The Beach Boys life and biography

The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. They were managed early on by the Wilsons' father Murry. The band's leader, composer, arranger and producer Brian Wilson was responsible for writing most of the bands early singles and albums.

One of the world's top-drawing rock music groups, the Beach Boys have riveted audiences for more than twenty-five years with songs celebrating the California dream. Promising a sundrenched paradise of fast cars and fast girls, where the surf's always up and the summer never ends, the all-American-looking musicians dominated the contemporary music scene for a good part of the 1960s. Unlike so many of their long-forgotten peers, however, the Beach Boys have remained popular year after year. In hits like "Surfer Girl," "Surfin' U.S.A.," "Help Me, Rhonda," and "Good Vibrations," the musicians combined catchy melodies with fantasy-filled lyrics to create a sound and a myth that continues to earn them scores of devoted fans. Indeed, pieces first regarded as faddish teen tunes have since won acclaim as original contributions to popular music, and many of the group's songs--like the Beach Boys themselves--are now considered classics.

The core of the Beach Boys was formed around the Wilson brothers, Brian, Carl, and Dennis (drowned in 1983); completing the group are cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. The three brothers grew up in Hawthorne, California, a working-class suburb of Los Angeles several miles from the Pacific Ocean. Although the brothers received almost no formal musical training, they all demonstrated an interest in music fairly early in life. Brian, generally regarded as the genius behind the Beach Boys, is reported to have begun humming complete tunes at age eleven months and singing at age three; at sixteen, he was creating four-part harmonies with a simple tape recorder. Carl, a self-taught guitarist, also demonstrated a curiosity about music as a toddler. And by the time he was in his teens, Dennis, too, had become involved in the family pastime.

The boys' talents were fostered both by their father, Murry, a machine-shop owner and unsuccessful songwriter, and by their mother, Audree, who enjoyed singing. Family get-togethers, which included the Love relatives, frequently featured sing-alongs and gave cousin Mike plenty of opportunity to prove he had perfect pitch. The music-making was pretty much restricted to family gatherings, however, until Brian, Dennis, Carl, and Mike competed in their local high school's talent show one year. Billed as Carl and the Passions, a name created to persuade the hesitant Carl to participate with them, the boys viewed the venture as something of a lark.

Not long afterwards, however, Brian, who had entered El Camino Junior College, began singing with fellow student and folk musician Al Jardine. The two thought it might be fun to start their own group and soon asked Mike, Carl, and Dennis to join them. Calling themselves the Pendletones, the five youths hoped to secure an audition with a recording company. When informed that they needed an angle and some original music to distinguish themselves from all the other aspiring musicians, the amateurs rose to the challenge. Dennis, a surfer, suggested capitalizing on the surfing craze that was just beginning to sweep California. As a result, Brian and Mike collaborated on a song they called "Surfin'."

The number interested the owners of Guild Music, the small recording and publishing operation that had published some of Murry's songs, and they arranged for the boys to record it. Although apparently put down live on a single track in just about an hour, "Surfin'" had a sound that appealed to the people at Candix, a local label, and they agreed to release the single for the group, renamed the Beach Boys, in 1961.

In short order the Beach Boys realized they had scored a success. The song appeared on the local charts and then, in mid-January, as number 118 on the Billboard charts. By the end of March "Surfin'" had reached number seventy-five, with sales hovering around fifty thousand copies. But more importantly, the single had attracted attention at Capitol Records, a pop label mainstay, and it wasn't long before the group signed a contract with Capitol that would carry them through the sixties. Their careers were launched.

The Capitol Record years are widely regarded as the Beach Boys' most productive. Although much of their earliest material was significantly influenced by the pop sound of a 1950s vocal group called the Four Freshmen (Brian's favorite) and by rock and roller Chuck Berry (Carl's preference), the boys had managed to create a new sound for themselves and are often credited as the originators of surfing music. One of their initial singles for Capitol, the June 1962 release "Surfin' Safari," was a hit, and their Surfin' Safari album, released in 1963, became their first gold record.
A landmark year, 1963 saw the Beach Boys leap to national celebrity, their success far outstripping all expectations. As their popularity escalated, so did demand for live concerts, and the rising stars found themselves constantly on the road. After several years, Brian, the group's main composer, decided to stop touring; while he stayed home to create new material for the group, Bruce Johnston replaced him live. By the end of 1964, the Beach Boys had recorded six albums for Capitol. Their future looked promising, and in the middle sixties the group assured their star status with hits that included such favorites as "Fun, Fun, Fun," "I Get Around," "Help Me, Rhonda," "California Girls," and "Barbara Ann."

Impressively, the Beach Boys were one of only a handful of American acts to survive the British Invasion of 1964 that was spearheaded by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Their music not only tapped into the surfing mania and the subsequent car craze, but it had also unfolded as a creative new sound distinguished by pure, joyous harmonies. In 1966 the group released their most sophisticated and successful song until that time, "Good Vibrations." By the end of the year polls were showing them to be the most popular group around, surpassing even the Beatles.

