# Flo & Eddie
**Flo & Eddie** were an American rock duo formed by singers [Mark Volman](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-volman) ("Flo") and [Howard Kaylan](https://www.edgepedia.org/howard-kaylan) ("Eddie"), the former lead vocalists of the 1960s pop group the Turtles, who adopted the stage names for contractual reasons and went on to work with [Frank Zappa](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-zappa), record their own comedy-rock albums, and sing as session musicians for major artists.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/flo-eddie-mn0000155801) • [2](https://rockcellarmagazine.com/mark-volman-interview-the-turtles-book-tour-dementia-update/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Members | Mark Volman (Flo, vocals/guitar) and Howard Kaylan (Eddie, vocals), previously lead vocalists of the Turtles[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/flo-eddie-mn0000155801) |
| Reason for the name | Their contract with White Whale Records prevented them from using the Turtles name or their own names in a music-business context[2](https://rockcellarmagazine.com/mark-volman-interview-the-turtles-book-tour-dementia-update/) • [3](https://www.heikkiporoila.fi/hp/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Compositions-by-Frank-Zappa.pdf) |
| Zappa years | Joined the Mothers of Invention in 1970 and appeared on four albums; the tenure ended after Zappa was pushed from a London stage on December 10, 1971[4](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401159.2026.2657249) |
| Own albums | The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie (1972), Flo & Eddie (1973), Illegal, Immoral and Fattening (1975), Moving Targets (1976), Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie (1981)[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) • [6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7463) • [7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7465) |
| Rights recovered | Won back the rights to the Turtles master recordings in 1974 and the Turtles name in 1983[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) |
| Notable session work | Backing vocals on Bruce Springsteen's "Hungry Heart" and T. Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get It On)", among more than 100 credits[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) |
| Later years | A Turtles-backed copyright suit in 2016 netted $99 million from SiriusXM; Volman died on September 5, 2025, at age 78[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/3080790ab1de34bcf3261effa9ea3eca) |
## Origin of the name
Volman and Kaylan had led the Turtles through hits including "Happy Together" and "Elenore" before the group disbanded in 1970.[8](https://apnews.com/article/3080790ab1de34bcf3261effa9ea3eca) • [2](https://rockcellarmagazine.com/mark-volman-interview-the-turtles-book-tour-dementia-update/) Their contract with White Whale Records prevented them from using the Turtles name, so the two singers rebranded themselves as Flo (Volman) and Eddie (Kaylan).[2](https://rockcellarmagazine.com/mark-volman-interview-the-turtles-book-tour-dementia-update/) In the earliest form they performed as "The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie", later shortened to Flo & Eddie.[3](https://www.heikkiporoila.fi/hp/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Compositions-by-Frank-Zappa.pdf) Volman recalled that the label asserted it owned the rights to their individual names alongside the Turtles name and discography; the duo eventually won back the rights to the Turtles masters in 1974 and their own names in 1983.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/)
## The Mothers of Invention, 1970 to 1971
Frank Zappa, a fan of the Turtles, recruited the pair for a reformed Mothers of Invention in 1970, with whom they appeared on four albums.[4](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401159.2026.2657249) The 1970 lineup, which lasted roughly seven months, also included [Aynsley Dunbar](https://www.edgepedia.org/aynsley-dunbar) on drums, [George Duke](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-duke) on piano, keys and trombone, Ian Underwood on organ, keys and guitar, and Jeff Simmons on bass and vocals.[9](https://www.zappa.com/mothers-1970/) Volman described the period as one in which Zappa "really turned us loose" to sing, with parts the two singers created themselves on material such as "Billy the Mountain"; they also performed in the 1971 film *200 Motels* with Zappa.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) • [16](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/54139-200-MOTELS)
The tenure ended abruptly. On December 10, 1971, a jealous boyfriend of a female fan pushed Zappa from a London stage into a concrete orchestra pit ten feet below, leaving him unable to tour for an extended period.[4](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401159.2026.2657249) Volman said Flo & Eddie was started because "we needed to tour; we needed to make money", with no guarantee of returning to Zappa's band.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/)
## Records as a duo
The duo's debut album, *The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie* (1972), drew most of its music from the later years of the Turtles and carried more of a singer-songwriter sound than the Mothers' avant-garde material.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) • [10](https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/50-years-flo-eddie/) A second Reprise album, titled *Flo & Eddie*, followed in 1973.[11](https://www.allmusic.com/album/flo-eddie-mw0000840832) After two albums on Reprise they moved to Columbia for *Illegal, Immoral and Fattening* (1975) and *Moving Targets* (1976), the latter produced with [Bob Ezrin](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-ezrin), who had worked with [Alice Cooper](https://www.edgepedia.org/alice-cooper).[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7463) • [5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) In 1981 they recorded *Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie*, a reggae and rocksteady album, at Tuff Gong Studios in [Kingston, Jamaica](https://www.edgepedia.org/kingston-jamaica), with co-producer Errol Brown.[7](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7465)
