California Dreamin' on such a Winter's day...

More bad news on the doorstep. Denny Doherty of the Mamas & Papas died of liver failure, the third of the group to pass away. Mama Cass Elliot and Papa John Phillips pre-deceased Doherty, leaving Michelle Phillips as the only living member.

John and Mitchie were gettin' kinda itchy
just to leave the folk music behind
Zal and Denny workin' for a penny,
tryin' to get a fish on the line
In a coffee house Sebastian sat,
and after every number they passed the hat
McGuinn and McGuire's just a-gettin' higher,
in L.A. you know where that's at
And no one's getting fat except Mama Cass.
Creeque Alley

"What made the group special was their haunting and sumptuous harmony singing," according to "The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll." "Everybody used to think that John Phillips, who wrote the songs, was also the main voice of the group, but it wasn't — it was the angelic voice of Denny Doherty," said Larry Leblanc, Canadian editor of Billboard Magazine. "He was often overlooked but it was really his voice that carried the group." - complete AP article