Scott McKenzie

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Scott McKenzie, real name Philip Wallach Blondheim III, was an American singer and songwriter. He was born in 1939 in Jacksonville, Florida, and grew up in North Carolina and Virginia. There he became friends with John Phillips. Together they formed doo-wop groups in the 1950s, which in New York came to be called the Smoothies and recorded singles for Decca. His stage name came about after a party following a show, when a comedian thought he looked like a Scottish terrier.

Music and breakthrough

In 1961 Phillips and McKenzie formed the folk trio The Journeymen with Dick Weissman, which recorded three albums and seven singles for Capitol. After the success of The Beatles in 1964 the group stopped. Phillips founded The Mamas & the Papas. McKenzie first tried to make something of himself as a solo artist and signed with Lou Adler's label Ode Records.

Influence

Phillips wrote and produced San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair) for him, released in May 1967. The single was an instant hit, reached number four in the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the chart in Britain and more countries. The song, with its soft bell, calm guitar and Joe Osborn's bass, became the musical image of the Summer of Love. His album The Voice of Scott McKenzie followed, then Stained Glass Morning. In the early 1970s he stopped recording. He later co-wrote Kokomo for The Beach Boys. McKenzie died in 2012.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1967San Francisco
• 1967The Voice of Scott McKenzie
• 1970Stained Glass Morning