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The Mamas & the Papas

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

The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a short reunion in 1971. They were formed in New York by John Phillips and his wife Michelle Phillips, the Canadian Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot. Elliot was the last to join. The name was inspired by the Hells Angels, whose female circle was called mamas. The sound revolved around the vocal harmonies that John Phillips arranged. He wrote the songs and led the group. He adapted folk to the new beat of the early 1960s.

Music and breakthrough

In the summer of 1965 they rehearsed in the Virgin Islands, where they played electric for the first time. They then travelled to Los Angeles for an audition with Lou Adler of Dunhill Records. Their second single, California Dreamin', was released in December 1965 and reached number four in the United States. In 1966 the albums If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears and The Mamas & the Papas were released, in 1967 Deliver and in 1968 The Papas & the Mamas. The group had seventeen singles, six of them in the Billboard top ten.

Influence

In 1968 the group split up, and in 1971 the album People Like Us followed. Cass Elliot died in 1974. In 1998 the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, where they performed together one more time. The group is regarded as a defining force in the counterculture of the 1960s. Their harmonies showed how folk could sound in a pop world that had just been changed by the Beatles.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to California Dreamin' and notice how the four voices together form a single harmony. Can you hear which voice carries the melody and which voices sing around it?

Discography

Studio albums

Categories: Artists