First settled in 1868 by a Missouri native named Edson A. Benedict, Benedict Canyon lies west of Hollywood and overlooks Beverly Hills and Bel Air from the Santa Monica mountains. Filled with steep and narrow winding roads, the canyon seems worlds away from the urban streets of Los Angeles. In the midst of this picturesque ravine lies Benedict Canyon Road, and off of it Cielo Drive. Just before the end of Cielo a couple of smaller streets branch off, to the right Bella Drive, and to the left an unmarked private road camouflaged in ivy. Continuing up this mysterious road some 300 yards stands the gates of 10050 Cielo Drive. Built in the late forties for French film star Michele Morgan, the cul-de-sac on the end of Cielo Drive has had its share of famous occupants, from Cary Grant, to Henry Fonda, to Terry Melcher and his girlfriend Candice Bergen. But undoubtedly the most famous residents, Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate signed a one year lease in February of 1969.
Charlie continued to make trips to L.A. to confer with Dennis and Greg. Despite earlier frustrations, he had not given up trying to get our album recorded. We had spent hours making tapes and wanted to get them heard. But Charlie’s anger at Melcher hadn’t subsided. I didn’t learn until later that he had finally gone to 10050 Cielo Drive (the scene of the Tate murders) looking for Melcher, only to learn that Melcher and his then girlfriend, Candice Bergen, had moved to Malibu. It was during this visit to Cielo Drive that Charlie met the owner of the house, Rudy Altobelli, who was then living in the rear cottage and who later told authorities of Charlie’s visit and that it was quite likely that, on his way in, had seen the occupants of the main house: Voytek Frykowski, Abigail Folger, and Sharon Tate. Charlie never went back to Cielo drive, but on August 9 he sent four people there to pay a visit; Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Kenwinkle, and a new girl named Linda Kasabian.
10050 Cielo Drive was also the house where the Beatles stayed when on tour in the area. This puts the ultimate 1960s group directly in the epicenter of the Laurel Canyon and Manson family scenes. No wonder Manson felt the Beatles were writing songs about the Manson family and speaking directly to him in their songs. They probably were.
A dentist in London…laid it [first LSD pills] on George, me and our wives [Cynthia Powell Lennon and Patty Boyd Harrison] without telling us at a dinner party at his house [in London]… And then, well, we just decided to take it again in California…We were on tour, in one of those houses, like Doris Day’s house or wherever it was we used to stay. And the three of us took it. Ringo, George and I. I think maybe Neil [Aspinall, a roadie]. And a couple of the Byrds…Crosby and the other guy, who used to be the leader…McGuinn. I think they came round, I’m not sure, on a few trips.
-John Lennon, 1970
Lennon’s memory of his second LSD trip was a bit fussy, but he mentioned some interesting people and places: Doris Day’s house, the Byrds. As previously stated, Melcher produced albums for the Byrds. Also stated before, Melcher’s mother is Doris Day. Sharon Tate and her four companions were killed at a house in LA where Melcher had lived six months earlier. John Lennon might have erroneously thought that the house in question might have been owned by Doris Day, or maybe Lennon knew she was connected with it somehow, so he referred to it as Doris Day’s house. Not only does Lennon unwittingly suggest that he and two other Beatles—George and Ringo—took their second acid trip in the house where Sharon Tate was murdered, he further intimates that the Beatles stayed at that house quite often while touring California. Here is the key statement again: "We were on tour, in one of those houses, like Doris Day’s house or wherever it was we used to stay." The words "wherever it was we used to stay" describe a place the Beatles stayed at frequently while on tour in California.
