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Denny Doherty (1940-2007) With the death of Denny Doherty, on January 19th, 2007, Michelle Phillips is now the only remaining original member of The Mamas & The Papas.
The Mamas & The Papas
The 1960s were a great decade for harmony groups, of which The Mamas & The Papas were numero uno. John Phillips was the leader of the group, writing a number of their most memorable songs, including 'Monday Monday', 'Go Where You Wanna Go', 'Safe In My Garden', and, with the love of his life, and fellow Mama & Papa, Michelle Phillips, 'California Dreamin'', and 'Creeque Alley'. The soaring vocals, of Denny Doherty and Mama Cass Elliot, also blended in perfect harmony with John and Michelle. One of countless folk musicians to come out of Greenwich Village, John Phillips was to be one of the most important figures of '60s music, not only as a songwriter (he also wrote Scott McKenzie's 1967 flower power anthem, 'San Francisco'), leader of an important group such as The Mamas & The Papas, but his complex and intricate arrangements for his group were groundbreaking, and he was also heavily involved in the, again, groundbreaking Monterey International Pop Festival of 1967, which was the template for every pop and rock festival since. The great voice of Mama Cass was lost to the world prematurely, Michelle Phillips became an actress in the American TV soap 'Knots Landing' and films, Denny Doherty quit music for a time, and John Phillips went into film production. John died in 2001, but not before he had seen The Mamas & The Papas inducted into the 'The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame' in 1998, with Cass Elliot's daughter Owen representing her late mother. There had been attempts to relaunch The Mamas & The Papas, most notably with John Phillips, Denny Doherty, John's daughter Mackenzie, and '60s veteran, Elaine 'Spanky' McFarlane. - Paul Rance/booksmusicfilmstv.com.
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