The 1960's was a flourishing time of drastic change in the music scene. Rock stars became icons and music became pathway into a altered state of consciousness and political awareness. Michelle Phillips was in the center of it all when the band she was in, the Mamas and the Papas, shot to musical stardom in 1965. Her insider view of the scene and infamous affairs lent to not only great stories, but great songs. Phillips was an important cog in the wheel of the first free music gathering, the Monterey Pop Music festival in 1967. The Mamas and the Papas served as a catalyst in a golden age of pop rock music.
Michelle Phillips, spoke at The Grammy Museum Thursday night. She lost her Mom at a young age, was born and raised by her father in Los Angeles. She met a married John Phillips, when she was 17 and he was 26. She stole him away from his wife and his band, The Journeymen, as she jokingly agreed she was the "Yoko Ono of the group." The duo met Denny Doherty that joined them in singing and headed to New York. Cass Elliot, who was starting a successful solo career of her own, was swayed by Doherty to join the band. The four honed their sound in the Virgin Islands and had heard their old LA friends, The Byrds, had hit with "Mr. Tambourine Man", and decided if "[they] could have a hit, anyone could", so the band moved back to LA. Upon their return they took "California Dreaming" and "Go where you wanna go" into producer Lou Adler and they were signed to Capitol Records the next day.
The songs of the Mamas and Papas were collaborative efforts. Though mostly penned lyrically by John Phillips, "California Dreaming" was Michelle's desire turned into a song. She had missed her warm cozy city of Angeles while freezing in NYC, so John wrote the song about her desires and dreams. Michelle contributed the second line fo the song "stopped into a church I passed along the way" based on her stopping in St. Pat's cathedral one day. John wanted the line out of the song, having been raised in a militant, cristian, environment, but neevr came up with a replacement lyric. The song "Monday, Monday" was John's manifestation of a song that was universally appealing. The band hated the number, but recorded it begrudgingly, and it became their fastest chart topping hit to date. The band internally combusted, but their songs are still timeless.
Michelle Phillips was temporarily fired from the group, her affairs became the first nail in the bands coffin. She and Doherty had an affair that sent both John and Cass Elliot reeling. Elliot had a mad crush on Doherty for years. The group got over the situation after 3 months, and Michelle was let back in.
The successful group found new ways to generate interest in the music community and fans. The Monterey Pop Festival was Lou Adler and John Phillips brain child. They created a "board fo directors" consisting of heavy hitters such as Paul McCartney, Smokey Robinson, and others that would give credibility to the festival and draw more bands to the first ever, free concert. Virtually unknown bands, at least nationally, was Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin (with Big Brother and the Holding Company), The Who, Otis Redding, and Jefferson Airplane. Michelle had seen Redding at the Apollo, and suggesting him for the line up. It was his first show in front of a white audience and he unfortunely died weeks later in a plane crash. The Monterey Pop Festival continues to make money which is donated to free clinics and other non-for-profit organizations in California. The festival also created a format that is alive and well throughout the world today.
The 1960's were a time of a new dawning in rock and roll history. The Mamas and the Papas were like a shooting star in the musical tapestry of that time. The band help create a festival format still popular today, memorable, number one hits, and marked a time when folk music turned into pop rock. Michelle Phillips was a part of that scene and made her mark in musical history.
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