California 50's, 60's & 70's - What was it like?

[maxxkatt]

I grew up near an Air Force town in middle, Georgia Robins, AFB. My dad and many of my friends parents worked there. Some had to move to California in the late 50's because of their job to be near large defense contractors in California.

They came back telling stories about California that were almost unbelievable to us back in Perry, Ga. Then after a 3 year stint in the army returning home in 1967 I was amazed at the music coming from California and England. Both seemed to dominate the rock music scene in the 60's and 70's. Nothing else like it in the county.

For those of you who lived in California it would be interesting to me to hear some of your stories from those times. California was so far ahead the rest of the US in almost everything. They were almost like a different mythical country.

We know it is not the same, now, but I don't wish to open up that debate I only want to know from some members who remember CA back then..

 

[KOB]

What kind of stories do you want to hear ? I grew up on the beach....

 

[maxxkatt]

What kind of stories do you want to hear ? I grew up on the beach....

well maybe you cannot compare with other parts of the US but in the middle 50's California was light years ahead of Georgia in terms of new things and music etc. For instance, in Georgia in 1958 every family had at most 1 car. But my friends Ed and Jim and their mom and dad move to CA during that time period and they had to have four cars because Ed and Jim were 16 or 17 and mom and dad worked, he for the Air Force and she a Nurse and ed and jim went to different schools. A single family having 4 cars was unheard of in Perry GA at the time.

My other friend a girl spoke of going to the beach often it was just a 10 minute drive from her home. She said that is where all the kids hung out.

In Perry, GA not much to do, but on the other hand not much trouble you could get into either.

 

[metaladdict]

I grew up in the 70s and 80s.
We went to friends house in San Jose at times. I rode a bike around a big block of 1960s houses there.
We went to Santa Cruz in a 66 Amc wagon later in a 1978 Ford Fairmont wagon.

Our family once went to Stern Grove in San Fran around 1975 to an outdoor concert and I had ugly striped pants on but that was the fashion in the 70s.

 

[C-Dredge]

I grew up in the Southern California area in 1970's. Had it all, great home, great community that matched the great weather. I feel blessed to have grown up there, but sadly, those days are gone for ever. Nothing about California resembles my youth.


After more than 50 years, I have severed my ties with California. I sold everything and moved away. Over last few years, my entire extended family had left. Still have few friends that are trapped and cant leave for a number of reasons.

 

[Oro Puro]

California definitely wasn't leading the world in ROCK n ROLL in the late 60's or 70's

The MC5 outta Detroit! Rocked

 

[CalReg]

I grew up in the '60's & 70's in the SF area. Some of the rock 'n roll groups that got their start in the Bay Area include; Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead (not sure you'd classify their music as rock 'n roll though...more like folk music), Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Journey just to name a few, and that's not even naming the bands from SoCal. A great time to grow up too!

 

[maxxkatt]

I guess everything changes in 50 years. I started listening to rock and roll about 1955. Boy was rock and roll a huge change from swing and big bands. Our parents really did not like our rock and roll music. But rock and roll was so cool, especially the rock and roll coming out of Detroit. The American Autos from Detroit in the late 60's and 70's were the best ever, never to be repeated. In smaller towns there basically was no crime problems compared to today and certainly I never heard of drug problems in smaller towns. Am radio was great back then where they had real disc jockeys. Movies were great especially drive in movies. That was the place to take a date. We were getting over WWII and Korean war and the ugly head of Vietnam was just starting to emerge. World wars between US & Russia or US and China were unthinkable. So we entered into a period of proxy wars which continue to this date, especially in the middle east.

Our kids have nothing to look back at as fondly as we do having grown up in the 1950's and 1960's. Just my opinion.

