Singer of The Mamas & The Papas - The Mama from the bacon sandwich is still valid: Fifty years ago, 'Mama' Cass Elliot passed away
You know who I amYou've stared at the sunWell, I am the one who lovesChanging from nothing to one(from the song "You Know Who I Am" by U2)
In the film "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" (1997), there's a scene where Mike Myers, who plays the title character, sits on the sofa and works through a list labeled "People I Know." Jimi Hendrix's name is at the top. Myers reads it out loud and then strikes it through. "Dead, Drugs," he adds. Janis Joplin, struck through. "Dead, Alcohol." Mama Cass, struck through. "Dead, Ham and Cheese Sandwich." It's so beautiful: Nothing is as enduring as a rumor – except for a good reputation. At that time, Mama Cass, or rather Cass Elliot, was almost a quarter century dead. The rumor of her supposed cause of death, the gossip that she had choked on a ham and cheese sandwich, has clung to it with the same tenacity as her love for those wonderful songs she once sang.
Cass Elliot was born on September 19, 1941, in Baltimore, Maryland. She later took her first name from one of her favorite actresses, Peggy Cass, and her last name from a deceased friend. In school, she already acted in theater, and later appeared in musicals like "The Music Man" (1962). When her first singing group, Big 3, disbanded, she sang with the Mugwumps. This group was also not long-lived. Denny Doherty, one of her bandmates, wanted to bring her in, but John Phillips had his doubts. Her vocal range wasn't high enough, he thought, and worse yet: She was simply too heavy.
Cass Elliot wanted to be "Mama"
On vacation in the Virgin Islands in 1965, Doherty finally managed to persuade Phillips, and Cass Elliot joined the band. Two men, two women, a new name was needed. The burning idea came to them in front of the television. They drank whiskey, wine, and brandy, smoked a lot of joints, and threw in a few Seconals. On TV, Dick Cavett's talk show was playing, with the Hells Angels as guests. Asked about the rocker women, one of the Angels replied, "Some people think our girls are cheap," to which another replied, "We have a different opinion. We call them our 'Mamas'." Cass Elliot felt immediately drawn to this. "That's it," she exclaimed. "I want to be a Mama too." Michelle agreed: "We are the Mamas! We are the Mamas!" The question of the other half was quickly answered. "Then we are the Papas," said John Phillips. So it went, so good. Decades later, Doherty described how it went further that fateful evening. As Cass Elliot and John Phillips sat on the couch in a brandy haze, Doherty and Michelle drew closer to each other, marking the beginning of one of those romantic intrigues, those intimate secrets, that would later also influence the lines of Fleetwood Mac – Infidelities, flirtations, and liaisons. Elliot proposed marriage to Doherty one day, but from the beautiful idea of two married couples, a sort of amorous balance, nothing came of it. The legend has it that Doherty was too big to respond.
At the heart of matters, things run clumsily, but in terms of Creativity, it works even better. Cass Elliot proves to be a decisive figure. The duo Phillips and Doherty were previously kneeling deeply in the Folk-Duktus of the Sixties, but Elliot brings the ideas into the studio that raise the sound of the Mamas & Papas to a decisive level of consciousness: She stands for the Beatles, for Motown, her heart beats for the grandiose ideas that are conceived in the songwriter studios of the Brill Buildings. In terms of Image, she also comes to a key position. The group as such is already an optical counterpoint to the slick style of other bands: John Phillips with his latently grotesque hats, Doherty as a psychedelic preacher, Michelle Phillips as the embodiment of the Californian Beachgirl, and in addition the massive Cass Elliot, who radiates Empowerment and Engagement, and is also endowed with a voice that could heat whole skyscrapers. Had John Phillips still used Elliot's appearance as an argument against collaboration, she now becomes the beacon of the ensemble, the identification figure for an entire generation.
The Mamas & the Papas land numerous hits in the following years, with songs like "Monday, Monday", "Dedicated to the One I Love" and the iconic "California Dreaming", they establish themselves permanently in the great Pop-Almanac. But their time is limited, not only the universal summer of love comes to an end. The Manson Murders shake up Laurel Canyon, the dark Family Head was friendly with John Phillips, he wanted to make music with him unconditionally. In fact, the success came with such speed over the band, that it is hard to keep up career-technically in the eye of the hurricane. The amorous entanglements take care of the rest. When John Phillips, behind the scenes the dominant string-puller of the group, catches his wife and Doherty in flagrante delicto, he reacts ironically-cool. "You can do anything to me", he is said to have said to "Michelle", as he calls his wife, "but you don't fuck with my tenor". In the meantime, Michelle Phillips is replaced by Jill Gibson due to her affair with Gene Clark from the Byrds. Summer of Love? Not entirely true. And over much too soon. The song "Dream a Little Dream of Me" is released in June 1968, against the will of John Phillips with the interpreter note "Mama Cass With The Mamas & The Papas". The evergreen in the making turns out to be a hit and key work – for The Mamas & the Papas it is the nail in their coffin, even though they continue to publish albums together until 1971 due to contractual obligations. For Cass Elliot, it is the beginning of the next chapter. Her label Dunhill Records releases the song again as the title track of Cass Elliots Solo debut, released in October 1968.
Their engagement in Las Vegas turns into a debacle.
