California Dreaming: The Mamas & the Papas

In the mid-1960s, the Mamas & the Papas recorded classic folk-rock hits like “California Dreaming,” “Monday Monday,” and “I Saw Her Again.” Featuring a heavenly mix of male and female vocal harmonies, the quartet also had a variety of other tunes that helped define the Los Angeles folk-rock sound, such as “Creeque Alley,” “Got a Feelin’,” and “Straight Shooter.” Folk-rock author and historian Richie Unterberger presents a program of film clips of performances of these songs and others.  The presentation features leader and chief songwriter John Phillips, his wife Michelle, “Mama Cass” Elliot, and Denny Doherty. 

Rock historian Richie Unterberger is the author of numerous rock history books, including volumes on the Beatles, the Who, the Velvet Underground, Bob Marley, and 1960s folk-rock. He teaches courses on rock and soul music history at several Bay Area colleges. His latest book, San Francisco: Portrait of a City, was published by Taschen in 2022.