Music of Washington, D.C. and Max Ochs. Another important folk venue in Georgetown in 1961 was The Shadows. A band called "the Mugwumps" formed, eventually splitting up. Two of the members, John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky, became The Lovin' Spoonful, and the other two, Denny Doherty and Cass Elliott, formed The Mamas & the Papas. Later, in Georgetown, then-folk singer John Denver, Taffy Nivert and Bill Danoff wrote a song called "Take Me Home, Country Roads", which launched Denver's career as one of the most popular singers in the country. Other popular folk singers include Mary Chapin Carpenter; the duo Cathy Fink & Marcy
People Like Us (The Mamas & the Papas album) had to produce one more album, or else be in breach of contract and subject to possible fines. The album is considered a disappointment by fans and critics. Nevertheless, it sold moderately well (#84 on the Billboard Pop Albums Chart). It was produced by John Phillips. Michelle Phillips would later write in the liner note of a Mamas & Papas CD compilation that the album "sounded like what it was, four people trying to avoid a lawsuit". All tracks except "I Wanna Be a Star" (co-written by Michelle) were written by John, making "People Like Us" The Mamas and the