“California Dreamin'” is a song written by John and Michelle Phillips. Of the Mamas & the Papas, released in December 1965.
It’s a well-loved example of the music of the 1960s counterculture era. In 2021, Rolling Stone placed the song at number 420 in its “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.
The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and Michelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and the latter was missing sunny California. John would work on compositions late at night and brought Michelle the first verse one morning. At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved into the Mamas and the Papas.
Use the downloadable tabs and the attached mp3 file & video to understand how to play “California Dreamin'” by the Mommas and Poppas for solo guitar.