The Mugwumps

An early folk-rock group of sorts, The Mugwumps made some recordings in the mid-'60s, but the short-lived New York outfit are principally remembered for what their members did after they split up. Cass Elliot and Denny Doherty would become one-half of The Mamas And The Papas; Zal Yanovsky would join The Lovin' Spoonful; and Jim Hendricks was the odd man out, not achieving any notable subsequent fame. Their sessions -- released on obscure posthumous albums that were issued to capitalize on the musicians' subsequent notoriety -- show a tentative act with branches in both folk and straight pop. Seeds of their future folk-rock activities can be heard in the male-female harmonic blends especially, though the material is largely unimpressive, and the arrangements too pop-based to bear much similarity to either The Mamas & The Papas or The Lovin' Spoonful. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide