Mark Volman, a founding member of the 1960s pop group The Turtles whose bright harmonies fueled such hits “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “You Baby,” “She’d Rather Be with Me,” “Elenore” and the band’s signature chart topper “Happy Together,” died today in Nashville following a brief, unexpected illness. He was 78.
Volman revealed in 2023 that he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia in 2020, but he continued to perform on the annual “Happy Together” oldies tours in the years that followed.
Alongside his Turtles partner Howard Kalan, Vollman followed up the Turtles first burst of fame by reinventing themselves in 1970 as Flo & Eddie. Their stage show was marked by the duo’s humorous antics, Volman’s untamed mop of curly hair and, always, their distinctive vocal harmonies. They toured with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, provided the instantly recognizable background vocals on various songs from T. Rex including the U.S. anthem “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” and even wrote for the children’s television show Strawberry Shortcake. In 2024, Camila Cabello who used their song “Keep It Warm” in her anthem single, “I Luv It.”
Kaylan retired in 2018 due to health issues, leaving Volman as the last original Turtles member performing with the band.
Born in Los Angeles on April 19, 1947, Volman and Kaylan met and began singing together during their high school years. As The Turtles, the group’s first anthem came in 1965 with a cover version of Bob Dylan’s “It Ain’t Me Babe,” and over the next several years additional hits landed on the charts: In addition to those listed above, their successes included “She’s My mami” and “You Showed Me,” among others.
The Turtles supported their singles releases with seeming ubiquitous appearances on TV variety shows of the era. movie the group perform “Happy Together” in a 1967 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show below.
Mark Volman 1971
Everett
In midlife, Volman returned to college, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees before teaching track business at several institutions, most notably Belmont University in Nashville. In 2023, he published his memoir, Happy Forever: My Musical Adventures With The Turtles, Frank Zappa, T. Rex, Flo & Eddie, and More.
In 2010, Volman and Kaylan began annual Happy Together tours, often alongside other acts from the ’60s and ’70s including Gary Puckett, Mitch Ryder, Mark Lindsay, Mark Farner, Gary Lewis, and Micky Dolenz. Volman continued as part of the tour through summer 2025, pairing with Archies singer Ron Dante after Kaylan retired.
Volman is survived by his significant other Emily Volman, his ex-wife Pat Volman and their daughters Hallie Volman and Sarina Miller, and his brother Phil Volman.
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