Nineteen sixty-six had also seen the release of their extraordinary Pet Sounds album, an unusual, innovative recording that critics acclaimed as one of the most brilliant in the annals of popular music. A departure from the Beach Boys' traditional fun in the sun themes, Pet Sounds employed extraordinary production techniques to help present an emotional exploration of the various states of mind experienced on the way to maturity. Perhaps too sophisticated for the typical Beach Boy fan of the day, Brian's brainchild album fared better with the critics than with the average audience.

Before 1967 was half over, many people believed the Beach Boys were washed up. They had issued no new recordings for months and there was evidence of turmoil in the stars' personal lives as well as rumors of divisiveness within the group. In addition, their long-awaited Smile album, expected to be Brian's masterpiece, was scrapped (a few recovered cuts appeared on Smiley Smile, issued in lieu of the original). In retrospect, however, it appears that the Beach Boys' careers were only in remission. After their obscurity during the late 1960s, they made a successful European showing in 1970, reclaimed status in the United States the following year, and hit another peak when their 1974 album Endless Summer went double platinum. In 1975 Rolling Stone magazine named the Beach Boys band of the year.

Although the Beach Boys in fact never quite regained the adulation they commanded during their heyday, the musicians have succeeded in remaining among the most popular, and most versatile, live entertainers in the business. They have survived not only extraordinary changes in popular music, but strife amongst themselves and their changing membership as well, including the 1983 death of Dennis Wilson. Woes notwithstanding, the group has continued to find itself in demand throughout the 1980s--albeit as "oldies" entertainment--and in recognition of their achievement, the members of the original Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

Beloved by fans around the world, the Beach Boys, according to Timothy White in the New York Times, are regarded by many music lovers as "the most successful musical group in American history." Trying to sum up the reasons for the group's appeal, White suggested that "The Wilsons' happy myth of an untrammeled life of endless summers struck a chord in American suburbia in a way no other popular musicians had done. The essence of the American Dream is the belief that anyone can escape the limits and sorrows of his background by reinventing himself.... The Beach Boys themselves embodied and celebrated that dream."

Subsequently, although they released a number of highly artistic albums (in various musical styles, with different line-ups) in ensuing years, particularly in the years 1967–1973, the group never managed to reclaim its mid-1960s peak when The Beach Boys challenged The Beatles both in terms of commercial and critical appeal. Since the 1980s, there has been much legal wrangling among the group members over royalties, songwriting credits, and use of the band's name. Following the release of studio album Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 in 1996, a number of versions of the band, each fronted by a surviving member of the original quintet (Dennis and Carl Wilson died in 1983 and 1998, respectively), continued to tour until the announcement in late 2011 of a full-scale reunion—including Brian—for 2012.

The Beach Boys have often been called "America's Band", and Allmusic has stated that "the band's unerring ability... made them America's first, best rock band." The group has had 36 US Top 40 hits (the most by an American rock band) and 56 Hot 100 hits, including four number-one singles. Rolling Stone magazine listed The Beach Boys at number 12 on their 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time," the highest ranking for an American rock band. The group is also one of America's best-selling acts, having sold over 100 million albums worldwide since their debut in 1961. Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.

In February 2011, The Beach Boys released "Don't Fight the Sea", a charity single to aid the victims of the 2011 Japan earthquake. The single, released on Al Jardine's 2011 album A Postcard From California featured Jardine, Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Bruce Johnston as well as old vocals recorded by the late Carl Wilson. The Beach Boys also celebrated their 50th anniversary as a group and released the long-awaited Smile album in the form of The Smile Sessions in November, after a 44-year wait, as a set of 2 CDs, a vinyl double album and a 5 CD boxset.

In December 2011 it was announced that Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks would reunite for a new album and 50th anniversary tour in 2012 that would include a performance at the New Orleans Jazz Festival in April.

On February 12, 2012, the Beach Boys performed at the 2012 Grammy Awards, in what was billed as a "special performance" by organizers. It marked the group's first live performance to include Brian since 1996. This anniversary band lineup performed "Good Vibrations" with Adam Levine and Mark Foster, after Maroon 5 opened the set with "Surfer Girl" and Foster the People played "Wouldn't It Be Nice" during the ceremony. On February 16, 2012, dates for their tour were announced, which includes shows in the US, Canada, and Europe.

Discography:
-Surfin' Safari (1962)
-Surfin' USA (1963)
-Surfer Girl (1963)
-Little Deuce Coupe (1963)
-Shut Down Volume 2 (1964)
-All Summer Long (1964)
-The Beach Boys' Christmas Album (1964)
-Today! (1965)
-Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1965)
-Beach Boys' Party! (1965)
-Pet Sounds (1966)
-Smile (shelved, released later as The Smile Sessions) (2011)
-Smiley Smile (1967)
-Wild Honey (1967)
-Friends (1968)
-20/20 (1969)
-Sunflower (1970)
-Surf's Up (1971)
-Carl and the Passions – "So Tough" (1972)
-Holland (1973)
-15 Big Ones (1976)
-Love You (1977)
-M.I.U. Album (1978)
-L.A. (Light Album) (1979)
-Keepin' the Summer Alive (1980)
-The Beach Boys (1985)
-Still Cruisin' (1989)
-Summer in Paradise (1992)
-Stars and Stripes Vol. 1 (1996)
-Smile (The Smile Sessions, Recorded 1966/67) (2011)
-TBA (2012)

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