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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 25 general entries.
Special Topics
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Mamas and Papas
| Which former group member died a premature death, before age 40? (Hint: An untrue urban legend is that this member choked on a ham sandwich.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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Cass Elliot (Mama Cass). Cass died in London in 1974 at age 33 of a heart attack. The popular misconception is that she choked to death on a ham sandwich, but that is one of those urban legends that get ingrained in the popular culture but isn't true. The urban legend probably got started because early investigators found a half-eaten sandwich by her bed. John Phillips died 18 March 2001 at age 65. Denny Doherty died 19 January 2007 at age 66.
| Which group member went on to have a solo singing career after the group broke up? (Hint: The song "Dream A Little Dream of Me" was recorded by this member while still in the group.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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Cass Elliot (Mama Cass). The group's fourth album was titled "The Papas and the Mamas" and was released in 1968. It included Cass singing a solo rendition of the song "Dream a Little Dream of Me," which served as a launching pad for her subsequent solo career. The group broke up shortly thereafter in 1968. They did reunite briefly in 1971 to produce a fifth album called "People Like Us" to fulfill contractual obligations, but as Michelle described it: "It sounded like what it was--four people just trying to avoid a lawsuit." Michelle has had a successful acting career, appearing in many TV shows and movies. Both she and John have published books: John's book is titled "Papa John" and Michelle's is titled "California Dreamin'".
| Which group member usually wore a hat during performances? (Hint: In his/her later appearances it was often a chinchilla hat.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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John Phillips. Later in his career John usually wore a chinchilla hat during performances, TV appearances and photo shoots. Early in career as a Papa he frequently wore various styles of cloth hats.
| Who was the girl singer who briefly replaced Michelle on tour in 1966? (Hint: She was NOT in the groups Fleetwood Mac or Jefferson Airplane.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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Jill Gibson. Jill Gibson was the girlfriend of the group's producer, Lou Adler. She was needed for a brief time in 1966 because John fired Michelle from the group (as a result of strained group relations after her affair with Denny Doherty) but then reluctantly let her back in after fans objected. Interesting trivia: the daughter of John Phillips and his first wife Suzy was the young kid in the hot rod in the movie "American Graffiti" in her first acting job at age 12 (Mackenzie Phillips). The daughter Michelle and John Phillips had was named Chynna. She later, along with the two daughters of Brian Wilson (of Beach Boys fame), formed the rock group "Wilson Phillips.")
Monday, Monday. Although California Dreamin' has become a signature anthem of the '60s, it was not their biggest hit. California Dreamin' was released in 1965, and after a slow start it rose to a number 4 ranking nationwide. The follow-up tune, 'Monday Monday,' shot to number 1 and became the biggest hit of their career. It won a Grammy award in 1966. Their first album, 'If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears,' was released in January 1966 and by March of that year it was at number 1 in the charts.
| What was the inspiration for the song California Dreamin' to be written? (Hint: The line in the song "stopped in to a church I passed along the way" refers to St. Patrick's cathedral in Manhattan.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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Michelle was homesick for California while living in New York City in a bone-chilling winter. After the warm weather of the Virgin Islands, New York seemed very cold. Michelle was anxious to get back to warm weather in Los Angeles, and that inspired John to write California Dreamin'. Michelle helped him write down the words, and as a result she got half publishing credit and royalties.
| Who was the last member to join the group? (Hint: This last member had sung with Denny Doherty in 1964 when they were both in a folk-rock group called the Mugwumps.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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Cass Elliot (Mama Cass). Cass had a crush on Denny and followed him to St. Thomas. They had sung together in 1964 when they were both in the short-lived group called the Mugwumps (this is also mentioned in "Creeque Alley"). Although Cass very much wanted in the group, John wouldn't allow it at first. The story often mentioned is an accidental blow to her head raised her singing voice a full tone higher, which fit in with the harmonic blend John wanted. However, according to Snopes.com, Michelle's sister, Russell Gilliam, claims this is just a cover story, invented to explain away John's real reason: Cass' weight did not fit his group image. Re: www.snopes.com/music/artists/casspipe.asp
| On what credit card did the group finance their vacation? (Hint: You can hear them refer to this in the song "Creeque Alley.")
