Leah Kunkel Leah Kunkel Leah Kunkel (born June 15, 1948) is an American singer, songwriter and entertainment law attorney. Leah Kunkel was born Leah Cohen on June 15, 1948 in Baltimore, Maryland. She is the younger sister of Cass Elliot from the folk rock vocal group The Mamas & the Papas. In 1968 she married American drummer and music producer Russ Kunkel. Following her sister's death in 1974, Kunkel was given custody of Cass Elliot's daughter, Owen. The couple also raised their son, Nathaniel, an Emmy Award winning sound engineer. After being signed to Dunhill records, Kunkel recorded her first record "Billy"
The Mamas & the Papas Teichiku in Japan; and "Dreamin' Live" (2005) on a label called Legacy (not the Columbia-Sony imprint), which features John and Mackenzie Phillips, Spanky McFarlane, and (probably) Scott McKenzie. In 1986, John and Michelle Phillips were featured in the music video for the Beach Boys' second recording of "California Dreamin, which appeared on the album "Made in U.S.A." Denny Doherty was unavailable. The Mamas and the Papas' own version of "California Dreamin was reissued in the UK and peaked at number nine in 1997. The song received a Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2001. The Mamas and the Papas were