1962–1964: Early career After leaving high school to pursue an entertainment career in New York, Elliot toured in the musical
The Music Man in 1962 under the name Cass Elliot, but lost the part of Miss Marmelstein in
I Can Get It for You Wholesale to
Barbra Streisand. Elliot sometimes sang while working as a cloakroom attendant at The Showplace in
Greenwich Village, but she did not pursue a singing career until she moved to the Washington, DC, area to attend
American University (not
Swarthmore College as mentioned in the biographical song "Creeque Alley"). America's folk music scene was on the rise when Elliot met banjoist and singer
Tim Rose and singer John Brown, and the three began performing as the Triumvirate. In 1963,
James Hendricks replaced Brown, and the trio was renamed
the Big 3. Elliot's first recording with the Big 3 was "Winken, Blinken, and Nod", released by
FM Records in 1963. In 1964, the group appeared on an "open mic" night at
The Bitter End in Greenwich Village, billed as Cass Elliot and the Big 3, followed onstage by folk singer Jim Fosso and
bluegrass banjoist
Eric Weissberg. Tim Rose left the Big 3 in 1964, and Elliot and Hendricks teamed with Canadians
Zal Yanovsky and
Denny Doherty to form
the Mugwumps. This group lasted eight months, after which Cass performed as a solo act for a while. In the meantime, Yanovsky and
John Sebastian co-founded
the Lovin' Spoonful, while Doherty joined
the New Journeymen, a group that also included
John Phillips and his wife
Michelle Phillips. In 1965, Doherty persuaded John Phillips that Elliot should join the group, which she did while the group members and she were vacationing in the Virgin Islands. A popular legend about Elliot is that her vocal range was improved by three notes after she was hit on the head by some copper tubing while walking through a construction site behind the bar where the New Journeymen were playing in the Virgin Islands. Elliot confirmed the story in a 1968 interview with
Rolling Stone, saying: Reportedly, friends of Elliot later said that the pipe story was a less embarrassing explanation for why John Phillips had kept her out of the group for so long: because he considered her too fat.
1965–1968: The Mamas & the Papas With two female members, the New Journeymen needed a new name. According to Doherty, Elliot came up with the name
The Mamas & the Papas. Elliot was known for her sense of humor and optimism, and was considered by many to be the most charismatic member of the group. Her powerful, distinctive voice was a major factor in their string of hits, including "
California Dreamin', "
Monday, Monday", and "
Words of Love". She also performed the solo "
Dream a Little Dream of Me", which the group recorded in 1968 after learning about the death of
Fabian Andre, one of the men who co-wrote it. Elliot's version is noteworthy for its contemplative pace, whereas many earlier recordings of "Dream a Little Dream of Me" (including one by
Nat King Cole and another by
Ozzie Nelson) had been up-tempo versions—the song having been written in 1931 as a dance tune. The Mamas & the Papas lasted from 1965 to 1968, with a brief reunion in 1971.
1968–1973: Solo career After the breakup of The Mamas and & Papas, Elliot embarked on a solo singing career. Her most successful recording during this period was 1968's "
Dream a Little Dream of Me" from
her solo album of the same name, released by
Dunhill Records, though it had originally been released earlier that year on the album
The Papas & The Mamas.
Las Vegas show in 1969 In October 1968, Elliot made her live solo debut headlining in
Las Vegas at
Caesars Palace, scheduled for a three-week engagement at $40,000 per week with two shows per night. According to Elliot, she went on a six-month crash diet before the show, losing 100 of her 300 pounds. However, she attributed a stomach ulcer and throat problems to her severe regimen, which she treated by drinking milk and cream—rapidly regaining 50 pounds in the process. She was confined to her bed for three weeks before the first performance while the musical director, band, and production supervisor attempted to put together a show in her absence. She was scheduled to rehearse for a full three days before the show opened, but she managed to get through only part of one run-through with the band before saying that she was losing her voice. She skipped the remainder of rehearsals and drank tea and lemon, hoping to recover and pull herself together for opening night. An audience of 950 people filled the Circus Maximus theater at Caesar's Palace on the evening of Wednesday, October 16, including
Sammy Davis Jr.,
Peter Lawford,
Jimi Hendrix,
Joan Baez,
Liza Minnelli, and
Mia Farrow, who had sent flowers to Elliot's dressing room, but backstage she had developed a raging fever. Friends urged her manager to cancel the show, but she felt that it was too important and insisted on performing. Sick and having barely rehearsed, she began to fall apart during the course of her first performance; her voice was weak and barely audible, and the large crowd was unsympathetic, despite the celebrity well-wishers. At the end of the show, Elliot returned to the stage to apologize to the audience; "This is the first night, and it will get better", she said. She then sang "Dream a Little Dream of Me" and left the stage as the audience applauded half-heartedly. She returned later that night to perform the second show, but her voice was worse, and many of the audience noisily walked out. Reviews were harsh.
Esquire magazine called the show "Sink Along with Cass" and "a disaster" that was "heroic in proportion, epic in scope". Throughout the early 1970s, Elliot continued her acting career, as well. She had a featured role in the movie
Pufnstuf (1970) and made guest appearances on TV's
The New Scooby-Doo Movies;
Young Dr. Kildare;
Love, American Style; and
The Red Skelton Show; among others. and
Jack Lemmon in 1973In 1973, Elliot hired as her manager
Allan Carr, who was also managing the careers of
Tony Curtis,
Ann-Margret, and
Peter Sellers. Carr felt Elliot needed to leave pop and rock music and head into the cabaret circuit, so a show was put together comprising old standards along with a few new songs written for her by friends. The act included Elliot and two male singers who served as backup singers and sidekicks during the musical numbers. The title of the show was ''Don't Call Me Mama Anymore'', named after one of the songs written by Elliot's friend Earle Brown. The song was born out of Elliot's frustration with being identified as "Mama Cass". The show debuted in Pittsburgh on February 9, 1973. Elliot felt ready to tackle Las Vegas once again and premiered at the
Flamingo. This time, she received rave reviews.
The Las Vegas Sun wrote, "Cass Elliot, making a strong point that she is no longer Mama Cass, has a good act serving notice that she is here to stay. The audience was with her all the way ... no empty seats anywhere." She then took her act to higher-echelon casinos and swankier nightclubs in cities throughout the country. Elliot provided the voice for her appearance on the 1973 episode of
The New Scooby-Doo Movies, "The Haunted Candy Factory". She also appeared on
Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated in the episodes "
The Secret Serum", "
Pawn of Shadows", and "
Dance of the Undead" as a Crystal Cove citizen. The city of Baltimore dedicated August 15, 1973, as "Cass Elliot Day" in her honor for her homecoming. ==Final performances, death, and funeral ==