Ellen Naomi Cohen, known professionally as Cass Elliot, was an American singer. She was also known as "Mama Cass", a name she reportedly disliked. Elliot was a member of the singing group the Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot received the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance for "Monday, Monday" (1967). In 1998, she was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for her work with the Mamas & the Papas.
Elliot with Johnny Cash in 1969
Elliot in a publicity photograph for Don't Call Me Mama Anymore (1973)
From left to right: Elliot, Diahann Carroll and Jack Lemmon in 1973
9 Curzon Square, where Elliot died
The Mamas & the Papas was a folk-rock vocal-group which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York City, the group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Cass Elliot, and Michelle Phillips, and Canadian Denny Doherty. Their sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips, the songwriter, musician, and leader of the group, who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s.
(L-R): Michelle Phillips, Cass Elliot, Denny Doherty and John Phillips on The Ed Sullivan Show telecast of June 11, 1967
The Mamas & the Papas on the cover of Cash Box, 30 April 1966
The Mamas & the Papas on ABC's The Song Makers, 1967
