BIOGRAPHY
The Mamas & the Papas formed in the mid-1960s when John and Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty, and Cass Elliot combined backgrounds in earlier folk groups the Journeymen and the Mugwumps into a new vocal quartet. Recording for Dunhill Records with producer Lou Adler, they built a run of hits, largely written by John Phillips, that showcased their layered harmonies and lush, orchestrated production. Songs like "California Dreamin'," "Monday, Monday," and "Creeque Alley" made them one of the defining pop groups of the decade, selling close to 40 million records. The group split in 1968, briefly reunited for the 1971 album People Like Us, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.