THE BEACH BOYS
Backgrounder
For over thirty five years, The Beach Boys have been riding the crest of a wave
unequaled in America's musical history. The phenomenal popularity of The Beach Boys
is unique to the music industry, as their audience ranges in age from six to sixty.
Their earlier music takes us back to a time when our most serious concerns were waiting
for the perfect wave, finding a date of our dreams and getting the keys to our parents
car to go "cruisin'." Their new music reflects a contemporary sensitivity
and concern about the environment. With the August 1996 release of the "Stars
& Stripes" album, The Beach Boys salute the immense influence of country
music in America. The River North Record features artists from Lorrie Morgan to Willie
Nelson and James House performing country versions of The Beach Boys classics. This
year, the Beach Boys will be giving "America A Boost" with their 1996 Annual
Beach Boys Summer Tour sponsored by Boost, the nutritional energy drink.
The Beach Boys haven't had a summer off in thirty five years; they tour annually,
performing over 100 dates to audiences around the world. Since 1961, the band has
toured throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa,
Asia and Australia.
In 1988, The Beach Boys had their biggest selling hit ever, the multi-platinum "Kokomo."
Featured on the soundtrack of the Touchstone-Disney film "Cocktail," "Kokomo"
climbed to #1 on the pop music and video charts of Billboard, Cashbox, Radio &
Records and Hits magazines.
"It's a great thing when you can have a #1 record twenty-seven years after you
started!" says Mike Love, co-writer of "Kokomo."
The Beach Boys concert performance features an energetic hour and forty-five minutes
of over thirty hit songs. They keep a performance schedule that musicians half their
age would find grueling, touring five to six months out of the year and often playing
two shows in one day -- in two different states. An example of this unique schedule
was on July 4, 1985 when The Beach Boys played to an afternoon crowd of an estimated
one million in Philadelphia. The same evening they performed for over 750,000 on
the Washington Monument Grounds in the nation's capitol.
The band was originally formed in 1961 by brothers, Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson,
their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. The sense of family has been an important
part of The Beach Boys' lives throughout the years as their wives, many of their
children, and Audree Wilson often accompany them on tour. Matt Jardine, son of Al
Jardine, has been a vocalist and percussionist for the group for seven years. Seven-year
old Brian Love, along with young twins Drew and Robbie Jardine, join their fathers
on-stage for "Barbara Ann" from time to time.
The classic songs and The Beach Boys' harmonies embodied the spirit of the California
lifestyle to a worldwide audience. The Beach Boys' first hit was in 1961 with the
song "Surfin." This was followed by a string of chart-topping songs including
"Surfin USA," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfer Girl,"
"Fun, Fun, Fun," "Help Me Rhonda," "I Get Around,"
"California Girls," and "Wouldn't It Be Nice," to name just a
few.
After four years, Brian retired from touring and Bruce Johnston joined the group
in 1965. During this period Brian produced what is considered to be a masterpiece
album, PetSounds, the album that Paul McCartney credits as inspiring The Beatles'
ground- breaking LP, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Today, Brian performs
selected shows with the band and in 1995 joined them on a special episode of "Baywatch."
As the 1970's approached , pop music began to change. The band headed into uncharted
musical waters and they made several complex, distinctive albums, including Surf's
Up and Holland. In 1975, sixteen years after their first hit, The Beach Boys were
named "Band of the Year" by Rolling Stone magazine.
The next decade reflected continued triumphs as well as tragedy for the band. Dennis
Wilson's drowning death in 1983 was a tremendous loss, but the The Beach Boys indomitable
spirit bounced back. They played the first of their Fourth of July concerts at the
Washington Monument in 1980, returning again in 1981. Banned in 1983 by then Secretary
of the Interior James Watt, The Beach Boys returned to the monument on July 4, 1984
by a personal invitation from the First Lady Nancy Reagan after a national uproar.
The concerts in 1984 and 1985 were attended by crowds of approximately 750,000 people.
The Beach Boys have been involved in numerous milestones in concert history including
the Live Aid Concert, Farm Aid concerts, the Statue of Liberty's 100th Anniversary
Salute, as well as performances at the Superbowl, The White House and Presidential
Inaugurations.
The Beach Boys released the album Still Cruisin' in 1989 which featured "Kokomo,"
the 1987 smash, "Wipeout" (with the Fat Boys) and some of The Beach Boys'
greatest hits that had been featured in major films. A VH-1 promotion in conjunction
with Still Cruisin' awarded thirty-six Corvettes (1953-1989) as a grand prize. The
massive call-in response to VH-1 ranks among the most successful promotion in the
network's history.
In 1991, The Beach Boys contributed their version of "Crocodile Rock" to
Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, joining Phil Collins,
Sting, George Michael, Jon Bon Jovi and other rock legends.
Throughout their careers, The Beach Boys have been known for their philanthropic
interests raising funds and awareness for initiatives benefiting the environment,
the homeless, hunger, youth community services and substance abuse. Their attendance
at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro has resulted in Eyes On The Earth, a global
plan to put video cameras into the hands of environmental groups round the world
who have a story to tell and need a way to tell it. While in Rio, The Beach Boys
exchanged ideas with international environmental leaders including Maurice Strong
and Vice President Al Gore.
Rolling Stone magazine said of The Beach Boys; "Alone among American rock groups,
their ingenuity has sustained them, at times shaping, at times ignoring the whims
of passing fancy."
In 1988 at the American Music Awards, The Beach Boys were presented with the Special
Award of Merit, and that same year the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll
Hall of Fame.
Many years have passed since those early times when The Beach Boys were growing up
on the beaches of Southern California. Like all of us, The Beach Boys have grown
up, yet attending one of their concerts or listening to one of their numerous albums
you will find yourself in a time of youthful innocence and fun -- for their music
is eternal.
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