A discovery of John Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas, singer-songwriter
McKenzie is probably best known for performing the hit song "San
Francisco". The song, written by Phillips and produced by Phillips and
Lou Adler in 1967 has become one of the most popular songs ever written
about the city by the bay.
In 1970 he moved to Joshua Tree, a California desert town near Palm Springs.
With the popularity of folk music in the 1960s, he, Phillips, and banjo player Dick Weissman formed The Journeymen. The trio recorded three albums, before breaking up in 1964.
He grew up in North Carolina, and lived with his grandparents while his widowed mother worked in Washington DC.
He and John Phillips met when they were teenagers. They formed a doo-wop band called The Abstracts. The band moved to New York and became The Smoothies, where they played on the club circuit and recorded two singles.
In 1973 he moved back to Virginia, where he lived for 10 years.
He died in Los Angeles after two weeks in hospital.