Music Legends - Cass Elliott

Cass Elliott or Mama Cass of the Mama's & Papa's as she was better known was born as Ellen Naomi Cohen in Baltimore in 1941 but her family moved to Virginia where she grew up.
It was here in her school days that she was given the nickname "Cass" named after the actress Peggy Cass.

She initially played with Denny Doherty in a group called "The Mugwumps" before joining John & Michelle Phillips in another group "New Journeymen". Both these groups failed to make the big time and the foursome decamped to the Virgin Isles.
While in the Virgin Isles they were done to their last $20 and had no way to get back to America and as a last ditch effort decided to try gambling. It was Michelle who had never played Craps before who threw an unbelievable eighteen "7's" in a row to win their air fare to New York.

One of the groups songs "Creque Alley" tells the story of the groups early struggles.

They renamed as the "Mama's & Papa's" getting the idea from a TV program about Hells Angels. They relocated to California coming part of the Folk Scene of the time, one of their biggest hits was of course the classic California Dreaming :-


In 1967 following at a star studded Gala Cass was talking with Mick Jagger when John came up and made insulted her about her weight and Cass stormed out wanting to quit the group. However she was contracted for the next album so it was made with them all, its called "The Papa's & Mama's". The following year she moved did leave the group and onto a fine solo career releasing nine albums plus great singles such as "Dream a little dream of me" and "Its getting better". Here she is singing a medlay with Julie Andrews :-


In July 1974 following two sell out performances Cass retired to her flat in Londons Mayfair where she died of an heart attack in her sleep. Urban legend states that she choked on a Ham Sandwich but this was due to police who were called to the scene finding a half eaten Sandwich and announcing it to the press. Later a autopsy disproved this theory.
And one for coincidence her accomodation that night was Flat 12, at 9 Curzon Place the exact same place as another person I've featured The Who legendary drummer Keith Moon died four years later. One final tribute to Mama Cass Elliott to be remembered as the lady that smiles RIP :-