Beach Boys, The

Beach Boys, The, American rock music band formed in 1961 by brothers Brian Wilson, 1942–, Dennis Wilson, 1944–83, and Carl Wilson, 1946–98, with Mike Love, 1941–, and Alan Jardine, 1942–. The band popularized, if not invented, California rock, a style that featured rich, simple guitar work and vocal harmonies and that glorified a teenage life in California centered on surfing, dating, and driving. Their hits include "Surfin' USA," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "California Girls," and the proto-psychedelic "Good Vibrations." Band leader, songwriter, and producer Brian Wilson has led a troubled life, withdrawing from touring in the mid-'60s and then from recording in the late '60s-mid-'70s. He is credited with creating the band's distinction sound, as well as expanding the sonic palette of popular music in the landmark album Pet Sounds (1966). He suffered a serious breakdown while trying to complete the band's followup album, Smile, which remained unreleased for many years. The band has survived despite frequent personnel changes, and maintained popularity since the 1980s as a nostalgia act. In 1988 they achieved chart success again with "Kokomo." The original band, with guitarist David Marks (1948- ) who briefly had been a member of the group before Al Jardine joined, reunited for a 50th anniversary tour in 2011, but then split up again amid continuing tension between lead singer Mike Love and Brian Wilson. Wilson has also toured performing the band's and his own solo music, including recreating both Smile and Pet Sounds on stage.

See memoirs by Brian Wilson (1991, with T. Gold; 2017, with B. Greenman), M. Love (2017, with J. S. Hirsch); biographies P. Ames, Catch A Wave: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson (2007), A. Webb, Dumb Angel: The Life and Music of Dennis Wilson (2001), K. Crowley, Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson; band histories, D. Leaf, The Beach Boys and the California Myth (1978), S. Gaines, Heroes and Villains (1986, 1995, ppr. ed.); studies by D. Priore, Look, Listen, Vibrate, Smile (1997), Smile: The Story of Brian Wilson's Lost Masterpiece (2005), P. Lambert, Inside the Music of the Beach Boys (2007), L. Sanchez, Smile (2014), J.B. Murphy, Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-63 (2015), R. Swan, All the Songs (2018), T. Smucker, Why the Beach Boys Matter (2018).

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