Jackson Browne — Laurel Canyon and Early LA Years

Jackson Browne was a central figure in the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter scene of the early 1970s — a community that also included Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, and the Eagles. Browne had grown up in Orange County, California, and moved to Laurel Canyon as a teenager, falling into the orbit of Nico and the Velvet Underground in New York briefly before returning to LA. His self-titled debut (1972), Saturate Before Using, established him as one of the most gifted writers of his generation — 'Doctor My Eyes,' 'Rock Me on the Water,' and 'Jamaica Say You Will' all appeared on that first record.

Browne's writing had a philosophical seriousness rare in California pop — songs about mortality, political responsibility, and the difficulty of maintaining integrity in a commercial culture. Late for the Sky (1974) and The Pretender (1976) — the latter written partly in response to the suicide of his wife Phyllis Major — are among the finest singer-songwriter albums of the decade. 'The Load-Out' and 'Stay' from Running on Empty (1977), recorded live on the road, captured the romanticised exhaustion of touring life with unusual honesty.

Laurel Canyon today is a residential neighbourhood whose musical golden age is commemorated more in books and documentaries than in physical landmarks. The Canyon Country Store at the junction of Laurel Canyon and Lookout Mountain Boulevards was the social hub of the community and still operates as a market. It is the most tangible surviving point of contact with the world Browne inhabited.