Today we will tell you about singer Cass Elliot also known as Mama Cass:
(Photo: Donaldson Collection)
1. She was born on September 19, 1941 as Ellen Naomi Cohen, in Baltimore, Maryland.
2. Her parents are Philip Cohen and Bess (née Levin), children of Jewish immigrants from the Russian Empire.
3. Naomi had a brother named Joseph and a younger sister, Leah, known as Leah Kunkel, who also developed a career as a singer.
4. She adopted the name "Cass" in high school, inspired by the actress Peggy Cass, the last name Elliott she adopted in memory of a friend who died.
5. While in high school she became interested in acting. She dropped out of school and moved to New York to focus on that.
6. In 1962 she got her first role in the musical "The Music Man".
7. She founded the folk band "The Triumvirate" in 1963 with banjo player and singer Tim Rose and singer John Brown. Later James Hendricks replaced Brown and the band changed its name to "The Big 3" and released the album "Winken, Blinken, and Nod" in 1963.
8. Tim Rose left the band in 1964, then Elliott and Hendricks formed "The Mugwumps" in 1964, with Zal Yanovsky and Denny Doherty.
9. Later Yanovsky and John Sebastian founded the band "The Lovin' Spoonful", and Doherty joined "The New Journeymen", which also included John Phillips and his wife Michelle. In 1965, members of "The New Journeymen" came to Elliott's concert in Washington, D.C., after which Doherty tried to convince Phillips that Elliott should join the group.
10. Indeed, Elliott accepted and in 1965 she joined the band that became as quartet renamed its name to "The Mamas & the Papas".
(Photo: Fanart.TV)
11. Elliott was known for her sense of humor and optimism, and was considered by many to be the most charismatic member of the band. Her unique and powerful voice was a major factor in their success.
12. Elliott created immortal hits with this line-up such as "Words of Love", "California Dreamin'", "Dedicated to the One I Love" and "Monday, Monday".
13. Cass is known for her powerful voice, and among other things, she performed the song "Dream a Little Dream of Me", which the band recorded in 1968.
14. A popular legend says that her vocal range was improved by three notes after she was hit in the head by copper tubing that fell on her as she walked through a construction site behind the bar where the band was performing in the Virgin Islands. Cass confirmed it.
15. She won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary (R&R) Performance for "Monday, Monday" in 1967.
16. The personal relationships and romantic ups and downs between the band members caused great tensions, as well as drug and alcohol consumption.
17. In 1971 "The Mamas & the Papas" officially disbanded after the release of their fifth and final album and Cass embarked on a solo career.
18. She released five solo albums, starting with "Dream a Little Dream" in 1968.
19. She also released a live album and appeared on three soundtracks, two as a solo artist and one with "The Mamas & the Papas".
20. Cass first appeared as a solo artist in Las Vegas at "Caesars Palace" as early as October 1968.
21. The show in Vegas was the first in a contract for two shows every night, for three weeks, but six months before, Elliott started a severe diet in order to lose weight before the scheduled shows. She lost about 40 kg, which is about a third of her body weight, but the rapid weight loss led to a stomach ulcer and throat problems.
22. The reviews of the show were harsh. Some called the show a "disaster" and it was canceled after the first night.
23. Broken by the public failure, Elliott became depressed and began using drugs such as heroin. David Crosby recounted their shared use of the drug in his 1988 memoir.
24. Cass starred in two television specials and was a regular guest on various television shows in the early 1970s.
25. In 1973 she hired Allan Carr, who was also the manager of Tony Curtis, Ann-Margaret, and Peter Sellers, as manager. Carr pushed Elliott to leave the world of pop and rock, and put together a cabaret show for her that was later also broadcast on television called "Don't Call Me Mama Anymore".
26. The city of Baltimore dedicated August 15, 1973 as "Cass Elliott Day" in her honor for her return home.
27. On April 22, 1974, Elliott collapsed in the television studio before her scheduled appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."
28. She died in her sleep on July 29, 1974, in the rented apartment of the singer Harry Nilsson. It was in this apartment that Keith Moon would find his death 4 years later, also 32 years old.
29. The false rumors were that her death was due to choking on a ham sandwich.
30. The pathologist stated that the cause of death: was heart failure due to fatty myocardial atrophy as a result of obesity.
31. Cass left a daughter named Owen Vanessa Elliot, who was born on April 26, 1967. The father was Chuck Day, who was revealed after her death.
32. Her sister Leah Kunkel won custody of Owen after Cass's death.
33. The body of "Mama Cass" was cremated and her ashes were buried in the Jewish cemetery "Mount Sinai" in Los Angeles.
34. Frank Zappa's song "We're Turning Again" references the incorrect urban legend that Cass choked to death. "We can visit Big Mama, we can whap her on the back, while she eats her sandwich!"
35. She is mentioned in the song "Zipper" by "Nosei Hamigbaat" ("Hat Bearers"): "I thoroughly folded between my girlfriend and Mama Cass."
36. Crosby, Stills & Nash's music video for the song "Daylight Again" released in 1982 was dedicated to Cass Elliott
37. Their album, "Greatest Hits", was also dedicated to her memory.
38. Elliott's recording of the song "Make Your Own Kind of Music" was included in several episodes of the television series "Lost", as well as in season 8 of "Dexter".
39. Cass was posthumously inducted into the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" in 1998 for her work with "The Mamas & the Papas".
40. Elliott received the 2,735th star on the "Hollywood Walk of Fame" on October 3, 2022.
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