Laurel Canyon Pop
tagStarted 1966Peak 1969-1975Last big hit 1977
The sun-dappled California folk-pop sound of the late-60s/early-70s canyon scene: warm acoustic guitars, gilded close harmonies, mellow electric jangle and conversational, confessional lyrics. Loose, collaborative and unhurried, with airy production and country-rock edges, it conjures a hazy, golden-hour intimacy built on melody, blend and easy laid-back groove.
History
Centered on Los Angeles' Laurel Canyon, where Joni Mitchell; Crosby, Stills & Nash; the Mamas & the Papas and others lived and collaborated from the mid-1960s. Their harmony-rich, acoustic-based records dominated early-70s pop; the Eagles and Jackson Browne extended the sound before the scene faded by the late 1970s.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_Canyon,_Los_Angeles
- https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/laurel-canyon-albums-joni-mitchell
- https://www.classical-music.com/rock/laurel-canyon-albums