The Big Three (folk group)
Encyclopedia
The Big Three were a American folk vocal trio who included singer Cass Elliot
, banjo player Tim Rose
and guitarist Jim Hendricks
.
They soon landed a job at The Bitter End
, a well-known folk club in New York’s Greenwich Village, along with Cafe Wha?, The Night Owl, and The Gaslight Cafe, along with many musicians who lived at the nearby Albert Hotel. Rose described Cass Elliot as the funniest and most talented person he ever met.
Their success grew, with appearances on national TV shows, and they recorded two albums: The Big 3 (1963) and The Big 3 Live at the Recording Studio (1964). Songs included “Grandfather’s Clock” and an anti-war dirge “Come Away Melinda” (a re-recorded version of which was one of Rose’s most successful solo singles several years later). Rose and Elliot had musical differences – both were inclined to want things done their way – and the band fell apart after Elliot and Hendricks secretly married. They had appeared on 26 national television shows, including Hootenanny (1963), The Danny Kaye Show (1963), and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). Rose told stories about arguing with Elliot over music saying it would always end her way “because, you know a big woman is never wrong!” Years later in the 1980s when Rose was looking for a singer to produce, Elliot was his model, but he never found anyone quite like her
Cass Elliot
Cass Elliot , born Ellen Naomi Cohen and also known as Mama Cass, was an American singer and member of The Mamas & the Papas. After the group broke up, she released five solo albums. Elliot was found dead in her room in London, England, from an apparent heart attack after two weeks of sold-out...
, banjo player Tim Rose
Tim Rose
Timothy Alan Patrick Rose , best known professionally as Tim Rose, was an American singer-songwriter, who spent much of his life in London, England and had more success in Europe than in his native country...
and guitarist Jim Hendricks
Jim Hendricks (musician)
James "Jim" Hendricks is an American folk musician. Born in Atkinson, Nebraska, Hendricks began playing guitar and lap steel guitar in his youth, and began performing publicly while working as a teacher in Omaha, Nebraska in the early 1960s...
.
History
Tim Rose met singer Cass Elliot, also eventually of The Mamas and The Papas, at a party in Georgetown, DC, and formed a folk trio with her and Jim Hendricks initially called The Triumvirate, and later The Big 3.They soon landed a job at The Bitter End
The Bitter End
The Bitter End is a nightclub in New York City's Greenwich Village. It opened its doors in 1961 at 147 Bleecker Street under the auspices of owner Fred Weintraub. The club changed its name to The Other End during the 1970s...
, a well-known folk club in New York’s Greenwich Village, along with Cafe Wha?, The Night Owl, and The Gaslight Cafe, along with many musicians who lived at the nearby Albert Hotel. Rose described Cass Elliot as the funniest and most talented person he ever met.
Their success grew, with appearances on national TV shows, and they recorded two albums: The Big 3 (1963) and The Big 3 Live at the Recording Studio (1964). Songs included “Grandfather’s Clock” and an anti-war dirge “Come Away Melinda” (a re-recorded version of which was one of Rose’s most successful solo singles several years later). Rose and Elliot had musical differences – both were inclined to want things done their way – and the band fell apart after Elliot and Hendricks secretly married. They had appeared on 26 national television shows, including Hootenanny (1963), The Danny Kaye Show (1963), and The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962). Rose told stories about arguing with Elliot over music saying it would always end her way “because, you know a big woman is never wrong!” Years later in the 1980s when Rose was looking for a singer to produce, Elliot was his model, but he never found anyone quite like her