Rock: Los Angeles 1960s Overview

During the 1950s there had been no distinctive “Sound of California,” but in the decade that followed there were several. Capitol Records, after long disdaining the youth market, released a series of records by the Beach Boys celebrating cars, surfing, and girls. The group’s glee-club harmonies and clean-cut image contrasted sharply with the rougher sounds and images of musicians in the rest of the country.

Equally distinctive musical styles emanated from companies formed by three Los Angeles-based producers: Phil Spector (Philles), Lou Adler (Dunhill), and Herb Alpert (A&M). Adler and Alpert had worked together as writers, producers, and managers for various artists—including Sam Cooke and Jan and Dean—but achieved more success after they parted. A&M Records, formed by Alpert in partnership with promotions man Jerry Moss and housed on the former United Artists film lot, reflected the large and growing Latino population in southern California with several best-selling mariachi-influenced albums featuring Alpert’s trumpet and the Tijuana Brass. Other performers who had hits for A&M were the Sandpipers, who reached the Top Ten with “Guantanamera” (1966), and Brazilian Sergio Mendes.

In Burbank, California, Warner Brothers launched a record subsidiary that achieved its early success mainly through out-of-town artists including the Everly Brothers (from Nashville, Tennessee) and Peter, Paul and Mary (from the East Coast). Warner-Reprise resulted from a merger with the label founded by Frank Sinatra, whose accountant, Mo Ostin, became managing director of the company, which became a leading player in the new field of rock music.

Los Angeles in the 1960s also was the site of a vibrant live music scene centred on the Sunset Strip (a mile-long portion of Sunset Boulevard). Bands such as Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds, and the Doors honed their chops at clubs like Ciro’s, the Troubadour, the Whisky-a-Go-Go, and Gazzarri’s. The Strip became a magnet for Los Angeles teenagers, and some merchants and civic leaders lobbied for stricter licensing of the clubs and police enforcement of curfews. In November 1966 a demonstration against these practices erupted into the “riot” described in Buffalo Springfield’s hit “For What It’s Worth.”