Mark Volman

Mark Randall Volman, known to most fans simply as Mark Volman or by his stage moniker Flo, was born on April 19, 1947 in Los Angeles, California. The son of a Jewish father who had changed his surname from Yarnatinski to Volman and a Catholic mother, he grew up in the Westchester suburb where his musical partnership with Howard Kaylan began in their teenage years within the proto‑band The Crossfires. After graduating from Westchester High School in 1965, Volman and Kaylan formed The Turtles, a group that quickly rose to prominence with a string of hits such as “It Ain’t Me Babe,” “Happy Together,” and “She’d Rather Be With Me,” the latter securing a No. 1 slot on the Billboard charts and earning a legendary performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Their tight, Beach‑Boys‑style harmonies and Volman's distinctive frizzy hair—so valuable it was once insured for $100 000—made them icons of the late‑60s pop‑rock scene. The band’s dissolution in 1970 forced Volman and Kaylan to reinvent themselves as Flo & Eddie, a name that would later become synonymous with their irreverent work with Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, backing vocals for T. Rex and Bruce Springsteen, and ventures into film and radio. Their partnership produced several satirical albums and contributed to cult classics like Zappa’s 200 Motels, while their witty stage presence made them fixtures on tours with Alice Cooper and numerous other acts.

Beyond the stage, Volman pursued academia with vigor, earning a B.A. magna cum laude from Loyola Marymount University in 1997 followed by an MFA in 1999, later becoming a respected professor of music business at Belmont University in Nashville. He shared his industry insights through the “Ask Professor Flo” platform and continued to perform, touring as The Turtles … Featuring Flo & Eddie well into his sixties. His personal life saw two marriages—first to high‑school sweetheart Patricia Lee Hickey, with whom he had two daughters, Sarina Marie and Hallie Rae, and later to Emily, ending in divorce in 2015. Health challenges, including throat cancer in 2015 (from which he recovered) and a Lewy‑body dementia diagnosis in 2023, culminated in his death on September 5, 2025 at age 78 from complications of a blood disease. Volman's legacy endures through his prolific recordings, his influential teaching, and his relentless advocacy for artists’ rights.