HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY…
by Susie Hodgson
When you think of a commune, what part of the country do you think of? Woodstock? Berkeley? Santa Cruz? Maybe some part of Oregon? Bet you don’t think of Burbank! But guess what?
Okay, so technically, it it’s not exactly Burbank. It’s right on the border of Burbank and Hollywood. Have you ever seen the Oakwood Apartments (now AVA Toluca Hills) on Barham Boulevard? In the late 1960s/early 1970s, THAT used to be a commune!
Legendary singer/songwriter John Sebastian lived there along with various other artists. Sebastian was a founder of the 1960s folk rock group The Lovin’ Spoonful. Check out this list of their hits: “Do You Believe in Magic?,” “Did You Ever Have to Make Up Your Mind?,” “[What a Day for a] Daydream,” and “You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice.”
John Sebastian was born in 1944 to a father who played classical harmonica and a mother who wrote radio scripts. His Godfather was children’s book illustrator Garth Williams (the original artist of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s “Little House on the Prairie” book series as well as Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little). His Godmother was actress Vivian Vance, forever known as Ethel Mertz on I Love Lucy. John grew up privileged; he attended a private boarding school and went on to NYU. But he dropped out of college and got into folk music, settling in Greenwich Village and hanging out with other musicians, including the future Mamas and Papas.
Interestingly all those hits that the Lovin’ Spoonful had were released quickly, in rapid fire. By 1967 they broke up. Soon thereafter Sebastian picked up and moved to Los Angeles, settling in that commune on Barham Boulevard.
Barham Boulevard was named for Dr. Frank Barham. A trained physician, he and his brother actually published a local newspaper, The Los Angeles Herald & Express (which later merged into The Herald Examiner). Barham married a socialite/silver heiress and they were close friends and business partners with William Randolph Hearst. The Barhams also owned land that they would later donate to the city of Los Angeles who would in turn name it Barham Boulevard. Jessica Barham’s second husband was a Russian man who said he worked for Czar Nicholas during the Russian Revolution and that he knew where they Russian royal jewels were buried. The Barhams’ daughter Patte (who said that Hearst mentored her) later wrote a book about it. (She wrote a few books and lived a colorful life of her own actually!)
But back to John Sebastian. He moved into a tent on the Barham property. There were two houses and various garages on the land – one of the houses having once served as “Lady Barham’s hunting lodge probably back in the teens or 1920s,” according to Sebastian. Also living at the commune were famed rock photographer (and sometime musician) Henry Diltz, who photographed more than 200 rock album covers including the Doors’ Morrison Hotel, the James Taylor epic “Sweet Baby James” and the self-titled debut album of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Another commune member was record producer Cyrus Faryar, a founding member of the Modern Folk Quartet. There was a studio in one of the houses and Mama Cass Elliott recorded much of her “Dream a Little Dream of Me” album there. Linda Ronstadt was also a frequent visitor and members of the hippie comedy troupe The Firesign Theater were known to live and play there.
But one of the best stories of the commune involved still another commune member that everyone called Tie-Dye Annie. She taught John how to tie-dye and he became addicted. Soon he was tie-dying literally everything he owned. All clothes, of course, but also bed sheets, pillow cases, home décor -- you name it. Sebastian became famous for his ever-present tie-dyed garb.
Sebastian met his wife at the commune (they’ve been married ever since and have two children) and they moved out in the early 70s. Since then John Sebastian has remained in the music world and has been inducted both into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as well as the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame.
So next time you’re driving on Barham, take a look at the condominium complex just by Warner Brothers. Picture a commune there and imagine John Sebastian in his tie-dyed clothes out in front. Then hum this to yourself, “Welcome Back… your dream was your ticket out…”
Want to learn more about Burbank? Come visit us!
The Burbank Historical Society/Gordon R. Howard Museum
OPEN SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS, 1 TO 4 pm - FREE Admission!
Located in George Izay Park, right next to the Creative Arts Center
Phone: (818) 841-6333
Web site: www.burbankhistoricalsoc.org
Email: ghowardmuseum@sbcglobal.net