BIOGRAPHY
Cass Elliot, born Ellen Naomi Cohen in Baltimore in 1941, rose from folk-scene beginnings in New York, touring in The Music Man before forming the folk trio the Big 3 in 1963. That group evolved into the Mugwumps, setting the stage for her defining role in The Mamas & the Papas from 1965 to 1968, where her voice powered hits like California Dreamin', Monday Monday, and Words of Love, earning a Grammy for Monday Monday in 1967. After the group's breakup, Elliot released five solo albums, scoring her biggest solo hit with Dream a Little Dream of Me in 1968. She hosted television specials in 1969 and 1973 and co-hosted The Tonight Show, remaining a visible performer until her death from a heart attack in London in 1974, during a sold-out run at the Palladium.