John Edmund Andrew Phillips, born August 30, 1935, in Parris Island, South Carolina, United States, died March 18, 2001, in Los Angeles, California, United States, was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Moving to New York in the early 1960s, Phillips formed the folk trio the Journeymen with Scott McKenzie and Dick Weissman, appearing on the television show Hootenanny. In 1965, Phillips formed the Mamas & the Papas, serving as primary songwriter and arranger and producing six Billboard Top 10 hits, including “California Dreamin'”, “Monday, Monday”, and “Creeque Alley”. Phillips wrote Scott McKenzie's 1967 hit “San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)”, co-organized the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, and co-produced the 1968 documentary film Monterey Pop. Following the group's breakup, Phillips released his debut solo studio album, John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.), in 1970 and composed songs for the film Brewster McCloud. Phillips composed the soundtrack for the film The Man Who Fell to Earth and co-wrote the Beach Boys' 1988 Number 1 hit “Kokomo”. Phillips was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Mamas & the Papas in 1998, and posthumous studio albums Pay Pack & Follow and Phillips 66 were released in 2001.
