Elvis Presley’s Bel Air Home
During the 1960s, famous and talented singer Elvis Presley lived in the East Gate area of lower Bel Air. That house had once belonged to Hugh Hefner, but when Presley attended one of Hefner’s parties, he fell in love with it and decided to buy it from him. So this is the house where The King Of Rock And Roll used to receive celebrities all year long.
One of the many famous groups that went to Presley’s home was The Beatles! The property has around 8.900 square feet, and it’s a perfect place for parties. Also, this house was the homebirth of songs like _Stuck On You _and _Are You Lonesome Tonight?_ The property's current value is $23.45 million.
Guns N’ Roses’ Home
Some rock legends need a place where they can relax and get some inspiration, and we can say that the famous rock band Guns N’ Roses found such a place in Seatle. In 1985, after their first tour, the band was out of money, and they didn’t have a place to live. Let’s see where the band settled at!
According to the members, their 12-square-foot warehouse, located in Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, didn’t have a kitchen, air conditioning, nor bathroom! Believe it or not, the band had to walk 50 yards to the nearest bathroom, but they only paid a daily budget of $4 each. At least they found the inspiration they needed to create their legendary album _Appetite For Destruction. _
Gwen Stefani's House on Bacon Avenue
Every successful rock band has an unusual place where it all started. In the case of No Doubt, it all began at the garage of Gwen Stefani’s house, located on Beacon Avenue in Anaheim, California. The band was formed by a group of unemployed musicians, so they couldn’t afford a professional studio.
In honor of their first steps in the music business, they recorded a few songs in this very same garage for their album _The Beacon Street Collection_. The album sold more than 100.000 copies in 1995, and it earned them the name of one of the best rock and punk backs of the moment. Shortly after, they shot two music videos in this garage. Much later, in 2011, the house was sold for $325.000.
Bob Dylan’s Big Pink House
If we say “Big Pink,” the famous singer Bob Dylan and The Band will automatically come to our minds. His former pink house is located at 56 Parnassus Lane in Saugerties, New York. After Dylan’s motorcycle accident in 1967, he and the band decided to move to that house.
Big Pink is the homebirth of the band The Basement Tapes and this is where they created the lyrics and music of their debut album, _Music From Big Pink._ In 1969, the band still didn’t have an official name, and in an interview for _Rolling Stone_ magazine, they declared they were “_the band from Big Pink_. “ Nowadays, it’s a must-visit site for Dylan’s fans and rock fans in general!
Michael Jackson’s Thriller House
We can’t imagine a better place for the music video of Michael Jackson’s song _Thriller_ than this Victorian-style home located in Angelino Heights, Los Angeles. Nowadays, it receives millions of fans worldwide who wish to experience the creepiness conveyed by the song.
This song has truly left a mark in history, to the point in which the Library Of Congress declared that the _Thriller_ video is the “_most famous music video of all time_. “ As regards the house, an episode of the fantasy TV show _Charmed_ was shot here, and in 1983, it was used to shoot a few scenes from the film _Teen Witch. _
The Grateful Dead’s Ranch
As we said before, some bands have created their most memorable albums in very unusual places. Let’s look at the case of the rock band Grateful Dead! In 1966, drummer Mickey Hart found the perfect place for the band to settle down in.
Hart discovered a ranch in Novato, California, which he rented for 12 years. This place was the band's unofficial rehearsal hall, and they released albums like _American Beauty, Grateful Dead, Blues for Allah, In the Dark_, and _Workingman’s Dead_ in this place. Unfortunately, the location was burned down several years ago, and today, it’s a state park.
Aerosmith’s Apartment
We have to say that thanks to Steven Tyler, the world is still enjoying Aerosmith’s music. In 1970, Tyler offered the members of bands Chain Reaction and Jam Band to get together and form a new rock n’ roll band, and voilá! Aerosmith was born.
Before they became famous, they lived together in an apartment in Boston, Massachusetts, on Commonwealth Avenue. In 1972, the band started to play their music live and signed with Columbia Records. After this, the band moved, but in 2012 they returned to the building to make a free outdoor concert.
Prince’s Home
After the successful release of _Purple Rain_, Prince moved to Chanhassen in Minnesota and founded the record company Paisley Park Records right in his home. It is safe to say that this house suited him well, as this is where he recorded some of his greatest songs, like _The Beautiful Experience, Sign O The Times_ and _Wonderboy_.
Prince’s home was a place of inspiration to other talented singers and bands. For instance, Madonna recorded _Like A Prayer_ in this very same building, while R.E.M recorded _Out Of Time._ Sadly, in 2016, Prince died in this same house, but nowadays, Paisley Park is a public museum where you can still feel his essence.
John Lennon’s Last Home
One of the most visited places in New York City must be The Dakota, John Lennon’s last home. We all know about the breakup of The Beatles and how every member continued with their solo careers. From 1973 to 1980, Lennon moved to an apartment in the Big Apple with Yoko Ono and their son.
Lennon declared on several occasions that during this period, he wanted to focus on his family, but in 1977, he released the famous single (_Just Like) Starting Over_. Tragically, Lennon was killed by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building on December 8, 1980. Today, the building serves as a memorial in honor of Lennon and his legacy.
Jim Morrison’s Love Street
If you are a _Doors_ fan, you’ve probably heard of (or visited) this house in Los Angeles on Rothdell Trail, or as fans call it, “Love Street.” In the past, Jim Morrison used to live in a house on that street with his girlfriend, Pamela Courson. Morrison himself came up with the name “Love Street” because of the number of hippies they used to see walking along that road.
