The Mamas & the Papas

The Mamas & the Papas were an American folk rock vocal group that recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. Formed in New York City, the group consisted of Americans John Phillips, Cass Elliot, and Michelle Phillips, and Canadian Denny Doherty. Its sound was based on vocal harmonies arranged by John Phillips – the songwriter and leader of the group – who adapted folk to the new beat style of the early 1960s.

The Mamas & the Papas released five studio albums and 17 singles, six of which made the Billboard top 10, and have sold close to 40 million records worldwide. After their breakup in 1968, the band reunited briefly to record the album People Like Us in 1971 but split again shortly after the album was released. The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 for its contributions to the music industry, and it reunited for the second and final time to perform at the induction ceremony that year, during which Elliot's daughter Owen filled in for her late mother, who had died in 1974.