''John Phillips (John, the Wolf King of L.A.)'' is the first solo recording by

the Mamas & the Papas The Mamas & the Papas were a folk rock vocal group formed in Los Angeles, California, which recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968. The group was a defining force in the music scene of the counterculture of the 1960s. The group consisted of Am ...

leader John Phillips. All songs were Phillips originals, dealing mostly with recent events in Phillips' life, including references to his new girlfriend Geneviève Waïte and longtime friend Ann Marshall ("April Anne"). The backing musicians included members of Wrecking Crew. Today the album receives favorable reviews from fans and critics alike. The album was selected as one of

ShortList A short list or shortlist is a list of candidates for a job, prize, award, political position, etc., that has been reduced from a longer list of candidates (sometimes via intermediate lists known as "long lists"). The length of short lists varie ...

's 55 Coolest Albums Ever. As Phillips was the backing singer in the Mamas and the Papas, with the other three serving as lead singers, the album mix tends to de-emphasize his lead vocals.

Denny Doherty Dennis Gerrard Stephen Doherty (November 29, 1940 – January 19, 2007) was a Canadian singer. He was a founding member of the 1960s musical group the Mamas and the Papas for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. ...

stated that, had the Mamas & the Papas performed this album, it would have been one of their finest, because of the strength of Phillips' songs. The single "Mississippi" reached the US '' Billboard'' top 40. Phillips and the other members of

were threatened with a lawsuit just as the album was released, discouraging the label from promoting the album."Straight Shooter", a PBS documentary about the Mamas and the Papas from 1988; a statement by John Phillips. In 2006, the album was reissued by

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

with eight bonus tracks, also mostly Phillips originals.

Chart positions

Track listing

All songs written by John Phillips, except where noted. #"April Anne" – 3:22 #"Topanga Canyon" – 3:53 #"Malibu People" – 3:41 #"Someone's Sleeping" – 2:46 #"Drum" – 3:36 #"Captain" – 3:25 #"Let It Bleed, Genevieve" – 2:53 #"Down the Beach" – 2:52 #"Mississippi" – 3:36 #"Holland Tunnel" – 3:41 2006 bonus tracks #"Shady" – 3:48 #"Lonely Children" – 3:44 #"Lady Genevieve" – 4:30 #"

Black Girl Black women are women of sub-Saharan African and Afro-diasporic descent, as well as women of Australian Aboriginal and Melanesian descent. The term 'Black' is a racial classification of people, the definition of which has shifted over time and a ...

" (Traditional) – 3:29 #"The Frenchman" – 4:03 #"16mm Baby" (Matthew Reich) – 2:41 #"Larry, Joe, Hal and Me" – 2:25 #"Mississippi" ingle Version– 3:07

Personnel

* John Phillips – vocals, guitar, harmonica * Buddy Emmons – pedal steel *

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also been recognized ...

– guitar, dobro *

Red Rhodes Orville J. Rhodes, better known as Red Rhodes or O. J. Rhodes (December 30, 1930 – August 20, 1995), was an American pedal steel guitarist. His mother taught him to play the Dobro at the age of five, but at the age of fifteen he switched to ...

– steel guitar *

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...

– vocals *Fanita James – vocals *Jean King – vocals *

Gordon Terry Gordon Terry (October 7, 1931 – April 9, 2006) was an American bluegrass and country music fiddler and guitarist. He was a member of Merle Haggard's backing band The Strangers. He was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame and the ...

– fiddle, violin *

Hal Blaine Hal Blaine (born Harold Simon Belsky; February 5, 1929 – March 11, 2019) was an American drummer and session musician, thought to be among the most recorded studio drummers in the music industry, claiming over 35,000 sessions and 6,000 singles. ...

– drums *David Cohen – guitar *Dr. Eric Hord – guitar *

Larry Knechtel Lawrence William Knechtel (August 4, 1940 – August 20, 2009) was an American keyboard player and bassist who was a member of the Wrecking Crew, a collection of Los Angeles-based session musicians who worked with such renowned artists as Simon & ...

– keyboards * Joe Osborn – bass ;Technical *Chuck Britz – engineer *Tom Gundelfinger – photography

References

{{Authority control John Phillips (musician) albums 1970 debut albums Albums produced by Lou Adler Varèse Sarabande albums Dunhill Records albums