How a near-fatal accident increased Mama Cass’ vocal range
Mama Cass, also known as Cass Elliot, is best known for her time as a vocalist for The Mamas & the Papas, lending her voice to hits such as ‘California Dreamin’, ‘Dedicated to the One I Love’, and ‘Monday, Monday’.
The vocalist, born Ellen Naomi Cohen, started out as a solo artist, involving herself in the blossoming 1960s folk scene. Elliot was part of various groups during this period, such as the Big 3 and the Mugwumps, the latter of which also included Denny Doherty. Eventually, Doherty left to join the New Journeymen, which consisted of John and Michelle Phillips. By 1965, Doherty had convinced the pair to let Elliot join the band, which led to the members changing their name to The Mamas and the Papas.
The band found lots of success as a part of the Southern Californian music scene, alongside The Beach Boys and The Byrds. In 1965 The Mamas and the Papas released their debut album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, which contained their iconic hit ‘California Dreamin”.
Michelle once shared: “I can’t tell you how many people have told me over the years that the reason they were in California was because they heard the song ‘California Dreamin’. It changed their lives.”
Despite the band’s success, they broke up in 1968 due to complex personal relationships between the members. The success of ‘Dream a Little Dream of Me’, which featured Elliot as lead vocalist, spurred her to pursue a solo career.
Elliot successfully separated from the band, with audiences enamoured by the singer’s capability to hit high notes with perfect ease and grace. Yet Elliot once told a story in an interview with Rolling Stone where she claimed to have received her impressive singing voice through a near-fatal accident.
She said: “It’s true, I did get hit on the head by a pipe that fell down and my range was increased by three notes. They were tearing this club apart in the islands, revamping it, putting in a dance floor. Workmen dropped a thin metal plumbing pipe and it hit me on the head and knocked me to the ground. I had a concussion and went to the hospital. I had a bad headache for about two weeks and all of a sudden I was singing higher. It’s true. Honest to God.”
However, according to Michelle’s sister Russell Gilliam, the story was made up to hide the fact that John was reluctant to let Elliot join the band because she was “too fat.” She said: “Once they got famous, he couldn’t say that. They made up this story about that she couldn’t hit a certain note, and that it changed when she was hit with the pipe … where they get this, I’ll never know.”
Even Doherty claimed that for John: “She was too fat! His ideal woman, he had: Michelle.” Whether Elliot really got hit on the head by a pipe is still debated to this day. Luckily for Elliot, John finally recognised her singing abilities and let her join the band, which resulted in massive success.
Sadly, Elliot passed away in 1974. However, she lives on through the beautiful songs she contributed to in her short yet fruitful life.
