From the Sons of Champlin to Jerry Garcia to Bonnie Raitt, Mill Valley has long been a magnet for musicians and the people who support them; shop owners, poster artist, club managers and fans. This nineteen stop walk highlights the people and places that helped shape Mill Valley into a true rock and roll town. (From EnjoyMillValley.com) Use your Map App for directions and visit MVHistory.org/rockwalk for expanded details, photos, and a map from the Mill Valley Historical Society..
Mill Valley has always had a rhythm of its own, nestled among the redwoods and reverberating with the echoes of rock history. And now, thanks to the just-released 2025– 2026 Enjoy Mill Valley Guide insert featured in this month’s Marin Magazine, that rhythm is getting a spotlight worthy of its Legacy.
Among the gems in this self-guided Rock & Roll tour is #9: Marty Balin’s former home at 180 East Blithedale Avenue, a modest yet magical spot that once belonged to the co-founder of the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship. Marty didn’t just live there—he lived there.
Marty’s house wasn’t just a residence—it was a canvas. The kitchen featured a wildly expressive collage of artwork that a rock-and-roll-savvy Real Estate appraiser once told me added a “ truly unique cultural value,” significantly adding to the property’s worth. Marty’s home also featured a pyramid bedroom with a door that exited onto the roof that took you to a bench Marty had built into the roof where we spent some time tokeing up and watching the world go by.Â
I first met Marty when I opened for his band in the mid-1980s when I was doing stand at Bimbo’s in San Francisco and the Cotati Cabaret in Sonoma County.
One of my favorite memories when I was over at Marty’s was when he gave me a Harpo Marx album he kept on his piano. He even autographed the cover—He knew I was a huge Harpo fan, and I gotta tell ya Marty’s sense of humor was as surreal and sweet as Harpo’s silent antics.
And then there was that night when Marty and Janis Joplin had been drinking and were crawling around the floor of his living room late at night with flashlights on and the lights off like actual rock stars on some sort of midnight mission. Ok, they were drunk.
Well, the neighbors called the Mill Valley police, thinking it was a burglary. The cops showed up ready for action… until they realized they were trying to talk to a fairly inebriated  Marty Balin and Janis Joplin! Suddenly, it wasn’t a crime scene—it was a backstage pass to rock and roll stardom, and they got off with barely a warning…quit freaking out your neighbors!
If you can’t make it to Mill Valley to see Marty’s house in person, you can still experience it through a YouTube video tour of Marty’s home I shot over a decade ago.  A Legendary Musician’s House in the Heart of Mill Valley — This video walks you through the home with rock and roll real Estate appraiser Steve Cabella, who appears at the end of the video, highlighting the artistic touches and personal quirks that made Marty’s place so special.
 Tour Marty’s Home Online:
 The 2025–26 EMV Guide is more than a publication—it’s a backstage pass to a town that helped shape the sound of a generation. From hidden neighborhood gems to rock landmarks, it’s your map to Mill Valley’s creative heartbeat.
So, whether you’re strolling through Mill Valley or kicking back online, take a moment to celebrate the legacy of Marty Balin—and the town that helped him soar.
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The post Marty Balin, Rock and Roll, and Mill Valley, California appeared first on The Old and in the Way Podcast.
