[1] It began in October 1964 as a free newsletter distributed by the Southern Californian radio station KRLA, before being reworked as a more reportage-focused title in February 1965.

[2][4] The magazine was also granted exclusive access to the Rolling Stones during their recording sessions in Los Angeles,[3] after the group had become enamoured with RCA Studios in Hollywood.

[6] The newsletter was solely the work of Bonnie Golden, formerly an editor at Teen Screen magazine, and distributed free to newsstands,[2] record stores, and the station's listeners.

[8] KRLA DJs Dave Hull and Tony Leigh were also credited as contributors, through the publication of their on-air interviews,[3] as was former Beatles publicist Derek Taylor,[9] who briefly hosted a radio show of his own.

[16] Having championed American acts such as the Byrds and the Beach Boys since 1965,[10][17] he subsequently guided the magazine's direction toward countercultural issues and psychedelia.