 

[Dangerranger60]

I have worked in other states but always called CA home. The best thing about growing up here was there was always something to do. I lived 1 1/2 hours from a couple ski resorts, 1 1/2 hours to the beach, I had 4 lakes less than an hour away, and 1000's of acres of open land to ride a dirt bike on.
There were always good paying jobs available. And you could make a good living. I was able to raise 6 boys on a single income.
I grew up in the 60's and 70's.

 

[bottlecap4u]

California definitely wasn't leading the world in ROCK n ROLL in the late 60's or 70's

The MC5 outta Detroit! Rocked

CKLW...Detroit/Windsor..a blast from the past in 1967! I grew up in the 70s (AM radio) and this was blasting out 50,000 watts. check this time capsule out. https://mcrfb.com/archives/48634#:~...tion that changed the radio landscape here in

 

[Fe Man]

I grew up in the Southern California area in 1970's. Had it all, great home, great community that matched the great weather. I feel blessed to have grown up there, but sadly, those days are gone for ever. Nothing about California resembles my youth.


After more than 50 years, I have severed my ties with California. I sold everything and moved away. Over last few years, my entire extended family had left. Still have few friends that are trapped and cant leave for a number of reasons.

I'm right there with you and have the same story. Grew-up in SoCal (60s-70's), moved to NorCal (80s-2020), and moved out of state and have never looked back.

 

[Dangerranger60]

CKLW...Detroit/Windsor..a blast from the past in 1967! I grew up in the 70s (AM radio) and this was blasting out 50,000 watts. check this time capsule out. https://mcrfb.com/archives/48634#:~:text=The Drake-formatted station that changed the radio landscape here in

I grew up with KYNO AM 1300. DR

 

[hoser]

CKLW...Detroit/Windsor..a blast from the past in 1967! I grew up in the 70s (AM radio) and this was blasting out 50,000 watts. check this time capsule out. https://mcrfb.com/archives/48634#:~...tion that changed the radio landscape here in

OMG! That was my favorite rock station growing up in the Mt. Clemens area. Man did THAT bring back some memories.

 

[KOB]

My parents were born in Detroit in the 40s. They got the hell out cause the weather sucked. Can't choose where you were born ! So this is where I mainly grew up in the mid 60s - mid 70s before moving on. Just a few blocks from the beach. Old and newer pics. This was all my playground. We skateboarded , biked , surfed , fished. Typical So.Cal stuff you read about. You knew to be home by dark and many left the front door unlocked at night. I took swim lessons at this big community pool. I remember secret service chasing us kids off the beach when Nixon was in town. Music was everything from surf , rock , pop , psychedelic and some 50s.

 

[markinmichigan]

Not about Cali so sorry about the hijack. I was born in December of 1957, 45 miles outside of Detroit in Brighton. Little town of under 1,100 people so everybody knew each other. You couldn't get away with anything! Pretty much would ride your bike and go fishing, rock fights, king of the hill, cowboys and indians. I played every sport just to get out of the house.

You got 2 hours of black and white TV, you ate everything on your plate, pledge of allegiance everyday. You mouthed off to a teacher or elder and you got the paddle, belt or switch. You wanted money? You raked leaves, got a paper route, washed dishes or got a side hustle.

Early 1970's gave us Steppenwolf, The Doors, Velvet underground, Santana, Bowie, CCR, Allman Brothers Aerosmith, Skynard and so many others. Our graduating class song was "Schools out" by Alice Cooper. Locals like Iggy Pop, Bob Seger and MC5 were seen regularly in local clubs.

Loved the 70's!

Mark in Michigan

 

[maxxkatt]

I grew up in the '60's & 70's in the SF area. Some of the rock 'n roll groups that got their start in the Bay Area include; Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead (not sure you'd classify their music as rock 'n roll though...more like folk music), Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Journey just to name a few, and that's not even naming the bands from SoCal. A great time to grow up too!

I think the Doors got their start in CA. Jim Morrison was a poet in the beginning. Also the Mama's and Papa's with Mama Cass who was some of a mentor to many younger musicians in CA. And the Eagles members from other parts of the US formed their band after working with Linda Ronstadt as backing muscians.