At the same time, they begin their three-week engagement at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, playing two shows per night, for a weekly wage of 40,000 US-Dollars, which today would be equivalent to 360,000 US-Dollars. Elliot starts months prior with a strict diet regime, eating only three days a week and losing approximately 50 kilograms – a third of her body weight. The rehearsals for the show take place without her. Cass Elliot is too weak, spending her days in bed. Later, she admits that it was not only the diet that was taking its toll: She had also been using hard drugs. No carbohydrates, all cocaine, nothing unusual in show business. According to rumors, she overdoses directly before her first Vegas performance. She only manages one rehearsal. The premiere takes place on October 16, 1973, in the Circus Maximus Hall, where illustrious figures such as Jimi Hendrix, Liza Minnelli, Mia Farrow, and Joan Baez had been given the honor before her. However, Cass Elliot is completely out of shape. During the first show – Elliot with a broken voice and a shortened setlist – there is still an appreciative applause, during the second show at the same evening, an annoyed audience leaves the hall in parts. The Vegas adventure has barely begun, it is already over – after just one night.
"Sinking Along With Cass," the critic from "Esquire" Magazine quips, while the "New York Times" compares her performance to the sinking of the Titanic.
But Cass Elliot doesn't give up easily. In the early 1970s, she attempts a career change, focusing on film and theater, appearing in numerous shows and TV specials. Her weight remains a constant theme, her dissatisfaction with her image as a motherly matron, as the woman everyone calls "Mama," a psychological tinnitus. "Don't Call Me Mama Anymore" is the name of her live album, which is released in September 1973. It will be her last one in her lifetime. Despite the successful shows and her triumphant return to Las Vegas, the live album recording fails to generate much interest.
In the spring of 1974, during a production of the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson, she collapses right before her performance but manages to recover and picks up the success thread right away. In the summer, she travels to Britain to perform a two-week engagement at the London Palladium. The shows are met with acclaim, the reviews are excellent, and on July 27, she celebrates the conclusion of the concert series with a grand parade through the streets. At home in Chelsea, she attends Mick Jagger's 31st birthday party at Tite Street, later becoming an honored guest at a brunch hosted by singer and actress Georgia Brown. She finishes the night with a few cocktails at the US author Jack Martin's place, then it's bedtime.
Harry Nilsson, not only a talented songwriter, but also a member of the legendary Hollywood Vampires, with renowned party animals like Alice Cooper, John Lennon, and Elton John, offered a guest bed in his flat at Curzon Place in Mayfair. The next morning, some friends came to visit, but they did not want to disturb the supposedly sleeping, and refrained from knocking on their door. Only when Dot McLeod, their secretary, could not reach them on the phone after numerous attempts, the door was opened – and they found Cass Elliott's body. Before Professor Keith Simpson from London's Guy's Hospital performed the autopsy, Cass Elliott's private doctor, Dr. Anthony Greenburgh, gave an interview that made headlines: "I think the autopsy will probably show that she choked on a sandwich while lying in bed, and then suffocated on her vomit. She was a heavy lady, so the possibility of a heart attack cannot be ruled out." Patient confidentiality my ass, whoever has such doctors no longer needs a gag. With that, the rumor spread throughout the world – and remained there forever. The fact that not even a bite had been taken from the sandwich that was on her nightstand seems irrelevant. Doctor Greenbaum couldn't care less. The same goes for Austin Powers.
Mama Cass, deceased. Sandwich.
Cass Elliott's official death date: July 29, 1974. The true cause of death: heart failure. The heart attack that spread from the left ventricle to the entire heart muscle was likely a consequence of her strenuous diets.
Approximately four and a half years later, on September 7, 1978, another corpse lay in Harry Nilsson's Mayfair apartment bed. Once again, a well-known musician, this time at the end of a party night, not with Mick Jagger, but with Paul McCartney. The age of the deceased was the same as that of Cass Elliot: 32 years. His name: Keith Moon.
This text is from "Finale – how music legends fell silent forever" by Ingo Scheel. The book has been published by Ventil Verlag and costs 24 Euro. More info at ventil-verlag.de
- Despite the rumors of her death due to a ham and cheese sandwich, Cass Elliot's love for music continued to endure, as evident in her performances with The Mamas & the Papas.
- Janis Joplin's name might not have appeared in Mike Myers' list in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," but her impact on music is undeniable.
- In Baltimore, Maryland, Cass Elliot was born and later took her stage name from Peggy Cass and a deceased friend, showcasing her early passion for theater and music.
- U2's song "You Know Who I Am" resonates with some elements of Cass Elliot's journey, as she transformed from being overlooked to becoming an integral part of The Mamas & the Papas.
- Jimi Hendrix's name topped Mike Myers' list in "Austin Powers," but his legacy lived on, influencing generations of musicians with his groundbreaking guitar skills.
- Cass Elliot's vocal range was initially doubted by John Phillips, but her innate talent and passion for music ultimately brought The Mamas & the Papas to new heights of success.
- In Las Vegas, Cass Elliot's struggle with drugs and her strict diet regimen led to a catastrophic performance, marking a turning point in her career and personal life.
- After her death, misleading rumors about Cass Elliot's cause of death continued to circulate, overshadowing her remarkable contributions to music and her impact on numerous artists, including U2 and Janis Joplin.
