My Rock Moment: Canyon Songs of Love & Heartbreak with Emmeline Summerton of Lost Canyons LA

Love, lust, and heartbreak are the secret soundtrack of the LA canyons.

In this episode of My Rock Moment we welcome Emmeline Summerton of Instagram's Lost Canyons LA, a historian of the LA Canyons and former writer of the New Topanga Times. Together we trace that soundtrack through eight songs — uncovering the romance, the messiness and the broken hearts behind the lyrics.

We start with “Guinnevere,” David Crosby’s mysterious song inspired by 3 women — Christine Hinton, Joni Mitchell, and the surprising third muse, “Delta Lady” — Leon Russell’s ode to Rita Coolidge and the wild, studio-to-road romance that sent them straight into Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs tour. Then we move to the Mamas & the Papas’ “Go Where You Wanna Go,” a sunny single born from the band’s very messy affairs.   

From there:  “Our House,” Graham Nash’s tiny, perfect snapshot of life with Joni Mitchell in Laurel Canyon — ordinary moments made into a classic. Then Joni’s own “All I Want’ about her relationship with James Taylor. We’ll also unpack “Leather and Lace,” the duet that reunited Stevie Nicks and Don Henley after a broken romance and leer jet flirtations; “Faithless Love,” J.D. Souther’s devastating ballad given wings by Linda Ronstadt during their fraught romance and end with Neil Young’s "A Man Needs a Maid" off of Harvest.

This is a tour of romance and ruin, tenderness and betrayal — the songs that turned private heartbreak into something the rest of us could sing along to. We’ll share the stories behind each track and the music that made the canyons heartbreak famous.

Find out more about Emmeline Summerton of Lost Canyons LA:

https://topanganewtimes.com/author/emmeline-summerton

https://www.instagram.com/lostcanyonsla

For more information on My Rock Moment and the Host, Amanda Morck:

www.myrockmoment.com

For more information on upcoming episodes and your regular dose of rock history follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/la_woman_rocks

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