In Memoriam: "Mama" Cass Elliot

There's a special place in my heart - and thus a place of honour at the Pop Culture Institute - for anyone who defies the prevailing looksism of their times and becomes a success despite it; Cass Elliot - born on this day in 1941 - was one such person.

In an age of waif-like hippie chicks, Cass was not one; though she exhibited a brave face and a healthy attitude, it had to have hurt to see the men she loved continually pass her over for thinner women, then come crying to her when things didn't work out. I know it's always pissed me off.

Not only was Cass successful with The Mamas & the Papas, she also had a thriving solo career, beginning in 1968. It was not to last. Cass died of a heart attack in July 1974; she did not, according to the popular myth, choke on a ham sandwich.

She is survived by, among others, a sister named Leah Kunkel and a daughter Owen Vanessa Elliot.
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"Monday, Monday" by The Mamas and The Papas

Monday, Monday wasn't the first hit for The Mamas and the Papas, but it was their biggest - at least in terms of chart position, eventually reaching #1 in the US; originally included on their album If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears in 1966, it was also the first song to attain such giddy heights by a group featuring both men and women, and won the band a Grammy Award in March 1967.

Cass Elliot, of course, died in July 1974, John Phillips* in March 2001, and Denny Doherty in January 2007, leaving Michelle Phillips as the band's only surviving member.

*Who was born on this day in 1935.
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