The Mamas & The Papas
It was through Adler that Gibson met the rock group The Mamas & the Papas, a highly successful band Adler produced in the late 1960s. Occasionally, Gibson would visit Lou Adler in the studio while he was producing the band, who had just begun work on a new album. Gibson found herself in the right place at the right time when the leader of the group, John Phillips, fired his wife, Michelle Gilliam Phillips, from the band on Saturday, June 4, 1966, for having had an affair with Gene Clark of The Byrds. Instead of the group breaking up, they asked Jill Gibson to join The Mamas & the Papas as their newest member "Mama Jill". Shortly after joining the band, The Mamas & the Papas, along with Lou Adler, left for Europe for several weeks to begin working together.
Arriving in London, England, Gibson, Cass Elliot, John Phillips, Denny Doherty, and Lou Adler rented the top half of a large house in Berkeley Square to work in (the downstairs part was rented to Mick Jagger and model Chrissie Shrimpton). Over the next three weeks Gibson rehearsed with the group in London for the recording of the band's upcoming second album and for a few live shows. While in England, the band had a series of business meetings, but still made time to party with John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, and Mick Jagger at Dolly's (the private London rock club that catered to the stars). Upon returning to the United States, the group, their manager Bobby Roberts, their attorney Abe Somer, and their label Dunhill Records officially fired Michelle Phillips on Tuesday, June 28, 1966. Jill Gibson was hired two weeks earlier, just before the band left for England.
Beginning in early July and continuing through part of August 1966, Gibson, Cass Elliot, Denny Doherty, John Phillips and Lou Adler recorded the band's second LP at Western Studios in Los Angeles, California with Bones Howe as the engineer. Fourteen tracks were recorded for the proposed second album, with twelve making the final cut. The first single "I Saw Her Again" was issued in late June but was recorded before Gibson was hired. The single peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart on July 30, 1966, while Jill Gibson was a member of the band. The group had been in the middle of recording their sophomore album when Michelle Phillips was fired. Once Gibson was hired they re-recorded the songs and also recorded new tracks with her at Western Studios. It was decided the album would be called Crashon Screamon All Fall Down and was scheduled for a late August release. The American record buying public had already ordered more than half a million advance copies of this album before it came out, and it was said to have been the most eagerly awaited record of that year.
Prior to Michelle Phillips having been fired, the band was photographed for the cover of their second LP inside the window frame of an abandoned house in the desert. This was soon changed by their label Dunhill Records who asked the original photographer Guy Webster, to photograph Jill Gibson alone in exactly the same pose as Philips' had been in, and then to superimpose Gibson's image over Phillips'. The record label was not satisfied with the finished product and therefore ordered an entire new album cover to be shot by Webster. Webster shot a new cover with Gibson, John Phillips, Denny Doherty, and Cass Elliot with a fan outside in a field of grass against a white picket fence. The label was pleased with this new album cover and it was used as promotion for the upcoming new LP inside of the music trade papers, as well as on large billboards across the country.
A promotional campaign to introduce Jill Gibson as the newest Mama soon followed with articles in such publications as Newsweek magazine who did an article on the group where they referred to Gibson as "skeletal, modish, blonde and beautiful". Another article called "New Mama is definitely Jill" was published in Melody Maker followed by a cover story on Jill Gibson that was featured in KRLA BEAT with the headline reading "Brand New Mama". The new Mama also did several television show appearances with The Mamas & The Papas to promote their latest single, "I Saw Her Again".
The Mamas & the Papas hit the road with Gibson for a few concert dates beginning on July 1 in Dallas, Texas (the Dallas show was supposed to be on June 18 but was postponed until July 1) and ending in Phoenix, Arizona. Other dates included Forest Hills, New York and Denver, Colorado. Simon & Garfunkel opened for the band on some of these dates. Things according to Gibson had gone smoothly, as if the fans had accepted her, and she was comfortable performing on stage with the group and enjoyed singing all of the songs in the band's 40-minute set. But according to John Phillips and other sources, the chemistry within the group was not there with Jill Gibson. He decided in late August 1966, it would be best that Gibson be let go and that his wife Michelle Phillips be reinstated. Michelle Phillips would admit that Gibson had sung well and had done a very good job as a member of The Mamas & The Papas.
Read more about this topic: Jill Gibson, Career