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Artist Biography For Mama Cass

"Mama" Cass Elliot Baroness Von Wiedenman 19 September 1941 – 29 July 1974 Born Ellen Naomi Cohen Was A Noted American Singer Who Performed With The Mamas & The Papas. She Then Went Onto A Successful Solo Career Releasing Nine Albums. Born In Baltimore Maryland She Spent Most Of Her Childhood Both In Baltimore And Alexandria Virginia A Suburb Of Washington D.C.

Elliot Was Widely Considered The Most Charismatic Member Of The Mamas & The Papas Due To Her Sense Of Humor And Optimism In Part Because Of Her Large Size And Weight. She Was One Of The Most Beloved Members Of The Group And Her Warm Distinctive Voice Was A Large Factor In Their Success. She Is Best Remembered For Her Vocals On The Group's Billboard Hits "California Dreamin" "Monday Monday" And "Words Of Love" As Well As Her First Hit As An Independent Act "Dream A Little Dream Of Me".

Cass Was In Love With Fellow Mamas & Papas Band Member Denny Doherty. His Affair With Another Married Band Member Michelle Phillips Was One Of The Causes Of The Break-Up Of The Band. Elliot Resented Michelle's Perceived Betrayal Of Their Friendship And Helped To Support The Band's Decision To Fire Michelle In June 1966 When It Became Clear That John Phillips Could No Longer Work With Her. The Band Quickly Replaced Michelle With Jill Gibson Girlfriend To Their Producer Lou Adler. However By Late August Of 1966 Michelle Was Let Back Into The Group While Jill Received A Lump Sum For Her Efforts. Gibson Would Later Admit To Feeling Betrayed By The Band.

Cass Gave Birth To A Daughter Named Owen Vanessa Elliot On 26 April 1967 Without Naming The Father.

Elliot Guest-Starred Three Times On Julie Andrews's 1973 Television Series The Julie Andrews Hour. Cass's Voice Blended Surprisingly Well With That Of Andrews Given Their Stylistic Differences And They Created A Pleasing Onscreen Chemistry. Cass Also Made Guest Appearances On The Carol Burnett Show.

Elliot Was A Close Friend And Neighbor Of Coffee Heiress Abigail Folger Who Was A Victim Of The Charles Manson Murders. She Was Also Close To Actress Sharon Tate Writer Wojciech Frykowski And International Hairdresser Jay Sebring All Victims Of The Manson Madness In The Summer Of 1969. Singer And Performer Sammy Davis Jr. Was Also A Good Friend Of Elliot And This Group And Davis Has Been Quoted As Saying That They Had All Been Together Days Before The Tragedy And Were It Not For He And Cass Each Flying Off To Other Gigs That Week They Too Could Have Been Victims Of The Manson Family.

After The Breakup Of The Mamas & The Papas In July 1968 Elliot Went On To Have A Successful Solo Career Even Headlining Briefly In Las Vegas For The Whopping Contract At That Time Of USD$40 000 Per Week. Though Her Vegas Gig Ended Badly She Was A Regular On TV Talk Shows And Variety Shows In The 1970s. Her Most Successful Recording During This Period Was Dream A Little Dream Of Me From Her Solo Album Of The Same Name Released By Dunhill Records. At The Height Of Her Career In 1974 Having Just Finished Performing At The London Palladium Theatre She Died Of A Heart Attack. The Coroner Surmised Her Heart Had Weakened To The Point Of Failure Due To Elliot's Weight And The Effects Of Several Crash Diets Over The Years.

Elliot Was Married Twice. In 1963 She Wed James Hendricks They Divorced In 1968 Hendricks Had Been A Member Of "Cass Elliot And The Big Three " Later Named "The Mugwumps". In 1971 She Married Baron Donald Von Wiedenman A Journalist.

It Should Be Noted That Mama Cass Died In The Exact Same Bed In The Exact Same Room Although A Few Years Prior As Manic Drummer Of The Who Keith Moon In An Apartment Owned By Singer-Songwriter Harry Nilsson.

An Urban Legend Holds That Elliot Died While Choking On A Sandwich Sometimes Specified As A "ham" Sandwich. Shortly After Her Death But Before Her Autopsy The Times Published An Article That Quoted Her Doctor As Speculating That She "probably... Died As A Result Of Choking On A Sandwich While Lying In Bed". However The Coroner Found No Food In Her Trachea And Reported The Cause Of Death As Heart Failure. Nevertheless The Rumor Spread With The Popular Imagination Adding That The Sandwich Contained Ham It Possibly Originated As An Unkind Remark About Elliot's Weight. Another Version Of The Story Holds That The Doctor Found A Sandwich Or Partially Eaten Sandwich In Her Room Causing Him To Speculate About The Cause Of Death. Apparently That Version Of The Story Has No Corroboration Either.

