Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot (September 19, 1941 – July 29, 1974), born Ellen Naomi Cohenand also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. In 1998, Elliot, John Phillips, Denny Doherty, and Michelle Phillips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for their work as The Mamas & the Papas. Ellen Cohen was born to Philip and Bess Cohen in Baltimore, Maryland, where she grew up. The family then moved to Alexandria, Virginia (a suburb ofWashington, D.C.). She adopted the name "Cass" in high school—possibly, as Denny Doherty tells it, borrowing it from the actressPeggy Cass—but in any case, it was "Cass", not "Cassandra." She assumed the surname Elliot sometime later, in memory of a friend who had died.

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot