By Brian Soergel
Edmondseditor@yourbeacon.net
You’ll never know what you’ll find when you dig into when the latest catalog from Edmonds College’s Creative Retirement Institute lands in your mailbox.
CRI is a member-driven, self-supporting group. Their mission? To provide affordable, quality lifelong learning opportunities for adults in a supportive environment.
We found this gem in the winter 2026 issue: “It Happened in Laurel Canyon: The Birth of California Folk Rock.” We bit, and had to learn more from instructor David Robison to learn more.
Edmonds Beacon: How did you become to be involved in Laurel Canyon music history? Were you a part of it or simply a fan?
David Robison: Like most people (documented by Spotify statistics), I’m a fan of music from my youth. I was into the folk music craze of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which segued into folk rock in the mid- to late 1960s. Laurel Canyon in Southern California was the birthplace of folk rock, although it spread very quickly from there.
Beacon: Why Laurel Canyon? Was it the birthplace of country rock (all bands you described in CRI pamphlet, but also artists such as Gram Parsons?)
Robison: As I said, Laurel Canyon was the literal birthplace of folk rock. The term was first used to describe the music of Laurel Canyon musicians. Artists and groups who lived in Laurel Canyon at the time include the Byrds, the Mamas & the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, Crosby, Stills, Nash (& Young), Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and many others.
There was tremendous cross-fertilization among the musicians who hung out together in their homes and in the nearby folk music clubs in West Hollywood. Gram Parsons was peripherally related to the Laurel Canyon scene (he replaced David Crosby in the Byrds for a short time) but not a major player.
Beacon: Do you live in the area?
Robison: I’ve lived in Redmond for 30 years. Prior to that, Dallas, Atlanta, and Chicago areas.
Beacon: What does an amateur musicologist do all day?
Robison: I’m retired and take part in a wide variety of activities. As for my musicology interest, I regularly listen to new music, so unlike most of my peers, I’m familiar with many contemporary artists and groups. I regularly read music publications such as Billboard magazine, as well as music reviews in The New York Times, The Seattle Times, and on NPR, all who regularly cover the music scene.
I also read/research the history of popular music. Finally, my education is as a biomedical engineer with an emphasis in neurophysiology, and I’ve done extensive reading on how the human brain responds to music, which is a huge subject on its own. I have previously offered a course at CRI about how the brain responds to music, which was very popular.
Beacon: Who do you think might be interested in the class?
Robison: People from my generation who enjoyed the music of the time and are curious to learn about its origins. Again, it is almost axiomatic that most people have a strong emotional bond to the music they listened to as they came of age. The stories behind the music bring greater appreciation of the songs we cherish.
“It Happened in Laurel Canyon: The Birth of California Folk Rock” is 1-2:30 p.m. on four Thursdays, Jan. 8-29. The fee is $70. For more information on this or other classes: edmonds.edu/cri, cri@edmonds.edu, 425-640-1830. Registration is ongoing.