Denny had a Phenomenal voice. And the group was right behind the Beach boys in implementation of great 4 part harmonies. John was a mini Brian in arranging abilities.
Love you Denny, how I loved the Mama's and Papas, you were like the glue guy and a great singer. Just a good Canadian boy , and a real Maritimer too. Here your doing well, but it was a rough ride for all of you.
15:32 And who doesn't do that from time to time . Great doc though and what a lovely man, who was right there at the very epicentre of The Summer of Love, Monterey Pop and beyond.😃.
I liked hearing Denny say that he gave up all the drunkenness when he was no longer single and there were others to consider. Sometimes that's the best cure.
Interesting read is Dave McGowens book about Laurel Canyon and such singers as Mommas and The Pappas... Crosby,Stills,Nash,Eric Burden,Frank Zappa etc.. Very interesting read on the families of some of the "counter cultures" most predominate idols.
Amazing how people who have one in a million luck, become rich and famous, then squander that opportunity and throw it all away. It's part of the human condition from the beginning of time.
and I think a lot of that had to do with the times too--- the 60s counter-culture, the rampant experimentation with different drugs, and the overall party scene. Seems to me most of the music and film stars of the 80s and beyond, once they got rich, they STAYED rich....
I know I was born in 1961 and had three older siblings and remember it like it was yesterday. Though I don’t live in the past. I live in the now but when I here lots of music it takes me back to when I was 5 and they where playing this the stones Dylan and the Beatles and I’d fall asleep to that stuff as a kid. Lol. Did hash pot and LSD but never coke or opiates. Good times on Four way window Payne acid and purple microdot and lsd 25 back in the mid 1970 s I was so high leaving a party once in the winter I put my boots on and they weren’t mine then I looked at my hands and they were not mine either and everything turned bright green and pink like when you’d mess with the colour on an old tv. Hilarious and fun times. We didn’t drive any where we walked and bicycled. And bus and Metro. Good thing too. Cheers from Montreal
A warning about never entering the music business...financial success is a fluke, and it rarely lasts. Denny Doherty's funeral was held next door to where I lived in Port Credit in 2007...a reminder of how fleeting fame and success are.
He may have had some leaner times in the 1970s, but by the 80s he was touring with the New Mamas and Papas and they worked the better part of 13 years with Denny. He also made movies, and around 1987-88 he (and the other members/ estate of the Ms & Ps) were awarded quite a nice sum of money in back royalties from their publishing company. He had a beautiful home in Mississauga which recently sold for over $1,000, 000. Fortunately he had the reputation of being down to earth and he never let money (or fame) be the measurement of his happiness. Met him a couple times and spoke to him on the phone many more, and he was truly a genuine human with no airs about him.
I disagree. People who enter the music business do it for the love of making music not becoming rich, and by the way playing California Dreaming will be played for the next 1,000 years so nothing fleeting about that.
@@66Polarbear The show was at Harrah’s Reno long before there was a Harrahs in Las Vegas. They played in the Casino Cabaret. They were there for for a week or two.
Denny seemed like a good egg. Fame has destroyed many like him and I’m glad he stopped drinking once he started a family. John Phillips was just a degenerate who slept with his own biological daughter Mackenzie and no wonder she got into drugs and alcohol. Denny made the right choice to go back to his roots
I had a friend that was producing a mamas and papas musical and Michelle pulled the rights to California Dreaming and Monday Monday right before opening. She was holding out for a big Hollywood film that probably won’t happen because of her
I wonder why she thought a stage musical would hurt her chances for a feature film? It might have helped, no? Also they don't mention here what Michelle herself has admitted publicly. She was banging Denny and cucking John. So in the band's aftermath years she comes off looking not so great. Too bad. I've always had the hots for her. And I must agree that without her and Cass it was not possible to recreate that awesome sound.
@@bonconfidant7514 I believe it was more detrimental soon after when McKenzie Phillips came forward and told people that she was having sex with her father.
Love seeing sunny California -- girls with flowers in their hair ......WHAT a contrast to a wet snowy slushy Halifax afternoon in the middle of nowhere .
At one time they were. They were American in a sea of Brits. Like The Beach Boys. They were bigger for a time because they caused a sensation - like the Beatles did to Elvis.
@@66Polarbear The first time i went the whole cast was there. The second time the flute player was different (didn't sound as good). The third time Denny was off. His understudy looked like Neil Diamond, tried too hard. I took my cousin to that not knowing Denny wouldn't be there, so we went back (my fifth time). After the show my cousin suggested we wait for the band to come out and i met Denny. I was really nervous and shook his hand way too hard. He was a very considerate and kind guy. We also took a picture with the actress who played Cass. I heard the drummer was dating the actress who played Michelle. I was very sad when Denny passed away.
