August 30, 1935 – March 18, 2001
Look, life is complicated.
Greenwich Village in New York City in the early 1960s was a hotbed for musical creativity and countercultural movements. Nearly two decades into the influential American Folk Revolution, a new generation of singers and musicians all gravitated toward the lower east side of Manhattan. It was in this incubator, that a young singer-songwriter from Virginia named John Phillips met Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot.
Phillips had moved to New York with his band, the Journeymen, and soon-to-be wife, Michelle Gilliam, in search of a record deal. The Journeymen recorded 3 albums with Capitol Records and gained a fair following. Phillps married Michelle, the British Invasion started getting ALL the attention and the Journeymen quietly fell apart. John and Michelle continued to perform as a duo in and around the Village. In 1964, Denny Doherty – fresh off the breakup of his own group, the Mugwumps – joined them. Shortly thereafter, fellow Mugwump, Cass Elliot, also joined and the Mamas & the Papas was born.
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Celebrity Graveland 