Congratulations to the late Cass Elliot across the universe and to her family, friends, and colleagues still with us here on her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Monday, Oct. 3, 2022.
Elliot’s was the 2,735th star to be dedicated on the Walk of Fame. It’s located at 7065 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood 90028.
Lupita Sanchez Cornejo, chair of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, emceed, and guest speakers were Michelle Phillips, John Sebastian, Owen Elliot-Kugell, Leah Kunkel, and Stephen Stills.
Pictured above after the star’s unveiling are (from left): Sebastian, who in his remarks credited Cass with introducing him to Zal Yanovsky, leading them to form The Lovin’ Spoonful; Cass’s daughter Owen, who spearheaded the effort to have the star dedicated to her mom; Cass’s sister Leah, in from the East Coast for the occasion; Phillips, the other girl singer in The Mamas & The Papas, who noted she and Cass dropped acid when they first met and never came down, and that they “didn’t give a fucking rat’s ass” what anyone else thought about their adventures; Lou Adler, M&P producer and one of the architects of the L.A. folk-rock sound in the mid-’60s; and Stills, a late addition to the day’s lineup who, after his remarks, also read notes sent in by Graham Nash and David Crosby, all three thanking Cass — who renowned photographer Henry Diltz fondly remembers as “the Gertrude Stein of Laurel Canyon” — for famously introducing Crosby and Stills to Nash.
Elliot was not a fan of the “Mama” nickname, according to many who knew her well. But it has stuck and is now part of her legacy on the Walk of Fame.
Here’s the Chamber’s video of the ceremony (fast-forward to 10:10 for the start):
And here’s a flashback that’s both historic and hilarious:
Stephen K. Peeples is a Grammy-nominated multi-media writer-producer and award-winning radio/record-industry veteran raised in Miami and Los Angeles by career newspaper journalists and music lovers. Based in Santa Clarita, California, and retired in 2021 after a 40-plus-year media career, he is (as of spring 2024) is authoring a new book celebrating the 60th anniversary in 2024-2026 of Bruce Brown’s epic surf movie “The Endless Summer.” Peeples is also developing a Boyd Elder art book-biography, “Boyd Elder, Artlaw: The Greatest Artist You’ve Never Heard Of” (due in 2025-2026). See the “About” page on Peeples’ website. More original stories and exclusive interviews are posted there and on his YouTube channel.
Article: ‘Mama’ Cass Elliot Honored with Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Category: News and Reviews
Author: Stephen K. Peeples
Article Source: stephenkpeeples.com