@@rudolphguarnacci197 awesome. I met him twice, in Toronto in 2001 and Connecticut in 2005. I was aware he had his understudy fill in once in NY. That must have been tough, both for anyone in the audience who traveled, as well as to the understudy...he had to have known people were disappointed.
@@66Polarbear I felt bad for the tourists. I was born down the block on Thompson Street (1961). My dad played at The Gate with Nina Simone (his close friend was her guitarist). Many years later, after moving to Brooklyn i became a cop and got assigned to the 6th pct. That's how i discovered that show, answering a (false) burglar alarm at The Gate.
Right? Seemed like she was going for the "tragic rock star story of riches to rags". Denny was a gentleman and put it into a more realistic perspective.
Why is it that the only " live " performance of the Momma and Pappas is from the Monterey Pop Festival ? They had to play live more often than just that one time .
according to the band themselves, they only played about 30 live performances in three years. And unless there were plans ahead of time to professionally tape it, or unless they appeared on a TV show, there really isn't much for any bands of the mid-60s era. Maybe there's audience members out there that have short clips from 8 or 16mm film cameras, but those are likely just quick cutaways like you see with audience clips of Beatles concerts---and probably without audio. There's a few live videos from the NEW Mamas and Papas in the 80s on TH-cam, and of course the Hall Of Fame version of California Dreamin in 1998 - which featured at the time the three surviving members.
@@66Polarbear I have seen where Denny Doherty had said he was happy not playing live , that the money from the lp's was enough for him but you would think that such a popular group as the Mommas and Poppas there would have more film of them singing live .
Unfortunately, it wasn't common practice to record or film concerts back in the day unless it was some type of major historical event. The Beatles were the exception, the Hollywood Bowl, Shea Stadium, Washington DC, Buddakan, everyone wanted a piece of the action with those guys.
John was so insecure and unsure of his genius that he never thought anyone 50 years later would have any interest in his music. Before his death, he had 100s of recordings stored in his garage. I often wonder if these tapes are still around somewhere.
Halifax has had a long history as an Irish immigrant centre. Often two-boaters (first landing in Newfoundland, then descendants coming to the mainland), others came straight over during the course of the city's history and embedded themselves into the establishment.
They were great but “bigger than the Beatles “?Im surprised CBC didn’t insist Denny get on a transit bus instead of driving his own car.A big caprice no less.
It depends how you look at it..... anytime a band bumped them from the number 1 spot, be it in a song or album, technically you could say at that moment (and for a SHORT time), they were "bigger". There were several bands that held that distinction, including the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, and The Monkees, to name but three....
The Rockies ( Rocky Mountains) Are Not in Nevada ! That would be the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Reno is on the East Slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 5th Grade geography !!
I responded to a similar post like this before, but here's how I see it... as a "loose" justification for saying that: It depends how you look at it..... anytime a band bumped the Beatles from the number 1 spot, be it in a song or album, technically you could say at that moment (and for a SHORT time), they were "bigger". There were several bands that held that distinction, including the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, and The Monkees, to name but three. So in terms of having a more popular record that week, or that month, then yes, by sales standards or radio request standards you could say they were temporarily "bigger". And I'm the biggest Beatles fan there is, so I get why people question this. Over the long haul, the Beatles always were and always will be the biggest.
The Beatles music was and still is mediocre at best. What made them popular were zillions of screaming star struck girls. Paul McCartney was the talent in the group which is evident in his solo work. The rest made sporadic attempts at solo work. John Lennon couldn't release an album without including Yoko's screaming cat calls. Mama's and Papas were the true sound of the 60s.
@@66Polarbear The 60s band The Fifth Estate released a popular cover of The Wizard of Oz song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" in 1967. That's the connection juliestrom412 is making.
California Dreamin' one of the most iconic songs of the 1960's. Never get tired of hearing it.
Jose Feliciano's version is different, but equally amazing.
Thanks for posting this excellent interview. Denny Doherty was an amazing singer, performer and human being.
No matter what he did booze , drugs etc. The man had a incredible singing voice. Although it was great to hear him say he sobered up for his family.
Forget the voice! How he treated his family is what count.
Denny had a Phenomenal voice.
And the group was right behind the Beach boys in implementation of great 4 part harmonies.
John was a mini Brian in arranging abilities.
