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 Mamas and Papas Singer John Phillips Dies at 65
03/19/01 - Phillips, who helped organize the seminal Monterey Pop Festival and wrote for such legendary groups as the Grateful Dead and the Beach Boys, died Sunday morning at the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, a hospital spokesman said
"His personality is going to be sorely missed," said Harvey Goldberg, a longtime friend and producer.
"His music is going to be sorely missed."
"He had a sweet voice, and he played guitar beautifully, and he'd play a song, just acoustically, and they'd be hits," Beach Boys singer Bruce Johnston said Sunday.
As a co-organizer of 1967's Monterey Pop Festival, Phillips helped introduce Jimi Hendrix and The Who to American audiences.
As principal songwriter for the Mamas and the Papas, Phillips created such favorites as "I Saw Her Again Last Night" and "Creeque Alley."
In 1966, the band won a Grammy for best contemporary group performance for the single "Monday Monday."
The Mamas and the Papas broke new ground because it contained both men and women, Phillips, his second wife Michelle, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliott, at a time when most pop bands were all-male or all-female.
The group's catchy sound blended upbeat mid-1960s pop and the folk music approach that gained popularity toward the end of the decade. It disbanded in 1968 following John and Michelle Phillips' divorce.
Phillips briefly reformed the band in 1982 with Doherty, his daughter, Mackenzie, and Elaine "Spanky" McFarlane.
Several of Phillips' children have achieved fame. Mackenzie became an actress and starred in the sitcom "One Day at a Time" in the 1970s until she was fired in 1982 because of a cocaine addiction, which she later kicked.
Another daughter, Chynna, was a member of the pop group Wilson Phillips, along with two daughters of Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson.
A third daughter, Bijou, appeared at age 15 in a controversial 1995 advertising campaign for clothing designer Calvin Klein that featured teen models in provocative poses. She is an actress.
Phillips was...
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