John Phillips in 1953, Cass Elliot in 1955 and Jim Morrison in 1961. This blog makes fair use of copyrighted materials for educational purposes. Resale and further distribution for commercial purposes is not authorized by the author without obtaining appropriate copyright release.

Originally published in the April 2024 edition of Greet Del Ray.

Alexandria has been home to a variety of famous people due to its proximity to Washington, D.C. In the case of Del Ray, a few famous musicians grew up in our area, which has become a bit of local lore.

The most famous is arguably Jim Morrison of The Doors. Morrison was the son of a Navy admiral who lived just outside of Del Ray on Woodland Terrace in the Jefferson Park neighborhood. Morrison spent his high school years from 1959-1961 going to George Washington High School (now the middle school). The mural on the side of St. Elmo's Coffee Pub pays tribute to him.

One of Morrison's classmates at G.W. High School was Cass Elliott of The Mamas & The Papas. Her family lived at Lacy Court on Commonwealth Ave until she was 15. Her father moved to Baltimore at that point, and she graduated from high school there. Prior to their move, she began attending G.W. High School in the same class with Jim Morrison.

Elliott's bandmate John Phillips was also a former Del Ray resident. Phillips grew up on E. Oxford Avenue and also attended G.W. High School, graduating in 1953. He formed his first successful band, The Journeymen, with his friend Scott McKenzie. McKenzie also attended high school in Del Ray, graduating from St. Stephens in 1957.

Other famous musicians who called Del Ray home include Mary Chapin Carpenter, who spent part of her life on E. Bellefonte Ave, and the Celtic band Scythian, which was formed in the basement of a house on Russell Road.