b. Ellen Naomi Cohen, 19 September 1941, Baltimore, Maryland, USA, d. 29 July 1974, London, England. Elliot’s professional singing career began in the early 60s as a member of the Triumvirate with Tim Rose and John Brown. This evolved into the Big Three, a pivotal folk group comprising Rose, Elliot and her first husband, James Hendricks. When Rose embarked on a solo career, the remaining duo founded the Mugwumps with Denny Doherty and Zalman ‘Zally’ Yanovsky. Elliot later joined the former in the Mamas And The Papas, one of the most enduring folk rock attractions of the 60s. Her assured, soaring voice proved ideal for songwriter John Phillips’ optimistic compositions, but internal disputes robbed the band of its momentum. In 1968, Elliot began an independent career with Dream A Little Dream, the title track from which reached the US and UK Top 20s (credited to Mama Cass with the Mamas And The Papas). ‘It’s Getting Better’ from Bubblegum, Lemonade And... Something For Mama fared better still, climbing to number 8 in the UK despite competition from Paul Jones’ cover version. Elliot’s third set, Make Your Own Kind Of Music, preceded a temporary Mamas And The Papas reunion, after which she forged an equally short-lived partnership with ex-Traffic singer/guitarist Dave Mason. Tiring of her erstwhile image, Elliot began courting a wider MOR audience with appearances on prime time American television, but later recordings lacked the naive charm of their predecessors. Elliot nonetheless remained a popular figure and her death from a heart attack in July 1974 (apocryphally reported as the result of choking on a ham sandwich), robbed the 60s pop world of one of its most endearing characters.