He is not dead, he will remain alive in the heart of all who love him. 🕊️🪬🌈
Exactly ✌️
Denny had an incredible voice. Rest in peace.
Love you Denny, how I loved the Mama's and Papas, you were like the glue guy and a great singer. Just a good Canadian boy , and a real Maritimer too. Here your doing well, but it was a rough ride for all of you.
I never knew anything about Denny other then his name and that he was in this band. He seems like a good sort and I appreciate this piece.
15:32 And who doesn't do that from time to time . Great doc though and what a lovely man, who was right there at the very epicentre of The Summer of Love, Monterey Pop and beyond.😃.
around 2000, Denny performed for us at my coffeehouse Kool Beanz, in Cocoa, Florida. Magical night! Miss ya bud
how very cool!
I liked hearing Denny say that he gave up all the drunkenness when he was no longer single and there were others to consider. Sometimes that's the best cure.
My favourite group of all time…. I am still California dreamin. Always will.
Thank you for sharing. Nice to learn about Denny, about those behind the music, personal, informal, candid - an excellent interview.
One of the great voices, like Bing Crosby
yep...wish more of the mainstream listening public realized this; his 2nd solo album Waiting For A Song is filled with examples of vocal perfection.
Mamas and P{apas just had incredible harmonies
Oh Denny, to say that the new M&P were as good or better as the original? Nah... without Cass, it couldn't possibly be as good.
Thanks a lot for posting ❤
To Denny 🍻
I dont think Cass going it alone broke them up. They were already done
I like his honesty
Interesting read is
Dave McGowens book about
Laurel Canyon and such singers as Mommas and The Pappas...
Crosby,Stills,Nash,Eric Burden,Frank Zappa etc..
Very interesting read on the families of some of the "counter cultures" most predominate idols.
I got a signed copy shortly before he passed away. A brilliant and different take on the who what where why and when of that era.
poor artists - having to sit down with sharks like this - this woman misses every point - poor denny - he deserved so much more
The interviewer was kinda rude assuming nothing was left.
"Denny Doherty" is a name you'd find all over Donegal, Ireland.
Thanks for sharing...
Amazing how people who have one in a million luck, become rich and famous, then squander that opportunity and throw it all away. It's part of the human condition from the beginning of time.
and I think a lot of that had to do with the times too--- the 60s counter-culture, the rampant experimentation with different drugs, and the overall party scene. Seems to me most of the music and film stars of the 80s and beyond, once they got rich, they STAYED rich....
It's being young and a musician.
All his sleeves were Brown & his ties are grey.
The California Kings of harmony: 1) Brian Wilson, 2) John Phillips, 3) Richard Carpenter.
A lot of the greatest musicians of the 60s lost their minds to drugs, as I saw in my past life. Everything you've ever heard about the 60s was true.
I know I was born in 1961 and had three older siblings and remember it like it was yesterday. Though I don’t live in the past. I live in the now but when I here lots of music it takes me back to when I was 5 and they where playing this the stones Dylan and the Beatles and I’d fall asleep to that stuff as a kid. Lol. Did hash pot and LSD but never coke or opiates. Good times on Four way window Payne acid and purple microdot and lsd 25 back in the mid 1970 s I was so high leaving a party once in the winter I put my boots on and they weren’t mine then I looked at my hands and they were not mine either and everything turned bright green and pink like when you’d mess with the colour on an old tv. Hilarious and fun times. We didn’t drive any where we walked and bicycled. And bus and Metro. Good thing too. Cheers from Montreal
@@johngore7744 Agree 100%, thanks for sharing man
A warning about never entering the music business...financial success is a fluke, and it rarely lasts. Denny Doherty's funeral was held next door to where I lived in Port Credit in 2007...a reminder of how fleeting fame and success are.
He may have had some leaner times in the 1970s, but by the 80s he was touring with the New Mamas and Papas and they worked the better part of 13 years with Denny. He also made movies, and around 1987-88 he (and the other members/ estate of the Ms & Ps) were awarded quite a nice sum of money in back royalties from their publishing company. He had a beautiful home in Mississauga which recently sold for over $1,000, 000. Fortunately he had the reputation of being down to earth and he never let money (or fame) be the measurement of his happiness. Met him a couple times and spoke to him on the phone many more, and he was truly a genuine human with no airs about him.
I disagree. People who enter the music business do it for the love of making music not becoming rich, and by the way playing California Dreaming will be played for the next 1,000 years so nothing fleeting about that.
@@66Polarbear damn! If I'd known he was in Mississauga, I would've looked him up.
