Musician. Best known for the hit "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" (1967). Born Philip Blondheim into a military family, he was raised in Virginia and gravitated towards music at an early age. His break came when he formed an association with John Phillips (The Mamas and the Papas) which resulted in the early ensembles called The Abstracts (later The Smoothies) and The Journeymen. Phillips fame and success came after the founding of The Mamas and the Papas, but it would be his penning of "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" produced by Lou Adler which plateaued McKenzie's career. The score (the unofficial anthem of the Monterey Pop Festival) captured the mood of that time period and remains to date as one of the most recognizable songs about San Francisco. The hit peaked at number 4 on the US Pop Charts during the Summer of 1967 and he would have a further Top-30 song with "Like an Old Time Movie" (reaching number 24 in the Fall of 1967). McKenzie went on to replace Denny Doherty in the later lineup of the Mamas and the Papas. In addition, he co-wrote the Beach Boys 1988 hit "Kokomo". He died of complications from Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Musician. Best known for the hit "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" (1967). Born Philip Blondheim into a military family, he was raised in Virginia and gravitated towards music at an early age. His break came when he formed an association with John Phillips (The Mamas and the Papas) which resulted in the early ensembles called The Abstracts (later The Smoothies) and The Journeymen. Phillips fame and success came after the founding of The Mamas and the Papas, but it would be his penning of "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)" produced by Lou Adler which plateaued McKenzie's career. The score (the unofficial anthem of the Monterey Pop Festival) captured the mood of that time period and remains to date as one of the most recognizable songs about San Francisco. The hit peaked at number 4 on the US Pop Charts during the Summer of 1967 and he would have a further Top-30 song with "Like an Old Time Movie" (reaching number 24 in the Fall of 1967). McKenzie went on to replace Denny Doherty in the later lineup of the Mamas and the Papas. In addition, he co-wrote the Beach Boys 1988 hit "Kokomo". He died of complications from Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Bio by: C.S.
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