Los Angeles has long been the entertainment hub of the United States – and arguably the world. In addition to being the home of Hollywood movie studios, the Los Angeles music scene has launched the careers of some of the biggest names in the history of music. While having a passion for music from a young age puts aspiring musicians at a substantial advantage, being in close proximity to the Los Angeles music industry can be just as important. The following are a few of the most popular and successful bands that came out of the greater Los Angeles area:
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are one of the most iconic bands from Los Angeles County (Hawthorne, to be exact). The group formed in 1961 and signed with Capitol Records just one year later. The Beach Boys found their passion for music and worked together to create it while they were still in high school at Hawthorne High. While there, they were able to take advantage of their Southern California lifestyle that helped to shape their successful image and musical style.
Guns N’ Roses
Guns N’ Roses is one of the best-known heavy metal bands of the 1980s and 1990s. The band was originally formed by Axl Rose, Izzy Stradlin, Tracii Guns, Rob Gardner and Ole Beich. The group made waves early on by performing at iconic Hollywood clubs such as The Roxy and The Troubadour, and became a major staple in the Los Angeles music scene, before moving on to gain a national following.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the most successful bands in history and have come a long way since their funk-rock roots at Fairfax High School in Los Angeles (Steven Adler and Slash, who later joined Guns N’ Roses, are also fellow alumni). It was during those years that the members of the band met each other and formed the group, thanks in large part to their shared passion for music during their early teenage years. Although the band has seen some roster changes over the years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers remain as popular as ever.
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is the iconic metal band that came to define a new wave of music that began in the early 1990s. Originally formed in 1991 in Los Angeles, Rage Against the Machine got their first taste of publicity as a band when they debuted at a house party in Orange County. Although it took a few years after signing with Epic Records for the band to truly become successful, their self-titled debut album would eventually go on to sell triple platinum.
Metallica
Metallica originally found its roots in the underground Los Angeles metal scene of the early 1980s. The band formed in 1981 with the help of a “drummer in need of metal musicians” advertisement in the Los Angeles newspaper The Recycler. On March 14th, 1982, Metallica began their journey into history with their debut live performance at Radio City, a now-closed venue in Anaheim. Metallica would eventually become one of the most successful bands from Los Angeles thanks to their fifth album, The Black Album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 list.
One thing that all of these bands from Los Angeles had in common was a passion for music at a young age, and a willingness to learn from others. Could you be part of the next successful band from Los Angeles? Start working hard now, and you just might be!
Photo by Saad Faruque
Megan L.