@@cautionTosser are you in that town? He was there from 1987 to his death. Check out online the house pics 1262 Countour drive (or maybe its "road").
Funny. I seem to recall his funeral being at St. Stephen's in the North End of Halifax. Michelle Phillips attended.
Well done, Dan
I was there saw the show ! Met Mackenzie, she was so nice, still love her.
How cool! That very show in Vegas shown in the clip?
@@66Polarbear The show was at Harrah’s Reno long before there was a Harrahs in Las Vegas. They played in the Casino Cabaret. They were there for for a week or two.
oh, right---that's what I meant...Reno.@@StevenK-j6h
Denny seemed like a good egg. Fame has destroyed many like him and I’m glad he stopped drinking once he started a family. John Phillips was just a degenerate who slept with his own biological daughter Mackenzie and no wonder she got into drugs and alcohol. Denny made the right choice to go back to his roots
there was no kinder, more generous ,
more talented guy in the world. I love him to this day. ✨💜🕊️🪬🪷🦩🐋💗
great music
I had a friend that was producing a mamas and papas musical and Michelle pulled the rights to California Dreaming and Monday Monday right before opening. She was holding out for a big Hollywood film that probably won’t happen because of her
Too bad. 🙁
@@Eidann63 yeah over a million was lost and the show was shut down because of Michelle’s stupidity
I wonder why she thought a stage musical would hurt her chances for a feature film? It might have helped, no? Also they don't mention here what Michelle herself has admitted publicly. She was banging Denny and cucking John. So in the band's aftermath years she comes off looking not so great. Too bad. I've always had the hots for her. And I must agree that without her and Cass it was not possible to recreate that awesome sound.
@@bonconfidant7514 I believe it was more detrimental soon after when McKenzie Phillips came forward and told people that she was having sex with her father.
@@bonconfidant7514 she’s a mental case
His east coast accent comes out easily.
Along with Newfounders they dance until money runs out.
Love seeing sunny California -- girls with flowers in their hair ......WHAT a contrast to a wet snowy slushy Halifax afternoon in the middle of nowhere .
"They did it! Why are the walls moving?"
Well, I don't know if they were as BIG as the Beatles - but they were close enough at one point.
No one was! Come on man! Not saying plus the regrouping wasn’t it at least for me! Mackenzie is a actress no singer!
At one time they were. They were American in a sea of Brits. Like The Beach Boys. They were bigger for a time because they caused a sensation - like the Beatles did to Elvis.
Saw him in Greenwich Village in 2003 at the old Village Gate. 5 times. 'Nuff said, right?
I was there!
@@66Polarbear
The first time i went the whole cast was there. The second time the flute player was different (didn't sound as good). The third time Denny was off. His understudy looked like Neil Diamond, tried too hard. I took my cousin to that not knowing Denny wouldn't be there, so we went back (my fifth time). After the show my cousin suggested we wait for the band to come out and i met Denny. I was really nervous and shook his hand way too hard. He was a very considerate and kind guy. We also took a picture with the actress who played Cass. I heard the drummer was dating the actress who played Michelle. I was very sad when Denny passed away.
@@rudolphguarnacci197 awesome. I met him twice, in Toronto in 2001 and Connecticut in 2005. I was aware he had his understudy fill in once in NY. That must have been tough, both for anyone in the audience who traveled, as well as to the understudy...he had to have known people were disappointed.
@@66Polarbear
I felt bad for the tourists. I was born down the block on Thompson Street (1961). My dad played at The Gate with Nina Simone (his close friend was her guitarist). Many years later, after moving to Brooklyn i became a cop and got assigned to the 6th pct. That's how i discovered that show, answering a (false) burglar alarm at The Gate.
What's with this woman constantly asking about the money?
Right? Seemed like she was going for the "tragic rock star story of riches to rags". Denny was a gentleman and put it into a more realistic perspective.
cbc always with the ambush
Cass❤❤❤❤ was it most Beautiful Woman😊
Why is it that the only " live " performance of the Momma and Pappas is from the Monterey Pop Festival ? They had to play live more often than just that one time .
according to the band themselves, they only played about 30 live performances in three years. And unless there were plans ahead of time to professionally tape it, or unless they appeared on a TV show, there really isn't much for any bands of the mid-60s era. Maybe there's audience members out there that have short clips from 8 or 16mm film cameras, but those are likely just quick cutaways like you see with audience clips of Beatles concerts---and probably without audio. There's a few live videos from the NEW Mamas and Papas in the 80s on TH-cam, and of course the Hall Of Fame version of California Dreamin in 1998 - which featured at the time the three surviving members.