Another Popular Myth Circulated About Elliot. While The Mamas & The Papas Were Touring As The Magic Circle Their Name Before Changing It To The Mamas & The Papas Elliot Begged Friend Denny Doherty To Let Her Join The Band. Though She Had A Great Voice The Band's Leader John Phillips Didn't Feel Her Voice Blended Well With The Band's Other Female Vocalist His Wife Michelle Phillips. But Elliot Followed The Band Wherever They Appeared Even To An Engagement In The Virgin Islands. Here She Was Finally Accepted Into The Band. The Myth Purports That While In VI A Piece Of Copper Tubing Fell On Her Head And Miraculously Changed Her Voice. Though Untrue The Myth Has Been Repeated By Such Music Professionals As Casey Kasem. Elliot Was Hit On The Head With A Copper Pipe During A Nightclub Renovation But It Had No Effect On Her Voice. The Myth Was Apparently Started By Band Member John Phillips As A Justification For Letting Her Into The Band After Initially Refusing To Allow Her To Join. He Tells The Story Himself On The PBS Special California Dreamin' The Songs Of The Mamas And The Papas Insisting It's True.

Both Rumors Were Mentioned In The Filmfour-Produced Film Beautiful Thing Of Which Mama Cass' Music Is A Big Feature.

The E! True Hollywood Story Biography About Elliot Reports And Revives The Completely Unfounded And Baseless Rumor That Singersongwriter John Lennon Of The Beatles May Have Been The Father Of Elliot's Daughter Owen. This Rumor Most Likely Originated From Cass's Fantasies Due To Her Obsession With The Beatle -- Demonstrated In The Mamas And The Papas Rendition Of The Song "I Call Your Name " Written By LennonMcCartney In Which Cass Literally Calls Out John's Lennon Name. Many Many Years Later After The Death Of Mama Cass Bandmate Michelle Phillips Helped Owen Find Her Real Biological Father.

The Song "Make Your Own Kind Of Music" Was Featured In The ABC Television Show LOST During The Opening Of Season 2. It Was Played By Desmond To Distract The Survivors Entering The Hatch. . User-Contributed Text Is Available Under The Creative Commons By-SA License Additional Terms May Apply.

50 Top Music Lyrics For Mama Cass - Frogtoon Music

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Mama Cass - Top Tracks

Dream A Little Dream Of MeMama CassProvided To YouTube By Universal Music Group Dream A Little Dream Of Me · The Mamas & The Papas The Papas & The Mamas ...
The Mamas & The Papas THEN & NOW 2021Mama CassWhen You Think Of 1960s Folk Music, You Can't Leave Out The Mamas And The Papas. Consisting Of John And Michelle Phillips, ...
It' S Getting Better - Cass ElliotMama CassCass Elliot At Her Very Best she Never Liked The Name 'Mama Cass' . Recorded In 1969. The Video Includes Images Of Members Of ...
Baby I' M Yours Digitally RemasteredMama CassProvided To YouTube By RCA Records Label Baby I'm Yours Digitally Remastered · Cass Elliot Cass Elliot With Bonus Tracks ...
It' S Getting Better
Views: 346K
Mama CassProvided To YouTube By Universal Music Group It's Getting Better · Mama Cass Bubblegum, Lemonade & ... Something For Mama ...
Dream A Little Dream Of Me
Views: 310.2K
Mama CassProvided To YouTube By Universal Music Group Dream A Little Dream Of Me · Mama Cass Dream A Little Dream A Geffen ...
It' S Getting Better
Views: 275.3K
Mama CassProvided To YouTube By Universal Music Group It's Getting Better · Mama Cass Mama's Big Ones A Geffen Records Release ...
New World Coming
Views: 263.4K
Mama CassProvided To YouTube By Universal Music Group New World Coming · Cass Elliot Mama's Big Ones 1970 UMG Recordings, Inc.
One Way Ticket
Views: 95.8K
Mama CassProvided To YouTube By Universal Music Group One Way Ticket · Mama Cass Mama's Big Ones 1996 Geffen Records ...
Cass Elliot Album
Views: 7K
Mama CassCass Elliot's First Solo Album On The RCA Label, From 1972. Includes Outtakes.
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