Baltimore's Peppermint Rainbow scored a Top 40 placement in 1969 via the harmony-rich soft-rock single "Will You Be Staying After Sunday," whose theme and arrangement both echoed Spanky & Our Gang's "Sunday Morning" and "Sunday Will Never Be the Same." The group specialized in expansive vocal blends, with Bonnie Lamdin (later Phipps) taking the majority of lead parts while her bandmates supplied the layered support. A seasoned touring outfit, they worked the club circuit in Baltimore and Georgetown under the name the New York Times throughout 1967-1968 until Cass Elliot noticed them; the Mama Cass member sat in with the band during a Mamas & the Papas medley and soon arranged an introduction to her associates at Decca Records.
Writer-producer Paul Leka, known for "Green Tambourine" and "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," signed the act and issued their debut single, "Walking in Different Circles" b/w "Pink Lemonade," under the Peppermint Rainbow name. That release went nowhere, yet the follow-up, Al Kasha's "Will You Be Staying After Sunday," broke through commercially. The members suddenly traded bologna sandwiches for bills alongside the 5th Dimension and Sly & the Family Stone plus frequent television appearances. Later singles performed solidly, though their sole album, also titled Will You Be Staying After Sunday, failed to reach the Billboard Top 100. Internal disillusionment with the business and shifting personal priorities led to the group's dissolution by 1970, leaving behind three strong singles and one standout LP as evidence of brief but notable success.
