In 1969 Frank Zappa composed the music for Ponty's solo album "" (World Pacific, 1970). In 1972 Elton John invited Ponty to contribute to his "Honky Chateau" (1972) album. At the urging of Zappa and The Mothers of Invention who wanted him to join their tour, Ponty emigrated with his wife and two young daughters to the United States and made his home in Los Angeles. He continued to work on a variety of projects – including two of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra albums "Apocalypse" (1974) and "Visions of the Emerald Beyond" (1975) and tours until 1975, when he signed with Atlantic.