The Smoothies

Top L to R: Mike Boran, John Phillips ana Scott McKenzie - Bottom : Bill Cleary

The Smoothies (New York)

Personnel :

John Phillips

Scott Mckenzie

Bill Cleary

Michael Rand

Discography :

1960 - Softly / Joanie (Decca 31105)
1960 - Lonely Boy And Pretty Girl / Ride,Ride,Ride (Decca 31159)

Biography :

Scott McKenzie (born Philip Blondheim, January 10, 1939, Jacksonville, Florida) is an American singer. He is best known for his 1967 hit single and generational anthem, "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)". McKenzie grew up in North Carolina and Virginia, where he became friends with the son of one of his mother's friends, John Phillips.

The Abstracts became The Smoothies

 In the mid 1950s, he sang briefly with Tim Rose in a high school group called The Singing Strings, and later with Phillips, Mike Boran and Bill Cleary formed a doo wop band, The Abstracts.  In New York, The Abstracts became The Smoothies and recorded two singles with Decca Records, produced by Milt Gabler. They had a minor hit, "Softly," in the late '50s with  the Smoothies. Phillips had arranged his songs with Four Freshmen style harmonies.

Bottom L to R: Bill Cleary, Scott McKenzie - Top L to R: Mike Boran, John Phillips

In 1961 Phillips and McKenzie met Dick Weissman and formed The Journeymen, which recorded three albums for Capitol Records. They disbanded The Journeymen in 1964, as McKenzie wanted to perform on his own. So Phillips formed the group The Mamas & the Papas with Denny Doherty, Cass Elliot and Michelle Phillips, his second wife. The group soon moved to California. Two years later, McKenzie followed from New York and signed with Lou Adler's Ode Records.

Songs :
(updated by Hans-Joachim)

  
              Softly                               Lonely Boy And Pretty Girl

  
Ride, Ride, Ride                                     Joanie          

...