Los Angeles is a breeding ground for creativity and art, so much so that the city has produced some of the best rock bands ever. From The Doors to Guns N’ Roses to Van Halen, keep reading for three of the best classic rock bands to come out of The Golden State.
The Doors
The Doors wouldn’t have been formed without Los Angeles. Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek both attended film school at UCLA. Years later, in 1965, they bumped into each other in Venice, California, and got to talking.
When keyboardist Manzarek learned of Morrison’s poetry, he invited the singer to join his band, Rick and the Ravens. Robby Krieger and John Densmore were recruited shortly thereafter, and thus The Doors were born.
In 1966, the band began a residency at London Fog on Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip. When they got the chance to play a now-iconic gig at nearby Whisky-a-Go-Go, that’s when things really changed for the group, as they were signed to Elektra Records.
The band, which was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, went on to release six albums in five years.
Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses was made possible by Los Angeles, as childhood friends Izzy Stradlin and Axl Rose made the move to the Golden State as teens to chase their dream.
The guys first began as a band named Hollywood Roses, who played all around Hollywood at locations including The Orphanage and The Troubadour. When that group dissolved in 1984, Rose joined Tracii Guns’ band, L.A. Guns. Eventually, Rose, Guns, Stradlin, Rob Gardner, and Ole Beich combined the two groups’ names, thus becoming Guns N’ Roses.
Shortly after their formation, several members left the band. The classic Guns N’ Roses lineup soon became comprised of Rose, Slash, Stradlin, Duff McKagan, and Steven Adler.
Guns N’ Roses, one of the best-selling acts of all time, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.
Van Halen
Van Halen came to life in Los Angeles, after brothers Eddie and Alex Van Halen moved to California in the 60s. Their first iteration of the band was Mammoth, but the guys quickly realized their group wasn’t working without a flashy frontman. Enter David Lee Roth. Shortly after Roth joined the band, the guys met bassist Michael Anthony during a gig at Pasadena High School.
With the band complete, the guys changed their name to Van Halen. When they moved from Pasadena to Hollywood, success soon followed. Van Halen played clubs such as Gazarri’s and The Starwood. It was at the latter club where KISS’ Gene Simmons first saw Van Halen and offered to help them. Eventually, Van Halen signed with Ted Templeman, thus beginning a storied career.
Today, Van Halen has sold more than 80 million records worldwide. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
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