Mama Cass Elliott, the “little Jewish girl from New York,” achieved significant solo success after The Mamas & the Papas disbanded. She was performing globally, but tragically, her life was cut short by a heart attack in London. While Hal Blaine was a ubiquitous presence on countless hits during this era, his session notes for this specific song do not indicate his involvement. The drummer on “Dream a Little Dream of Me” remains uncredited in available records, and Hal’s own notes do not claim this session.
From the session logs
Hal Blaine’s Drumming on “Dream a Little Dream of Me”
Hal Blaine did not play drums on Mama Cass Elliott’s 1968 hit “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”
“She was riding high doing concerts all over the world.”
— Hal Blaine
Source: Hal Blaine’s own session database, in his words.
More from the archive: ask anything about Hal — who he recorded with, the sessions, the stories — at halblaine.com, the archive of 5,829 of his session memories.
Hal’s memoir is coming.
“The Red Light Means Go” — the studio stories he never got to tell, in his own voice. Sign up, the list hears it all first.