THE ORIGINAL LAUREL CANYON - 'THE CANYON OF DREAMS'

Joni Mitchell, David Crosby and Eric Clapton at Cass Elliott's Laurel Canyon home

Photo credit: Henry Diltz

If you could travel back in time to the original Laurel Canyon in the mid 60's, a small creative canyon community in the Hollywood Hills just outside Los Angeles, you would see something very special. It was the home to a host of musicians who have gone down in history as some of the best ever. It was the 'Canyon of Dreams', the home of one of the most lasting genre's in one of music's golden ages. It was a Canyon with literally it's own wonderful playlist. It's music travelled worldwide from this little enclave and is still played regularly decades after it was first written and recorded. For many it is still the soundtrack of their lives.

Laurel Canyon was home to many of our favourite musicians including Jim Morrison and The Doors, The Eagles, The Byrds, CSNY, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Neil Young, Carole King, The Mamma's and Pappa's, Glen Campbell, Frank Zappa, The Flying Burrito Brothers, James Taylor, Sonny & Cher, Buffalo Springfield, John Mayall, Eric Burdon (The Animals), The Turtles, The Monkees, Linda Ronstadt, Jackie DeShannon and many others

"Once, there was a world consisting of guileless true believers living in a wooden cloister. They drove ten minutes down to Sunset Blvd to earn their keep: plentiful studio work. publishing deals, a robust club scene. And, as the smog-shrouded daylight gave way to the vermilion dusk.....which resulted in a body of work that continues to be played, parsed, sampled, siphoned, stolen, repackaged, re-released....Laurel Canyon. Listen to this neighbourhood." (Harvey Kubernik - Canyon of Dreams)

Photo credit: Henry Diltz

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/photography/10750288/Henry-Diltz-QandA-the-story-of-Laurel-Canyon-and-LA-folk.html