Description

THE STORY | The Birth of a Rock & Roll Neighborhood Laurel Canyon is located in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles, CA. Laurel Canyon Boulevard connects northern LA suburbs in the San Fernando Valley to artsy West Hollywood and the now infamous Sunset Strip. The Canyon housed artists as early as the beginning of the 20th century as major motion-picture companies set up production around Los Angeles. The Canyon became a sort of de facto artist community as the entertainment and nightlife industry grew. Musicians especially enjoyed the rural feel and seclusion the canyon provided but also its proximity to the nightlife on Sunset Boulevard and beyond. Fast forward to 1965, when our story starts… Based on the success of California Dreamin’ The Mamas & The Papas all took up residence in the Canyon in 1965 which almost started a movement of artists, both aspiring and successful, to be a part of this community. Follow the twists and turns of the side roads off of Laurel Canyon Boulevard between 1965 and 1975 and you’d find some of the musicians who redefined American popular music and inspired the “LA sound” of the early 70s; artists like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, the Doors, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Neil Young, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt, America, and the Eagles.