Cass Elliot

Cass Elliot became Mama Cass when she joined The Mamas & the Papas in 1965. When the group broke up in 1968 after a run of hits, she stayed on their label, Dunhill, and launched a successful solo career, starting with her cover of the standard "Dream A Little Dream Of Me."

Her daughter Owen was born in 1967. Cass didn't reveal the identity of the father, but when Owen was 19, she learned it was a bass player named Chuck Day. She sought him out and they forged a relationship.

Her real name was Ellen. She earned the nickname Cass from her father, who affectionately called her "the mad Cassandra" when she was a kid.