Goodnight, L.A. : The Rise and Fall of Classic Rock-the Untold Story from Inside the Legendary Recording Studios

A behind-the-scenes journey through the rise and demise of the '70s and '80s classic rock era

Before disco, punk, hair metal, rap, and eventually grunge took it all away, the music scene in Los Angeles was dominated by rock 'n' roll. If a group wanted to hit it big, L.A. was the place to be. But in addition to the bands themselves finding their footing, their albums also needed some guidance. That came from a group of dedicated producers and engineers working in a cadre of often dilapidated-looking buildings that contained some of the greatest recording studios the music industry has ever known.

Within the windowless walls of these well-hidden studios, legends-to-be such as Foreigner, Fleetwood Mac, Pat Benatar, Boston, the Eagles, the Grateful Dead, Chicago, Linda Ronstadt, Santana, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Loggins and Messina, REO Speedwagon, and dozens more secretly created their album masterpieces: Double Vision. Rumours. Hotel California. Terrapin Station. Damn the Torpedoes. Hi Infidelity. However, the truth of what went on during these recording sessions has always remained elusive. But not anymore.

Longtime music-business insider Kent Hartman has filled Goodnight, L.A. with troves of never-before-told stories about the most prolific and important period and place in rock 'n' roll history. With music producer Keith Olsen and guitarist Waddy Wachtel as guides to the journey and informed by new, in-depth interviews with classic rock artists, famed record producers, and scores of others, Goodnight, L.A. reveals what went into the making of some of the best music of the past forty years. Readers will hear how some of their favorite albums and bands came to be, and ultimately how fame, fortune, excess, and a shift in listener demand brought it all tumbling down.

Kent Hartman is the author of the Los Angeles Times bestseller and Amazon Top 100 The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best Kept Secret, which won the Oregon Book Award for General Nonfiction. He is a longtime music-business insider and entrepreneur and is a former nationally syndicated radio show producer (Forgotten Hits of the '60s & '70s; Here's Johnny for Carson Productions). He spent many years teaching marketing within the College of Business at Oregon State University and the School of Business at Portland State University. Hartman lives in Portland, Oregon.