| The Mamas and The Papas
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American Express. After their American Express credit line was exhausted, they were left with less than $50.00 and no return air tickets. In a last-ditch effort to win enough money get back home, John, Michelle and Denny went to the casino in the Caribe Hilton hotel in San Juan, Puerto Rico. They headed for the craps tables, and Michelle (who had never played craps before) had beginner's luck and won enough money to fly the three of them first class back to New York (Cass, who had a round-trip ticket, went back to Los Angeles).
| On what Caribbean island did the soon-to-be Mamas and Papas spend several months perfecting their harmonies before they launched their career? (Hint: This is one of the three U.S. Virgin Islands.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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St. Thomas. John, his second wife Michelle and Denny Doherty decided in 1965 to take a vacation in St. Thomas to get a break from the Greenwich Village folk music scene. They were soon joined by Denny's good friend Cass Elliot. While in St. Thomas the group sang at a boardinghouse named Duffy's on Creeque Alley (the inspiration for the autobiographical song "Creeque Alley").
| What folk music group was John Phillips in before he formed The Mamas and The Papas? (Hint: He played acoustic guitar in a three-man group that included a banjo.)
| The Mamas and The Papas
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The Journeymen. John Phillips, Scott McKenzie and Dick Weissman formed The Journeymen in 1961. They recorded three albums for Capitol Records, none of which sold particularly well. McKenzie later sang a John Phillips' song titled "If You Go to San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)" that became the unofficial anthem of the "Summer of Love" in 1967 in San Francisco. Aspiring model 17-year-old Michelle Gilliam met John in 1962 when the Greenwich Village-based trio played at "The Hungry i" in San Francisco and became John's second wife by the end of the year.
| "I've been searchin' all night, just to find what I'm lookin' for. Baby, baby ____________, or I won't come round your door no more." What words are missing in these lyrics from the song "Straight Shooter"? | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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treat me right. This was the B-Side to the single "Twelve Thirty".
Glad to be Unhappy. This is a Rodgers and Hart Classic, from the musical "On Your Toes".
| "Make your own kind of music, sing your own special song. Make your own kind of music, even if nobody else ...... " Which words are missing from this Mama Cass lyric? | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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sings along. This is from the song "make your Own Kind of Music".
| "Once I believed that when love came to me, it would come with rocket bells and poetry." This is the first line to which Mama Cass song? | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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It's Getting Better. This was Mama Cass's biggest solo hit in the UK, reaching number 8.
| "Creeque Alley" is a song about how it all happened for the Mamas and Papas. What name is missing from the following line? "And no one's getting fat except ..."? | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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Mama Cass. This hit got to number 5 in the US and number 9 in the UK.
| "But what can I do: I'm lonely too, and it makes me feel so good to know she'll never leave me." Which song do these lyrics come from? | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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I Saw Her Again Last Night. This song got to number 11 in the UK and it was in the top 5 in the USA in 1966.
Dream a Little Dream of Me. This was originally part of the 1968 album "The Mamas and The Papas", but Mama Cass also issued it as a solo single in 1968.
| "Do you, do you, do you ....?" What question was being asked in this Mamas and Papas hit. This song was also a hit for Cliff Richard, Del Shannon, The Beach Boys and Bette Midler? | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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Do You Wanna Dance. This was a top 100 hit in November 1968, although it was featured on the Mamas and Papas first album in 1966.
Monday Monday. This hit reached number 1 in the US chart and number 3 in the UK chart.
| Which Mamas and Papas hit do the following lyrics come from? "You don't understand, that a girl like me can love just one man." | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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Go Where You Wanna Go. This song was never actually a hit for the group, but it is considered to be one of the groups best songs.
California Dreamin' . This was recorded in 1965 and it reached number 1 in the US charts.
| "I used to live in New York City. Everything here was dark and dirty. Outside my window was a steeple, with a clock that always said ...." What time was it on the clock? | The Magnificent Mamas and Papas
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Twelve Thirty. The Song is "Twelve Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon).
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