& the Papas, Cass Elliot (or Mama Cass), was born Ellen Naomi Cohen on
September 19, 1941, in Baltimore, MD. Her
family moved to Alexandria, VA when she was a child and she became interested
in acting while in high school. She left
before graduating to move to NYC to try her hand as a full-time actress. She adopted the name “Cass” (but not short
for Cassandra) and the name Eliot for a HS friend who had died.
She
toured in the musical The Music Man, but lost the part of Miss Marmelstein in I
Can Get It for You Wholesale to Barbra Streisand in 1962.
With
the folk music movement sweeping the nation around this time, Elliot formed the
Big Three with other members Tim Rose and James Hendricks, issuing a few
underappreciated albums (Live at the Recording Studio, The Big 3). The group eventually
metamorphosized into the Mugwumps after Rose was replaced by a few other
members, including Denny Doherty, but with only an obscure single to show for
their hard work, the Mugwumps were kaput by 1964.
To
make a long story short, Elliot and Doherty eventually teamed up with the
husband/wife team of John and Michelle Phillips, forming the Mamas & the
Papas by the mid-'60s. Although the group would only remain together for a few
short years, their impact on the rock music world was great. Elliot, known for
her sense of humor and optimism, was considered by some to be the most
charismatic member of the group. Her powerful, distinctive voice was a major
factor in their success.
She is best remembered for her vocals on the
group's hits "California Dreamin'," "Monday Monday," and
"Words of Love," and particularly for the solo "Dream a Little
Dream of Me," which the group recorded in 1968 after learning about the
death of Fabian Andre, one of the men who co-wrote it, whom Michelle Phillips
had met years earlier. Elliot's version is noteworthy for its contemplative
pace, whereas almost all earlier recordings of "Dream a Little Dream of
Me" (including one by Nat King Cole and another by Ozzie Nelson) had been
up-tempo versions—the song having been written in 1931 as a dance tune.
A
popular legend about Elliot is that her vocal range was improved by three notes
after she was hit on the head by some copper tubing while walking through a
construction site behind the bar where The New Journeymen were playing in the
Virgin Islands. Elliot herself confirmed the story in a 1968 interview with
Rolling Stone magazine.
Upon
the group's breakup in 1968, Elliot launched a solo career, issuing such albums
as 1968's Dream a Little Dream of Me, 1969's Bubble Gum, Lemonade, &
Something for Mama and Make Your Own Kind of Music, 1970's Mama's Big Ones,
1971's Dave Mason & Cass Elliot, 1972's The Road Is No Place for a Lady,
and finally, 1973's Don't Call Me Mama Anymore. In addition, Elliot hosted two
prime time TV specials of her own in 1969 and 1973, and appeared on numerous TV
shows in the early '70s (including co-hosting The Tonight Show, as well as
programs by Mike Douglas, Johnny Cash, Ed Sullivan, Carol Burnett, Tom Jones,
and Red Skelton).
At
the height of her solo career in 1974, Elliot performed two weeks of sold-out
concerts at the London Palladium. She telephoned Michelle Phillips after the
final concert on July 28, elated that she had received standing ovations each
night. She then retired for the evening, and died in her sleep at age 32.
Sources state her death was due to a heart attack. Elliot died in a London
flat, No. 12 at 9 Curzon Place, Shepherd Market, Mayfair, which was on loan
from singer/songwriter Harry Nilsson. Four years later, The Who's drummer Keith
Moon died in the same flat at the same age. Elliot was buried in Mount Sinai
Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles.
Cass
Elliot's contributions to rock music didn't go unnoticed as the Mamas & the
Papas were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 (with Elliot's
only child, Owen, accepting the award at the ceremony for her late mother).
(Info edited from All Music & Wikipedia)
2 comments:
For Mama Cass – Mama’s Big Ones go here:
http://uptobox.com/hs69yyffvepn
1. "It's Getting Better" US #30 Pop/#13 AC, UK #8 (5/1969)
2. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" US #12 Pop/#2 AC, UK #11 (6/1968)
3. "Make Your Own Kind of Music" US #36 Pop/#6 (10/1969)
4. "Words of Love" (with The Mamas & The Papas) US #5, UK #12 (11/1966)
5. "New World Coming" US #42 Pop/#4 AC (1/1970)
6. "Move in a Little Closer, Baby" US #58 Pop/#32 AC (2/1969)
7. "One Way Ticket"
8. "The Good Times Are Coming" US #104 Pop/#19 AC (11/1970)
9. "Easy Come, Easy Go"
10. "Don't Let the Good Life Pass You By" US #110 Pop/#34 AC (11/1970)
11. "Ain't Nobody Else like You"
12. "A Song That Never Comes" US #99 Pop/#25 AC (7/1970)
What people need to know is she lost 80 lbs before she faked her death and became BETTE MIDLER !!!!!!! I can prove this to anyone who denies this,SHE IS STILL with the same man as well, Mama Cass is now Bette Midler !!!
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