Wilson, Brian (1942-…), was a founder and main composer for the popular American rock band the Beach Boys. Wilson was the band’s pianist and bass player, and he also sang with the group. His compositions and arrangements were responsible for the “Surfer” sound that made the Beach Boys one of the most successful rock groups of the 1960’s.
Brian Douglas Wilson was born in Hawthorne, California, on June 20, 1942. He formed the band in 1961 with his brothers Dennis and Carl, their cousin Mike Love, and Al Jardine, a friend. Wilson wrote or co-wrote the hits that made the Beach Boys famous, including “Surfin’ U.S.A.” (1963), “I Get Around” (1964), “Fun, Fun, Fun” (1964), “Help Me, Rhonda” (1965),” and “California Girls” (1965). Wilson temporarily left the band in 1965 but returned in 1966 to write and produce “Good Vibrations” (1966), one of the most acclaimed songs in rock history. Wilson also produced the acclaimed Beach Boys album Pet Sounds (1966), which set a new standard for experimentation in the recording studio with its symphonic layers of instruments and vocals. The album featured the hits “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” and “Sloop John B.”
Wilson’s work with the Beach Boys was interrupted by conflicts within the band and by the death of Dennis Wilson by drowning in 1983. Brian Wilson also struggled for many years with depression and alcohol and drug abuse.
Wilson recorded his first solo album in 1988. That same year, the Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Wilson toured as a solo act in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. In 2004, he released the album Smile, based on an uncompleted 1967 album recorded by the Beach Boys. Wilson wrote an autobiography, Wouldn’t It Be Nice? My Own Story (1993). His daughters Carnie and Wendy Wilson founded the successful pop trio Wilson Phillips with Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of the 1960’s pop group The Mamas & the Papas. In 2012, Brian Wilson reunited with Jardine and Love, and the group began touring again as the Beach Boys.
See also Rock music (Independent producers).