Volman later said that in the Flo & Eddie era he was "pretty much writing 98% of the music", and that the duo's shows carried on Zappa's mission of satirizing celebrity.[12](https://www.popentertainmentarchives.com/post/the-turtles-turtle-talk-with-mark-volman) • [13](https://trackingangle.com/features/mark-volman-half-of-flo-and-eddie-and-turtles-founder-rip)
## Session work and other projects
As a duo and as session singers, Volman and Kaylan recorded and performed with artists including [John Lennon](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-lennon), Bruce Springsteen, Alice Cooper, Joni Mitchell, Harry Nilsson, and [Marc Bolan](https://www.edgepedia.org/marc-bolan).[10](https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/50-years-flo-eddie/) Volman noted that nobody knows they sang on "Hungry Heart" with Springsteen, a record that reached the top 10, and that when they recorded "Bang a Gong (Get It On)" with T. Rex, Bolan told them they would not be paid for it.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/)
They also worked in film and television. Flo & Eddie scored the low-budget films *Dirty Duck* and *Texas Detour*, composed theme music and songs for the first three [Strawberry Shortcake](https://www.edgepedia.org/strawberry-shortcake) specials, and contributed music to children's television including the [Care Bears](https://www.edgepedia.org/care-bears) animated series.[1](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/flo-eddie-mn0000155801) • [10](https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/50-years-flo-eddie/) A 1983 triple-LP retrospective, *The History of Flo & Eddie & the Turtles*, compiled nearly two and a half hours of material from 1963 to 1982.[14](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7466)
## Legal battles and the Turtles name
Much of the duo's later history concerns ownership of their recordings and name. Volman traced the dispute to a discrepancy of about $600,000 found in the White Whale auditing; an attorney filed a $2.5 million lawsuit that lasted almost seven years, followed by further action over publishing and songwriting ownership and performance royalties.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) With the lawsuit victory the duo began to commandeer ownership of their catalog, and by 1983 they had won back the Turtles name and were touring as the Turtles.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) In 2016 a Turtles-backed copyright suit against SiriusXM over pre-1972 recordings netted $99 million; throughout the litigation SiriusXM maintained an unofficial moratorium on the songs of the Turtles and Flo & Eddie that was not lifted until 2025.[5](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/) • [4](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401159.2026.2657249)
## Later years
Volman published his memoir, *Happy Forever: My Musical Adventures with the Turtles, Frank Zappa, T. Rex, Flo & Eddie, and More*, in 2023, in which he publicized his 2020 diagnosis of [Lewy body](https://www.edgepedia.org/lewy-body) dementia, a disease that progressively affects mood, reasoning, and memory.[2](https://rockcellarmagazine.com/mark-volman-interview-the-turtles-book-tour-dementia-update/) • [15](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-09-05/mark-volman-turtles-flo-eddie-happy-together-dies-78) He died in [Nashville, Tennessee](https://www.edgepedia.org/nashville-tennessee), on September 5, 2025, at age 78, after a brief, unexpected illness, according to his publicist.[8](https://apnews.com/article/3080790ab1de34bcf3261effa9ea3eca) Volman, born in 1947, was remembered for his exuberant stage presence, including the 1967 "Happy Together" television performance in which he danced with a [French horn](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-horn) he did not appear to play.[4](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401159.2026.2657249) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/3080790ab1de34bcf3261effa9ea3eca)
## References
1. [Flo & Eddie – Biography, Discography, Albums & Expert Reviews, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/flo-eddie-mn0000155801)
2. [Mark Volman of the Turtles Is 'Happy Forever' in New Book on Wild Times in Music with Zappa, Lennon & More, Rock Cellar Magazine (July 14, 2023)](https://rockcellarmagazine.com/mark-volman-interview-the-turtles-book-tour-dementia-update/)
3. [Compositions by Frank Zappa, Heikki Poroila](https://www.heikkiporoila.fi/hp/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Compositions-by-Frank-Zappa.pdf)
4. [Mark Volman (1947–2025), IASPM Journal](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19401159.2026.2657249)
5. [Remembering Mark Volman: The Turtles, Flo & Eddie, & The Mothers Of Invention Musician Who Was 'Happy Forever', GRAMMY.com](https://www.grammy.com/news/living-legends-interview-with-mark-volman-of-the-turtles/)
6. [Flo & Eddie: Illegal, Immoral and Fattening, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7463)
7. [Flo & Eddie: Rock Steady with Flo & Eddie, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7465)
8. [Mark Volman, who co-founded The Turtles and performed with Flo & Eddie, has died at 78, AP News (September 7, 2025)](https://apnews.com/article/3080790ab1de34bcf3261effa9ea3eca)
9. [The Mothers 1970 – Frank Zappa, Zappa.com](https://www.zappa.com/mothers-1970/)
10. [50 Years of Flo & Eddie, Grateful Web](https://www.gratefulweb.com/articles/50-years-flo-eddie/)
11. [Flo & Eddie: Flo & Eddie, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/flo-eddie-mw0000840832)
12. [The Turtles – Turtle Talk with Mark Volman, Pop Entertainment Archives](https://www.popentertainmentarchives.com/post/the-turtles-turtle-talk-with-mark-volman)
13. [R.I.P. Mark Volman – Half of "Flo and Eddie" and Turtles Founding Member, Tracking Angle](https://trackingangle.com/features/mark-volman-half-of-flo-and-eddie-and-turtles-founder-rip)
14. [Flo & Eddie: The History of Flo & Eddie & the Turtles, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/r7466)
15. [Mark Volman, of Turtles 'Happy Together' fame, dies at 78, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2025-09-05/mark-volman-turtles-flo-eddie-happy-together-dies-78)
16. [catalog.afi.com](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/54139-200-MOTELS)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects › Pop and rock duos › Rock and indie duos*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license