The song’s creator Scott McKenzie has died in Los Angeles at the age of 73. ‘If you’re going to San Francisco, be sure to wear a flower in your hair’ is one of the great hippy songs of its era and defined San Francisco in the 60s.
Scott McKenzie
Scott was born Philip Blondheim on 10 January, 1939. He died on Saturday in Los Angeles after two weeks in hospital.
He was a friend of John Phillips who went on to form Mamas and Papas. They formed their first band together, The Abstracts who later became The Smoothies. The two then went on to form a band called The Journeymen and recorded three albums for Capitol.
They disbanded in 1964. Scott McKenzie as he was now known went solo and Phillips formed The Mamas and the Papas, although Scott was invited but declined to join the group.
Phillips wrote and produced his signature hit ‘San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)’.
In 1986, Scott joined a new line-up of Mamas and Papas with Phillips. He also co-wrote The Beach Boys ‘Kokomo’ with Phillips, Mike Love and Terry Melcher (son of Doris Day).
