Mark Volman, the singer and guitarist who co-founded The Turtles and sang on their 1967 hippie anthem “Happy Together,” has died. He was 78.
The Californian singer was also known as one half of the comedy rock duo Flo & Eddie.
People reports that he died in Nashville following a “brief, unexpected illness.” He had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, a progressive neurological disorder, in 2020.
Volman was born in Los Angeles on April 19, 1947. He grew up in the suburb of Westchester, where he met New York-born Howard Kaylan in early 1963. Volman joined Kaylan's instrumental surf rock band the Nightriders, shortly before the group changed their name to the Crossfires.
The band signed their first record deal and released a single, “Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde”, before renaming themselves The Tyrtles. The name was a homage to The Byrds and The Beatles as they pursued a more folk rock-influenced sound. They had changed their name again, to The Turtles, before having their first Top 10 hit in 1965 with a cover of Bob Dylan's “It Ain’t Me Babe.”
The breakthrough hit provided the title for their debut album, released in October 1965. This was followed by a second album, 1966’s You Baby, which failed to chart. However, 1967 single “Happy Together” went to number one, becoming the band’s signature hit and an anthem of the Summer of Love.
The Turtles split in 1970 a year after the release of their fifth and final album Turtle Soup. Volman and Kaylan learned that, due to contractual obligations, not only could they no longer use the band’s name they also couldn’t perform under their own.
After the pair joined Frank Zappa’s band The Mothers of Invention they began releasing their own music under the nicknames Flo & Eddie. Volman was “Flo”, short for “the Phlorescent Leech.”
The duo released their debut album The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie in 1972, and also performed backing vocals on a string of high-profile recordings of the era. Their credits include music by John Lennon & Yoko Ono, T.Rex, Steely Dan and Bruce Springsteen.
Volman continued to tour with Kaylan into later life, until Kaylan retired from live music in 2018. In 1999, Volman earned a Master's degree in Fine Arts with an emphasis in screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University.
In 2023, following his Lewy body dementia diagnosis, he published a memoir, Happy Forever.
Volman is survived by his ex-wives Emily Volman and Pat Volman, daughters Hallie Volman and Sarina Miller and his brother Phil Volman.