The couple would see them from their balcony. What an interesting view! There’s a song by The Doors that says, “_There’s this store where the creatures meet”_, which refers to the Canyon Country Store across their home. Also, Morrison wrote a lot of songs from the album _Waiting For The Sun_ right in this house.
Michael Jackson’s Neverland Park
During the 80s, I’m pretty sure there wasn’t a place as popular as the Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, California, owned by pop star Michael Jackson. Formerly the property used to be called the Sycamore Valley Ranch but then it was sold to the singer and became an amusement park.
The singer referred to Neverland as a place full of fantasy and magic. A lot of famous artists visited this incredible place, like Paul McCartney, who recorded and filmed the single _Say Say Say_ on this very same site.
Janis Joplin’s Childhood Home
Some artists never leave the homes where they grew up and made their first steps into their careers. This is the case of singer Janis Joplin and her childhood home where she and her sister always lived and where they literally left their mark: her sister had both their autographs written in cement in the backyard.
Nowadays, the house has a historical marker that was put in 2008. Joplin declared many times that in this house, she used to listen to her friends’ albums, like Bessie Smith, Lead Belly, and Ma Rainey, all of whom inspired this great artist.
The Grateful Dead’s Home
On Ashbury Street in San Francisco stands The Grateful Dead’s home, which you can still visit today. They lived there from 1966 to 1968, and those years were all it took for this band to make their most remarkable studio albums. In 1967 they released their first LP, _The Grateful Dead._
In addition, in 1967, the band added a second drummer and a keyboardist. Without a doubt, this street is legendary as just a few blocks away stands the home of Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse, the creators of the band’s famous covers. And guess what? You can visit the band’s house by booking a tour!
Eagles Glenn Frey And The Kirkwood Casino
The 1960s were definitely the Golden Era of rock and roll since the most legendary rock bands rose to stardom during this decade. One of these bands was Eagles Glenn Frey. Can you name their most famous hits?
The members used to live together in a house that they called “The Kirkwood Casino And Health Club.” Can you imagine that? Lead singer Glenn Frey wrote his first album with J.D Souther, and in 1970, he met drummer Don Henley. Together they wrote famous songs like _Take It Easy, Tequila Sunrise_ and _Heartache Tonight,_ and they were all made in their “Health Club”! Nowadays, their house is on sale for $1 million.
Kurt Cobain’s Childhood Home
It’s hard to picture how our favorite artists used to live when they were little, before becoming the talented and amazing musicians we know them as. Now, let’s look into Kurt Cobain’s early days! His childhood home is located in Aberdeen, Washington, and during the 80s, he used to practice with Krist Novoselic in his room.
Cobain had a rough childhood and adolescence: first, he left his home to move in with his father, but he soon went back to his mother’s place. Two weeks before graduation, Cobain dropped out of school, and his mother threw him out. After that, he moved to this house with a few friends, and that’s when Nirvana was created. In 2013, this house was sold for $211,283.
Jimi Hendrix’s Boyhood Home
Some artists get the inspiration they need from the difficult moments they went through in the past. Such was the case of the talented singer and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. He grew up in Berkley, California, on the corner of MLK Way and Derby Street.
Since his family always lived on a tight budget, Hendrix couldn’t afford to buy a guitar until the age of 15. Also, most of his relatives were militaries, and he always felt he didn’t quite fit in, and that’s why Hendrix decided to move in with one of his friends, Mrs. Champ, back in 1945. In his early 20s, he moved to his famous San Francisco home, which is shown in the picture above.
The Canyon That Inspired Many Musicians
Famous singer Joni Mitchell lived on Lookout Mountain Ave, Los Angeles, during the late 60s and early 70s. In that magical home, she wrote two of her albums, _Clouds, _and _Ladies Of The Canyon._ Her roomie was singer Graham Nash, who at the same time wrote the famous song _Our House. _
Apparently, this was a magical place full of inspiration to many musicians. In 1966, many members of The Doors moved into a house on the same road, where they made their promotional film _Break On Through (To The Other Side). _
Sid Vicius’ Home
The Haight-Ashbury area of San Francisco is well known because of the number of rock stars that have lived there, like Sex Pistols lead singer Sid Vicius. He was living in this brick house when the band invited him to replace Glen Matlock, who left Sex Pistols in 1977.
The Sex Pistols peaked between 1975 and 1978, where they recorded their most remarkable albums _Never Mind The Blocks_ and _Here’s The Sex Pistols._ Vicious left the band in 1978 and went on to release a solo album. He lived in the same house until his death, the following year, in 1979.
Sly Stewart’s First Job
In 1964, Sly Stewart used to live on Haight Street in San Francisco. While he was living there, he used to work as a DJ at KSOL, a radio that is known for its soul music. Stewart also worked as a producer for Autumn Records, where he worked for bands like The Mojo Men and Bobby Freeman.
Stewart declared many times that it was thanks to those first jobs that he got the inspiration to form his own band, Sly And The Family Stone, in 1966. The band was considered a pioneer of funk, soul and rock!
Metallica’s First Home
Every rock band has its unique and unusual place where all the magic started once upon a time. In the 80s, Metallica was only a garage rock band formed by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield. They would practice in the garage of this house, located in El Cerrito, California. This is where they created their first song _Hit The Lights_.
It was hard for the band to make a name for themselves in the industry because they couldn’t find a producer that would want to work with them. They had to wait a long time until Johnny “Z” Zazula made his own label record, Megaforce Records, and started working with the band. That’s when their fame began to rise, and well… the rest is history.