Denny Doherty
| Denny Doherty | |
|---|---|
Doherty, 2nd from right, performing with The Mamas & the Papas, 1967
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty |
| Born |
November 29, 1940 Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Died | January 19, 2007 (aged 66) Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Folk, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician, actor |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960–2007 |
| Labels | Dunhill Records |
| Associated acts |
The Halifax III The Mamas & the Papas |
Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer, songwriter, musician and actor. He was most widely known as a founding member of the 1960s musical group The Mamas & the Papas.
Denny Doherty was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Doherty started his musical career in Halifax in 1956 with a band called the Hepsters. With friends Richard Sheehan, Eddie Thibodeau and Mike O'Connell, the Hepsters played at clubs in the Halifax area. The band lasted about two years. Sheehan recalls that they drew crowds wherever they went due to Denny's incredible voice. In 1960, at the age of 19, Doherty, along with Pat LaCroix and Richard Byrne, began a folk group called The Colonials in Halifax. When they got a record deal with Columbia Records, they changed their name to The Halifax III. The band recorded two LPs and had a minor hit, "The Man Who Wouldn't Sing Along With Mitch", but broke up in 1963. Coincidentally, they separated at a hotel called "The Colonial" in Los Angeles.
In 1963, Doherty established a friendship with Cass Elliot when she was with a band called "The Big 3". While on tour with "The Halifax III", Doherty met John Phillips and his new wife, model Michelle Gilliam.
A few months later, The Halifax III dissolved, and Doherty and their accompanist, Zal Yanovsky, were left broke in Hollywood. Elliot heard of their troubles and convinced her manager to hire them. Thus, Doherty and Yanovsky joined the Big 3 (increasing the number of band members to four). Soon after adding even more band members, they changed their name to the "Mugwumps". The Mugwumps soon broke up also due to insolvency. The Mamas & the Papas song "Creeque Alley" briefly outlines this history. Yanovsky went on to join The Lovin' Spoonful with John Sebastian.
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