 

[SeabeeRon]

I grew up in the '60's & 70's in the SF area. Some of the rock 'n roll groups that got their start in the Bay Area include; Creedence Clearwater Revival, Grateful Dead (not sure you'd classify their music as rock 'n roll though...more like folk music), Doobie Brothers, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Journey just to name a few, and that's not even naming the bands from SoCal. A great time to grow up too!

I think the Doors got their start in CA. Jim Morrison was a poet in the beginning. Also the Mama's and Papa's with Mama Cass who was some of a mentor to many younger musicians in CA. And the Eagles members from other parts of the US formed their band after working with Linda Ronstadt as backing muscians.

In the late '60s it was about a 2 hour drive to San Francisco from Santa Cruz. Just about every weekend many of the bands mentioned would play at either The Fillmore or the Winterland. What a great time to grow up!

 

[maxxkatt]

In the late '60s it was about a 2 hour drive to San Francisco from Santa Cruz. Just about every weekend many of the bands mentioned would play at either The Fillmore or the Winterland. What a great time to grow up!

I kind of watched it from afar in Atlanta, GA. We had the southern rock bands who performed in Atlanta. Saw the Allman Brother at a free concert at Piedmont park. But the really big national rock bands seemed to be located in So.CA LA area. And of course there were the bands that were located in San Francisco.

 

[maxxkatt]

My parents were born in Detroit in the 40s. They got the hell out cause the weather sucked. Can't choose where you were born ! So this is where I mainly grew up in the mid 60s - mid 70s before moving on. Just a few blocks from the beach. Old and newer pics. This was all my playground. We skateboarded , biked , surfed , fished. Typical So.Cal stuff you read about. You knew to be home by dark and many left the front door unlocked at night. I took swim lessons at this big community pool. I remember secret service chasing us kids off the beach when Nixon was in town. Music was everything from surf , rock , pop , psychedelic and some 50s.View attachment 602447View attachment 602448View attachment 602449View attachment 602450View attachment 602451

This was the kind of CA that my friends whose families moved to CA in the 50's & 60's on TDY for a year or two working for the government. When they got back to the Perry, GA and Warner Robins area we kids who did not go to CA heard great stories of a life that we could barely believe was true. It was like talking about a dream land place to grow up. Don't get me wrong, I like growing up in small town GA but it was nothing like the West Coast which seemed like Disneyland for kids. It seem to have it all. The beach, movies & TV studios, mountains, deserts, the start of rock music with bands just getting their start. Wolfman jack on the AM. There was no other state that offered all that back in the day. This is just from my perspective of not being in SoCA but hearing about it first hand from my friends.

 

[KOB]

This was the kind of CA that my friends whose families moved to CA in the 50's & 60's on TDY for a year or two working for the government. When they got back to the Perry, GA and Warner Robins area we kids who did not go to CA heard great stories of a life that we could barely believe was true. It was like talking about a dream land place to grow up. Don't get me wrong, I like growing up in small town GA but it was nothing like the West Coast which seemed like Disneyland for kids. It seem to have it all. The beach, movies & TV studios, mountains, deserts, the start of rock music with bands just getting their start. Wolfman jack on the AM. There was no other state that offered all that back in the day. This is just from my perspective of not being in SoCA but hearing about it first hand from my friends.

Yeah it was fun. Those cliffs in the background have train tracks at the base , we used to roll big truck tires down them when the passenger trains came by. Imagine the look on their faces seeing a big tire hit and go bouncing 20' in the air. Disneyland and Knottsberry farm was good clean fun back then. We went to Universal Studios once and my mom was picked from the crowd to be filmed in a Adam -12 episode. She was in a phone booth on a corner while they did a car chase. Bonfires on the beach and walking around with pellet rifles shooting critters. Things that young adventurous kids could never get away with now.