It’s the end of an era.
Mark Volman of the Turtles has died at age 78.
Volman was diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2023. Tragic.
With Howard Kaylan, the Turtles had a massive hit, “Happy Together.” The song wasn’t written by them, but their version propelled them on to the Ed Sullivan Show twice.
Their other hits included a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me, Babe” and their own “Elenore,” which was a send up of the still ubiquitous “Happy Together.”
Volman and Kaylan toured a comedy rock act called “Flo and Eddie” for decades after the Turtles. They were a cult hit, embraced by a huge audience. They often toured with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.
But “Happy Together” was their calling card. It’s amazing to think they were just 20 years old when that song hit the radio — at the same as the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper — and never stopped.
Condolences.
