Russ Kunkel Kunkel had a cameo as doomed drummer Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs in the 1984 film "This Is Spinal Tap". In 2010 Kunkel joined the Troubadour Reunion Tour supporting James Taylor and Carole King. In 1968, Kunkel married singer/songwriter Leah Cohen Kunkel, sister of Cass Elliot (born Ellen Naomi Cohen) of The Mamas and Papas. Following Elliot's death in 1974, Leah was given custody of Cass Elliot's daughter, Owen. The couple also raised their son, Nathaniel, an Emmy Award winning sound engineer. In 1990, Kunkel married singer Nicolette Larson ("Lotta Love"), and the two were married until her death in 1997.
The Papas & The Mamas The Papas & The Mamas The Papas & The Mamas is a 1968 album by The Mamas & the Papas. It was their fourth and final album together before the group temporarily broke up before a brief 1971 reunion. Unlike previous studio-recorded albums, "The Papas & The Mamas" was recorded at the home of John and Michelle Phillips, although with the same production team as on previous albums. Their original studio, Western Recorders, switched to Solid State technology, and Phillips and Adler purchased the analog board they had done their previous recordings with, and installed it in their new studio.