Mama Jill
Michelle Phillip's was fired from the Mamas and the Papas in 1966 for two months. Her replacement was manager Lou Adler's girlfriend: Jill Gibson. Jill was a tall and slender blonde, who "fit the image". Jill wasn't a professional singer but, she agreed to be the "new" Mama. Jill went to London with the group and did a few concerts. The audience at a couple of concerts noticed Michelle's absence and shouted "where's Michelle?" But, it didn't sound the same. Denny and Cass were frustrated. The sound quality, the dynamics, the emotion that had been there with Michelle was not there with Jill. I'm sure Michelle was watching all this going on, and was ready to get back into the group, no matter what the cost. Denny and Cass were ready, too. So, with constant pressure from those two, John finally gave in. Michelle was let back into the Mamas and Papas, because he realized that the group needed Michelle. The music needed all four of them to make the magic that made the Mamas and Papas. John even admitted the firing of Michelle was a dumb thing to do. Jill was better off without the group because she became an accomplished photographer and artist. She took many iconic photographs of Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix in Monterey.
replaced Michelle's image
