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Papa John's "California Dreamin'" Life Ends
John Phillips, cofounder and guru of legendary '60s folk-rockers The Mamas and the Papas, succumbed to heart failure at a Los Angeles hospital Sunday morning. He was 65.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer behind such harmonious hippie hits as "California Dreamin'," "I Saw Her Again Last Night" and the Grammy-winning "Monday, Monday" had a long history of substance abuse, which wreaked havoc on his body and led to a liver transplant in 1992. He claimed he finally kicked his drug and booze habit in the 1980s, following a court-ordered rehab stint.
He was initially admitted to UCLA Medical Center a few weeks ago, after falling off a stool and hurting his shoulder. While there, doctors discovered a stomach virus had severely damaged his already weakened kidneys. Before the condition could be treated, he died. He was reportedly surrounded by family and friends when he passed.
A seminal force of '60s music, Phillips, with impresario Lou Adler, staged the 1967 Monterey International Pop Festival, which featured a mind-blowing lineup of Jimi Hendrix, Otis Redding, Simon and Garfunkel, the Who, Ravi Shankar and Janis Joplin.
A prolific tunesmith, Phillips penned songs for West Coast outfits like the Grateful Dead and Beach Boys. He also cowrote Scott McKenzie's flower-power anthem "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Some Flowers in Your Hair)."
Fueled by the era's free-loving, high-living culture, Phillips saw his greatest success with his sweet-sounding group, the Mamas and the Papas. Papa John joined with his then-wife, Michelle Phillips, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliot to form the vocal group in 1964. Phillips was considered the band's mastermind, serving as chief songwriter and arranger. The band's catalog also included "Creeque Alley" and a cover of the Shirelles' "Dedicated to the One I Love."
In 1968, the quartet's notorious infighting led to a break-up. Two years later, John and Michelle divorced. Despite all this, the band decided to regroup. They recorded a few more tracks and released the album People Like Us before splintering for good in 1971--three years before a heart attack claimed the life of Mama Cass.
Over the past two decades, Phillips had attempted to revive the Mamas and the Papas with different players, including his daughter, Mackenzie Phillips. The refurbished quartet made the rounds on the county fair oldies circuit, but never reproduced the original band's musical magic.
In 1998, the Mamas and the Papas got the ultimate nod from their music industry peers, getting enshrined in the Rock Hall of Fame.
Just before entering the hospital, Phillips had finished a new solo album, Slow Starter, and completed another, Pay Pack and Follow, a collaboration with Rolling Stones Mick Jagger and Keith Richards that was some 25 years in the making. It is slated for release in May.
Survivors include his fourth wife, Farnaz, a trio of actress-singer daughters, Mackenzie, Chynna and Bijou, and sons Jeffrey and Tamerlane.
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