Rock Folk Music Legends of Laurel Canyon

Frank Zappa's wife Gail Zappa is among the many Laurel Canyon musical residents interviewed. Documentary description from Eye On LA: Out of the tumultuous 1960s, a new consciousness formed among the youth of the time. Holding fast to the belief that peace and love could change the world, hippies sprouted throughout Laurel Canyon - a woodsy, mountainous area in Los Angeles that connects the San Fernando Valley on one side of the hill, to the Sunset Strip on the other. It was the perfect breeding ground for up-and-coming musicians as it was inexpensive to live there (about $100 would rent you a pretty great house at the top of Kirkwood) and the heart of the music world, the Sunset Strip, was only a thumb ride down the hill.

Clubs like the Whisky a Go-Go, the Roxy, the Rainbow, Pandora's Box, the Trip and nearby hot spots like the Troubadour and Bido Lito's were all venues these "unknown" bands aspired to play. Adding to the energy of the clubs was a group of artists and dancers known as L.A.'s "Freaks." Led by artist Vito Paulekas and wild man Carl Franzoni, along with a group of about 30 followers (including the very unique Tiny Tim), the Freaks are credited by many as being at the forefront of the hippy counterculture. An appearance by the Freaks at any of the clubs guaranteed a huge crowd, as gawkers came to watch the half-naked, wild dancers. Subsequently, any band the Freaks came out to see wound up with their own huge following of fans. One of the first bands that reaped the benefits of this following was The Byrds. Made up of Chris Hillman, Gene Clark, Michael Clarke, Roger McGuinn and David Crosby, their new folk-rock sound became the talk of the town. The group's first hit single was a Bob Dylan song, Mr. Tambourine Man.

LOVE, the Sunset riots and Buffalo Springfield

Around the same time, the groundbreaking band LOVE, founded by Arthur Lee and Johnny Echols, along with early band members Bryan MacLean, Ken Forssi , Alban "Snoopy" Pfisterer and Michael Stewart-Ware, was inspiring other bands including an unknown group called The Doors. With their extended on-stage jams, poetic writing and flamboyant front man, Arthur Lee, the group was something brand new to the music scene, not to mention the fact that they were one of the first racially-mixed groups. This caused some problems in the racially tense 1960s, keeping the band from playing the Midwest and southern states, and resulting in advertising and album covers to consist of drawings of the band in place of photos to disguise their interracial makeup. Lee and Echols, who were close friends with the members of The Doors, pushed Elektra Records founder Jac Holzman to sign the new band in the hopes of getting out of their Elektra contract. Unfortunately their plan backfired and the resources that they felt should have been put into promoting LOVE suddenly went into promoting The Doors. Although LOVE never attained the worldwide musical recognition that many feel they deserved, they are revered by their legendary peers and much of their music is critically acclaimed. Their album "Forever Changes" was named on Rolling Stones' Top 500 Albums of All Time as #40, ahead of "Meet the Beatles" and Bob Marley's "Legend."

Named after the Buffalo Springfield Steam Roller Company, the Laurel Canyon folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield -- consisting of Dewey Martin, Richie Furay, Bruce Palmer, Neil Young and Stephen Stills -- would gain worldwide attention with their song about protests and unrest on the Sunset Strip.

In 1966, you couldn't drive the Sunset Strip at night from Crescent Heights to Doheny. The street was overflowing with an avalanche of kids hanging out at the clubs and coffee shops. Merchants complained to the city council and the police began cracking down, implementing a 10 p.m. curfew for kids under 18 and making arrests for every violation they could find. The huge crowds peacefully protested against what they called "police brutality," until one night when the popular Pandora's Box nightclub was forced to close down, and the crowd became rambunctious. The protests and unrest on the Strip inspired Stephen Stills to write what would become the anthem of a generation, the Buffalo Springfield song, "For What It's Worth."

Eye on LA audiovisual content is owned by ABC Television Group Channel: ABC7

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