The Raman-active phonons in perovskite-like LaMn 1-x Co x O 3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 1.0) were studied by measuring Raman spectra at temperatures of 295 and 5 K. The changes in the spectra with Co doping are correlated with the decrease of orthorhombic distortions. Surprisingly more phonon lines than allowed for the rhombohedral LaCoO 3 structure were observed. The manganese perovskites of the type R 1-x A x MnO 3 (R = rare earth, A = Ca, Sr, Ba, or Pb) have been subject of scientific investigations for many decades. Recently, this interest has been renewed due to the observation of a colossal magnetoresistance [1,2], charge, spin, and orbital ordering effects as a function of Mn 3+ /Mn 4+ ratio [3][4][5]. Another system, Mn-site-doped, with the composition LaMn 1-x D x O 3 (D = Cr, Fe, Co, or Ni) was intensively studied in the 60's, but colossal magnetoresistance was not mentioned in them until the 90's [6]. While Raman spectra of La-site-doped compounds have been reported in numerous of publications [7][8][9][10][11][12][13], surprisingly nothing was done on Mn-site-doped compounds. In this work we report the results of an optical phonon study in the perovskite oxides LaMn 1-x Co x O 3 (x = 0, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, and 1.0). The end member of this system, namely LaCoO 3 has been the subject of continuing interest since the 50's due to unusual magnetic properties and two spin-state transitions [14,15].