Denny's story of the adventures of the Mamas & The Papas; you see this website yet?

I was JUST reading about Denny, who passed away almost a year ago now - thanks for the link.

I was reading other stuff on him - I was curious about him. I also learned that Michelle P. was kicked out of the band for about ten minutes - didn't know that.

Will read the site tonight!

Jeff

 

Wow - that was fascinating reading. Thanks a lot for the link. Dysfunctional fits

 

"Jimi Hendricks"?

An interesting read. Dysfunctional is the word that could be used to describe most Rock musicians.....

Evan

 

Not to be confused with Jimi, Jim Hendricks was a songwriter. I seem to recall that he wrote some stuff for Johnny Rivers.

I also remember hearing about Michelle being fired for a split second....long enough, though, that they photographed her replacement to be cropped into the LP cover for "The Mamas & The Papas" lp cover (the one with I SAW HER AGAIN on it). I don't think the actual printing of the replacement pic ever took place, though.

 

I recall reading that some time back after hearing of Denny's passing (RIP). Its interesting how such great music is often fueled by that kind of sexually charged atmosphere. A cute young girl in the group, playing her life like a kid in a candy factory. Poor John, poor Denny...they were such young, inexperienced guys they just didn't know what to do about Michelle, and being the more artistic and sensitive kind than Joe six-pack, probably made it all the more confusing for everyone. But it helped make them what they were.

 

Jim Hendricks was a member of two of Cass Elliot's groups before she joined the Mamas & Papas - The Big 3 and the Mugwumps. He has had a lengthy musical career, among other accomplishments writing "Summer Rain" for Johnny Rivers and the theme for "Then Came Bronson." Here is a link to his web page:

http://www.jimhendricks.com/

 

Hendricks was a member of The Mugwumps, another folk group of the early sixties. He also had a folky solo album about 1969.

 

Stumbled over this site a while back, looking for info re one of my very favorite groups. Denny's voice is one of the most beautiful I've heard. The whole group (and Scott McKenzie) seem like very sweet people who just got compressed into a crazy-making space together and then just went whoosh, trashing themselves and everything around them. Wonderfully, a lot of stunning Music, thank god for tape.

I keep stumbling around, searching (ineptly, I'm sure) for info about their sessions, what's left of their tapes, session, master, etc., never seem to get a really clear overview.

 

Longer than ten minutes...it was at least long enough for Hit Parader to announce that Jill Gibson was taking her place.

I don't know what the actual time interval was, or if they rehearsed or played any gigs with Jill. But she was definitely announced as Michelle's replacement.

 

And that Mamas and the Papas album cover at least got to the printer's proof stage. The Creeque Alley 2-CD set from the early 1990s had a picture of the Gibson version of the LP cover in its booklet.

 

Anyone got a scan? I've seen the revamped pic, but not the actual revamped COVER.

 

Since it's a really small pic in the booklet, I tried to make it bigger. The resolution is not that great.

 

God, excellent site, thanks for the link. Fascinating, and yeah, quite sad.

Love the bit with Lennon and Cass....

 

Man that was deep. Sad, you feel it in his words.

 

Great read, Denny was quite humorous and concise. To bad he's gone too. Thanks for the link.

 

Well...Fleetwood Mac's sexual dynamics and tensions allowed them to thrive despite divorces and drugs and mega-success and all the weirdness that went with that...while M&P, without a net, hit it high, really quick, did great work for 2 years, and then kind of quietly died, or faded, with Cass going on to a bland but successful solo career, and John with his fine, underrated solo debut from 1970.

We must, however, remember that John was ten years older than Michelle, Denny only four years older(Cass was only a few months older than Denny). If anyone was experienced, it was John, being previously married(McKenzie Phillips is his daughter from his first marriage), AND in the folk group the Journeymen(on Capitol, Kingston Trio period, pre-Beatles). Mr. Phillips was the avatar of the Mamas & Papas, wrote many of the big songs and, with producer Lou Adler, pretty much dictated the 'sound' of the group(although one can be certain the singers had plenty of input).

Theirs was a peculiar rise and fall...a gestation period, followed by the signing to Dunhill, quick success with lasted a full two years plus, with the fall really beginning in '68 with their fifth album, a worthy but flawed mess lacking the creativity or passion of the previous three(#4 was a comp, which only proved to highlight how far they'd rapidly fallen artistically).

Then came Mama Cass' bland solo work, John's fine(and still underrated)solo debut, and of course the 'reunion' album...but it's startling how quick the magic faded away from the M&P members. Wasn't just drugs, since drugs can fuel great work as well as bad, as well as stop anyone in their tracks. A lot went down, so quickly.

 

Thanks for the link, Steve. I like the delivery style of the piece. It kind of puts you "there." In fact, this short series of recollections would make the basis for an interesting movie, IMHO.

And, yes, very disfunctional. Undoubtedly that is where much of that enfant terrible mystique comes from in many rock and pop stars.

 

Calling Michelle Phillips "cute" has to rank as one of the hugest understatements of the 1960s...

 

after reading this i don't have a lot of sympathy for anyone involved, least of all john & denny. it seems to be a tale of emotional arrested development and the stupid behavior that it so often causes, especially painful when recalled years later by a more mature person. you can't blame it totally on michelle, nor absolve her either. the only difference between these "rock stars" and other less fortunate people is that success and money allowed them to give their childishness full reign.

it seems like cass had it together more than the other three, and that's not saying much.

 

Amen brudda! Here's a then and now...still a gorgeous lady!!

 

Great read!

Is it true that Cass hosted The Tonight Show 19 times? This doesn't ring a bell at all with me.

 

Is this from a book?

 

info here

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jill_Gibson