eric burdon

Rock Star Retreat

Music to a buyer's ear: The Joshua Tree home of singer/songwriter Eric Burdon of The Animals and War is on the market.

Lawrence Karol Real Estate

eric burdon
A cedar deck melds with the desertscape and is an ideal spot for relaxation, dining, and entertaining.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF JAMES GUILLERMO

Many of our desert homes have had a brush with celebrity, but some have gone a step further and inspired a music album: U2’s Joshua Tree, Emmylou Harris’ The Ballad of Sally Rose, The Eagles first album, and Gram Parsons.

Add one more. The Santa Barbara-based band Dishwalla recently wrote and recorded their latest release, Juniper Road, in the living room of a Joshua Tree home at 7423 Juniper Road.

But, then again, the musical vibe of this house is particularly strong since it’s owned by the legendary singer/songwriter and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Eric Burdon, who spotted the property while it was still being built.

“At first, he thought it was a hotel or a retreat center — it was so large and different than most buildings in town,” says realtor James Guillermo of Whitestar Management. “One day as he was driving by he couldn’t resist stopping in for a closer look. Joshua Tree was mostly comprised of Craftsman-type homes from out of a catalog, so this Santa Fe-style building was calling him by name.”

Built in 2007, the 3,120-square-foot Southwestern-style home sits on 2.5 acres and contains four bedroom and three baths.

The living room’s custom elements include a barn wood wall and hand-painted wooden shutters.

“The house was almost completed, so Eric couldn’t change much in the way of the floor plan,” notes Guillermo. “His only request was to have heated floors put in the master bathroom.” The house is also solar powered.

But Burdon did transform the exterior, adding a large deck, a swimming pool, garden, an adobe privacy wall, and a moat with a bridge at the entrance. He also planted numerous fruit trees (fig, pear, and apple) and transplanted many old-growth palms from his previous desert home.

The interior boasts a large, central living room with a fireplace and a wide-open kitchen. “[The house is] spacious, welcoming, bright with high ceilings, skylights and awe-inspiring picture windows throughout [that] bring natural light and beauty,” says Guillermo.

The open, modern kitchen features hickory cabinets and a large island with a granite countertop.

The custom walk-in closet is so large it feels like a room unto itself.

The 600-square-foot master suite has an attached room that can be used as an office or nursery and there’s a deep, walk-in jacuzzi just outside the bedroom’s French doors. The house also a three-car garage with an outdoor staircase that leads to a rooftop deck.

The property is listed at $878,000.

For more information, contact James Guillermo, Realtor, Whitestar Management, 760-449-1345.

The master suite has open desert views.

The property includes a solar-heated saltwater lap pool.

 
Follow Lawrence Karol on Twitter: @WriteEditDream