In the late sixties and early seventies, an impromptu collection of musicians colonized a eucalyptus-scented canyon deep in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles and melded folk, rock, and savvy American pop into a sound that conquered the world as thoroughly as the songs of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones had before them. During the canyon's golden era, the musicians who lived and worked there scored dozens of landmark hits, selling tens of millions of records and resetting the thermostat of pop culture. Here, journalist Walker tells the story of this unprecedented gathering of some of the baby boom's leading musical lights--including Joni Mitchell; Jim Morrison; Crosby, Stills, and Nash; John Mayall; the Mamas and the Papas; Carole King; the Eagles; and Frank Zappa --who turned Los Angeles into the music capital of the world and forever changed the way popular music is recorded, marketed, and consumed.--From publisher description.