Q 01/05

A false story printed in Cass Elliot's 1974 obituary claimed the singer had choked on which food?

A) A chicken bone

B) A ham sandwich

C) A hot dog

D) A steak dinner

Answer · why

B) A ham sandwich

A ham sandwich was written into the obituary by a journalist friend, who said in 2020 that Elliot's manager had asked her to print it. Elliot, who was...

Q 02/05

The Mamas & the Papas took their name from slang used by which notorious motorcycle club?

A) Hells Angels

B) Sons of Silence

C) Gypsy Jokers

D) Bandidos

Answer · why

A) Hells Angels

Hells Angels called their female associates "mamas", and the quartet liked the word better than their other idea, the Magic Cyrcle.

Q 03/05

The Mamas & the Papas' debut album was pulled from shops because its cover showed which bathroom fixture?

A) A bathtub

B) A bidet

C) A toilet

D) A urinal

Answer · why

C) A toilet

A toilet sat in the corner of the bathroom where the four posed in a tub, and it was judged indecent. Later pressings hid it behind a scroll advertisi...

Q 04/05

Which guitarist was the opening act when the Mamas & the Papas played the Hollywood Bowl in August 1967?

A) Eric Clapton

B) Jeff Beck

C) Carlos Santana

D) Jimi Hendrix

Answer · why

D) Jimi Hendrix

Jimi Hendrix warmed up a crowd of 18,000 that night. John and Michelle Phillips later remembered the concert as the high point of the group's career.

Q 05/05

Which instrument does jazzman Bud Shank play in the famous solo on the Mamas & the Papas' "California Dreamin'"?

A) Tenor saxophone

B) Alto flute

C) Bass clarinet

D) Harmonica

Answer · why

B) Alto flute

Alto flute carries the break, in a solo that was reportedly improvised. The backing track was first cut for another singer, whose lead vocal can still...