@@66Polarbear I have seen where Denny Doherty had said he was happy not playing live , that the money from the lp's was enough for him but you would think that such a popular group as the Mommas and Poppas there would have more film of them singing live .
Unfortunately, it wasn't common practice to record or film concerts back in the day unless it was some type of major historical event. The Beatles were the exception, the Hollywood Bowl, Shea Stadium, Washington DC, Buddakan, everyone wanted a piece of the action with those guys.
John was so insecure and unsure of his genius that he never thought anyone 50 years later would have any interest in his music. Before his death, he had 100s of recordings stored in his garage. I often wonder if these tapes are still around somewhere.
Cass was in love with him, but instead he had an affair with Michelle while John was strung out on opiates. Wild times indeed.
true--- except the affair happened in 1964-65.... John didn't really begin his drug problem until maybe the last year they were together (1968).
Mackenzie did not look healthy at all in that interview, definitely was still using back then 😢
totally agree. You can hear it in her voice too.
@@66Polarbear Yeah, she looked bad. Plus, in the interview she never really admits that she's off drugs. She just said she "had a handle on it..."
What is 5th estate? Why do they call it that?
there's several definitions if you Google it--- similar, but slight differences....
@@66Polarbearit was a Canadian news program similar to 60 minutes
at 2:50 a chevy cheetah! man to have that
Denny's parents were from Ireland?
no, Canada---but I believe he had Irish ancestors somewhere in his lineage, though I don't know how far back you'd have to go.
Halifax has had a long history as an Irish immigrant centre. Often two-boaters (first landing in Newfoundland, then descendants coming to the mainland), others came straight over during the course of the city's history and embedded themselves into the establishment.
@66Polarbear with the name Denny Doherty, I would think so
They were great but “bigger than the Beatles “?Im surprised CBC didn’t insist Denny get on a transit bus instead of driving his own car.A big caprice no less.
Why didn't they use Michelle for the reunion ?
John and her couldnt stand each other by that point.
Calluses in her throat.
A middle age Halagonian. Yeah- that'll work
Was that Anna Maria Tremonti doing the interview?
No, I forget the name, but that's not it.
Hana Gartner
That's it! Thanks @@johnodacre3881
Some of his mannerisms remind me of Robin Williams.
Mamas and the Papas were NEVER bigger than the Beatles. Nowhere close.
It depends how you look at it..... anytime a band bumped them from the number 1 spot, be it in a song or album, technically you could say at that moment (and for a SHORT time), they were "bigger". There were several bands that held that distinction, including the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, and The Monkees, to name but three....
Their star rose for a time above and then dropped down like many other groups.
Ouch.
The Rockies ( Rocky Mountains) Are Not in Nevada ! That would be the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Reno is on the East Slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 5th Grade geography !!
1:46: certainly not. Not even in the same ballpark as the Beatles.
They were bigger than the Bealtes?????
I responded to a similar post like this before, but here's how I see it... as a "loose" justification for saying that: It depends how you look at it..... anytime a band bumped the Beatles from the number 1 spot, be it in a song or album, technically you could say at that moment (and for a SHORT time), they were "bigger". There were several bands that held that distinction, including the Beach Boys, the Mamas and the Papas, and The Monkees, to name but three. So in terms of having a more popular record that week, or that month, then yes, by sales standards or radio request standards you could say they were temporarily "bigger". And I'm the biggest Beatles fan there is, so I get why people question this. Over the long haul, the Beatles always were and always will be the biggest.
@@66Polarbear I agree completely with you.
Bigger than the Beatles! Yeah right I have a bridge to sell you.
For five minutes they were...
The Beatles music was and still is mediocre at best. What made them popular were
zillions of screaming star struck girls. Paul McCartney was the talent in the group which is evident in his solo work. The rest made sporadic attempts at solo work. John Lennon couldn't release an album without including Yoko's screaming cat calls.
Mama's and Papas were the true sound of the 60s.
Chyna's real daddy.....
He's died hasn't he?
Yes, january 2007.
Too much acid, man. It can open your mind in great and not so great ways.
The male sex icon now God
I thought this was a song called "Ding ding the witch is dead". Pelosi is bad
uhhh....what?
@@66Polarbear no l thought it was that group is all. I really don't dig Pelosi though. Nor do l respect her.
@@66Polarbear The 60s band The Fifth Estate released a popular cover of The Wizard of Oz song "Ding Dong! The Witch Is Dead" in 1967. That's the connection juliestrom412 is making.