In 1970, LIFE magazine gave photographer John Olson an unusual assignment: travel to the homes of rock royalty and photograph them with their families. The result was a remarkable series of intimate portraits that showed a completely different side of some of the era’s biggest names. From suburban London to Brooklyn to the Bay Area, Olson captured legends not on stage, but on sofas.
One of the most relaxed shots features Frank Zappa, the avant-garde rock provocateur, at home in Los Angeles with his parents Francis and Rosemarie — and the family cat.
Grace Slick, the powerful lead singer of Jefferson Airplane, was photographed with her mother Virginia Wing in the Palo Alto home where she grew up. The contrast between her wild rock persona and her composed, well-dressed mother makes for a striking image.
By 1971, Olson returned to Grace Slick for a follow-up shoot. She had recently become a mother herself, and LIFE ran a playful photo of her dangling her newborn daughter China by the feet.
In Surrey, England, Eric Clapton sat with his grandmother Rose Clapp, who raised him after his mother left. She proudly showed off her tea service alongside her famous grandson — a quietly domestic scene worlds away from his electric performances.
Elton John — still going by Reginald Dwight to his family — was photographed laughing with his mother Sheila Fairebrother and her husband Fred in their suburban London apartment. Elton called Fred “Derf,” simply Fred spelled backwards.
David Crosby, one-quarter of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, sat for a quiet portrait with his father in 1970.
Cream and Blind Faith drummer Ginger Baker, known for his explosive temper and intense playing style, showed a rare softer moment with his mother Ruby Streatfield at her rowhouse in Bexley, just outside London.
Sheffield-born rock singer Joe Cocker, famous for his raw, gravelly voice, posed with his mother in a warm and unpretentious photo that reflected his working-class roots.
Grace Slick stepped outside with her mother and baby China for another 1971 portrait, capturing a rare three-generation moment in the rock world.
Folk rock singer Richie Havens, who opened Woodstock in 1969, was photographed with his parents in Brooklyn — the neighborhood where he grew up and first began performing on street corners.
The Jackson 5 brought an entirely different energy to the series. A 13-year-old Michael Jackson and his brothers — Jackie, Marlon, Tito, and Jermaine — straddled motorbikes by the pool while their parents looked on.
Scottish folk musician Donovan rounded out the series, photographed with his parents Donald and Winifred Leitch in England. Like many of the other portraits, the image showed a gentle, grounded family life behind a very public career.
