Career beginnings When
the Mothers of Invention bandleader
Frank Zappa was injured during a concert in
London in 1971, Kaylan and Volman found themselves at an impasse, as the group was out of action for a time. They responded to this by recording
The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie on
Reprise Records with most of the other members of the Mothers of Invention. Although this album failed to chart, the duo continued to release albums, including the more successful
Flo & Eddie;
Illegal, Immoral and Fattening;
Moving Targets; and
Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie.
1970s During the 1970s, Kaylan and Volman continued to work as
session musicians. They were backing vocalists on the
T. Rex 1971 song "
Get It On", singing the inadvertent extra chorus that "worked". The duo sang background vocals also on early T. Rex albums and were close friends of the band's vocalist
Marc Bolan. The duo was also in good relations with
Alice Cooper, and they were the opening act on the “School’s Out” show at the Circus Krone in Munich in November 1972 and on the "Billion Dollar Babies Tour" during the spring of 1973, going on to record background vocals for Cooper's albums
From the Inside,
Flush the Fashion and
Zipper Catches Skin. The duo was also the house band for the Canadian TV talk show
90 Minutes Live with
Peter Gzowski. They also sang background vocals on "Telephone Booth", a 1974 song by
Hoyt Axton.
Early 1980s The duo sang backing vocals also on Bruce Springsteen's first top ten hit on the
Billboard chart, the 1980 song "
Hungry Heart", while in 1982, they released a four-song EP on
Rhino Records (RNEP 603) under the name Checkpoint Charlie. The record is a dark but whimsical take on late 1970s/early 1980s German
synth-pop,
new wave and
techno music, such as
D.A.F. and
Kraftwerk.
Mid-1980s In 1984, as 'The Turtles... featuring Flo & Eddie' (together with three other groups from the 1960s:
Gary Puckett,
Spanky and Our Gang, and
the Association), they traveled across the U.S. and Canada as The Happy Together Tour. The following year, they got together with
the Buckinghams,
Gary Lewis and
the Grass Roots, for a 1985 version. For the eight months the tour was on the road, it was consistently one of the top 10 grossing tours in the country.
2000s On August 1, 2013, Flo & Eddie, having gained ownership of the Turtles' recorded output, filed a lawsuit against satellite radio broadcaster
Sirius XM for failing to pay sound-recording royalties in the states of
New York,
California, and
Florida. On September 22, 2014, a California judge ruled that under state law, Sirius XM had to pay to digitally broadcast pre-1972 sound recordings. On June 22, 2015, a Florida judge ruled in favor of Sirius XM, as that state has no specific legislation concerning sound recording property rights. A few days later, Sirius XM agreed to pay $210 million to major record labels. On November 28, 2016, Sirius XM agreed to pay between $25–99 million to the pre-1972 song owners.
2010s-2020s During the summers of 2010 and 2011, Flo & Eddie had heavy touring schedules throughout the U.S., both as part of the Happy Together: 25th Anniversary Tour, along with the Grass Roots, the Buckinghams,
Mark Lindsay, and
the Monkees' member
Micky Dolenz (2010 only). In 2018, Kaylan retired from touring due to requiring heart and back surgery. Volman, who was suffering from
Lewy body dementia, died after a short illness on September 5, 2025, at the age of 78.
Film and television work They also had a collaboration with animation studio
Murakami-Wolf-Swenson, dating back to when this company made the cartoon scenes in Zappa's film
200 Motels. Flo & Eddie did the music for their films
Down and Dirty Duck and
The Adventures of the American Rabbit, the television special
Peter and the Magic Egg, and their
Strawberry Shortcake television specials. The last one led the franchise creators at
American Greetings to also bring in the duo for
The Care Bears show. ==Discography==