BRIAN WILSON (1942 - 2025)

Brian Wilson, the innovative creative force behind the Los Angeles surf-rock band, The Beach Boys, died on June 11th at the age of eighty-two. No cause of death has been revealed but he had struggled with mental illness and drug addiction for most of his life and recently been diagnosed with dementia. Besides his work with the band, Wilson is known for using the recording studio as an instrument where he demonstrated an exceptional mastery of layering beautiful harmonies and intricate, musical textures to create the Beach Boys' unique sound. 

Wilson, playing the bass and his brothers, Dennis, on drums and Carl who was on lead guitar; their cousin, Mike Love who sang lead vocals and friend, Al Jardine on rhythm guitar first began playing together in high school, calling themselves, "The Pendletones". After receiving a reel-to-reel tape recorder for his birthday, Wilson learned how to overdub vocals, He would begin writing songs and with surfing beginning to become popular in Southern California, Wilson wrote a tune called "Surfin'". The boys recorded a demo of the song and it got in the hands of Herb Newman, owner of Candix Records, signing the group in 1961. Renamed "The Beach Boys" by the label, the single became a local hit as well as charting on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching only number seventy-five.

This success lead the Beach Boys to seek out a major label and signed with Capitol Records. Their debut album, "Surfin' Safari" was released in 1962 and featured largely original songs written by Wilson, Love and friend, Gary Usher which was not common at this time for artists to write their own material. The title track reached number fourteen on the US pop chart. But it was their follow-up single, "Surfin' USA" in 1963 that took this teenage band to the next level, reaching number three on the Billboard pop chart. More big hits followed: "Surfer Girl", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "I Get Around", "Help Me, Rhonda", "Good Vibrations", "California Girls". During a concert at the end of 1964, Wilson suffered a panic attack which prompted him to quit going on the road with the band, focusing only on songwriting and record production. Glen Campbell, at the time a session musician, was the first to replace Wilson on tour. 

Inspired by the music being created by Phil Spector and The Beatles, Wilson began to explore even further with sound, deciding to make the Beach Boys' music more expansive and bold. In 1966, Wilson put together (along with writer, Tony Asher) the Beach Boys' eleventh studio album, "Pet Sounds".  This record offered sophisticated yet experimental rock songs, leaving even the band members slightly perplexed by this new direction. But "Pet Sounds", with the hit singles, "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "Sloop John B" and "God Only Knows", changed the perception of The Beach Boys as a lightweight pop band and this early concept album would go on to become a highly influential collection of music. The band's subsequent music would continue deeper down this explorative path, alienating some fans who missed their earlier wholesome pop and unable to connect with their newer, more esoteric rock sound. 

By the late 1960's, the music by the Beach Boys was not selling well, they had an unfortunate, brief involvement with Charles Manson, who was an aspiring musician, recording some of his music and filed a lawsuit against Capitol Records for unpaid royalties. In between being admitted into hospitals and stints in rehab for years, Wilson would manage to create music with the Beach Boys, for himself as a solo artist (recording eleven studio albums) and even finding his way to get back on stage to tour on several occasions. Wilson's last time in concert was in July 2022 on tour with Chicago and he struggled during the performance, cancelling the rest of the tour the next day.

Wilson is survived by two daughters, Carnie and Wendy from his first marriage to singer Marilyn Rovell (they married in 1964), who both later had musical success as two-thirds of the pop group, Wilson Phillips along with Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the band,The Mamas & The Papas. After his marriage to Rovell ended in 1978, Wilson would marry Melinda Ledbetter in 1995 and later she would became his manager. Ledbetter passed away in 2024.