Brian Wilson
A Biography

“Music is the highest kind of love we get,” says Brian Wilson, the creative catalyst behind the remarkable recorded legacy of The Beach Boys. The uniquely original composer/arranger/producer has dedicated his life in search of this “higher love.”

Steeped in music from infancy by family sing-alongs, church choir, radio and records, Brian Wilson began his musical education before he could talk. While still a teen, he was breaking down complex jazz chordings as sung by groups such as the Four freshmen and the Hi-Lo’s. He heard and analyzed complex harmonies, said a music professional, “in a way that can’t be learned.” Brian taught parts to anyone who would sing with him, be they school friends or his younger brothers Dennis and Carl, mother Audree and cousin Mike Love.

It was Dennis who pushed Brian in the direction of writing a song to memorialize the hottest new Southern California teen craze - surfing. Brian and cousin Mike put their heads together and created “Surfin’.”

It was the beginning of a musical legend. Originally creating bright teen anthems to summer, surfing, cars and girls (“Surfin’ Safari,” “Surfin’ USA,” “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “Help Me Rhonda”), Brian took the songs one step further. He helped to launch The Beach Boys into the stratosphere by using one of the most amazing musical instruments available - the voices of the group arranged in complicated and shimmering harmonies that swooped and soared, topped by Brian’s own breathlessly beautiful falsetto. Wilson’s musical style branded him as a maverick, an original. His stylizations became the template for others trying to replicate his dense “California Sound.” Brian was a trend-setter. The Beach Boys were the only consistent artistic challenge to the Beatles on the U.S. musical charts.

Despite the copycatting attempts of Brian’s would-be competitors, the deep emotions that he infused into songs that belied the “fun-in-the-sun” reputation of The Beach Boys were unsurpassed. “The Warmth Of The Sun,” “In My Room,” “Don’t Worry Baby,” “When I Grow Up To Be A Man,” “Please Let Me Wonder” and “She Knows Me Too Well” all explored some precipices of the heart never before approached in the pop music realm.

Driven by competition, Brian kept upping the ante, creating songs which signified a staggering growth curve. Evidence of his artistic development can be heard beginning with the sunny “Surfin’ Safari” in 1962 to the celestial opening of 1965’s “California Girls.”

Brian’s production techniques were growing at a rate matching his musical artistry. He was one of the first rock producers to eschew the record company’s in-house production facilities. He took the group to outside studios. Synthesizing lessons learned from “Wall Of Sound” producer Phil Spector, Brian vaulted ahead of him. Combining instruments, while still maintaining a clarity of sound, became Brian’s hallmark. He created sounds that continue to confound and delight listeners. The beauty of his melodies, the depth of feeling in his songs and the stunning swirl of vocal harmonies became a new musical genre that led Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys to the top of the charts.

The first recordings were home-grown affairs. Brian wrote the music, Mike contributed lyrics and the Beach Boys provided instrumentation. Brian supplied bass, Dennis on drums, Carl on lead guitar and school chum Al Jardine played rhythm guitar (Bruce Johnston replaced Brian on-stage in 1965). However, Brian’s rapidly accelerating growth required outside assistance. He turned to the best studio musicians Los Angeles had to offer. Spector’s famed stable, the so-called “Wrecking Crew,” became Brian’s musicians of choice. While The Beach Boys spread the gospel of Southern California’s lifestyle,

Brian was working at warp speed, creating some of the most passionate music ever committed to vinyl. And, he was capturing the attention of the world. Even the Beatles were listening to what Brian Wilson was packing into the record grooves that were selling millions of copies.

In 1966, Brian stunned the world with Pet Sounds. Evocative, emotional, dizzying in its innovation and sheer beauty, it is consistently named by fans and critics alike as one of the most influential albums in rock ‘n roll. “Wouldn’t It Be Nice?,” the incredible “God Only Knows,” “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times” and “Caroline No” are all musical compositions which not only transcended the pop idiom of 1966, but continue to do so today. Pet Sounds was followed up by the landmark “pocket symphony” “Good Vibrations” securing Brian’s place in the rock ‘n roll pantheon.

As music began changing in the late 60’s and 70’s, Wilson continued to quietly blaze his own trails. Friends, 20/20, Sunflower, Surf’s Up, Holland and Love You all offer the listener more jewels from the Wilson treasure-trove.

Brian’s music has remained a constant in his life, a compass that guided him during difficult times. In 1988, despite great personal difficulties, Wilson released Brian Wilson, his first solo album. Critically praised, it contained one of his most moving works to date, “Love And Mercy.” The aural panorama of “Rio Grande” left listeners gasping for more.

The respect and near-mythic standing Wilson maintains to his peers are deeply evident in the 1995 documentary film about him, “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times.” That year, Brian performed on two albums — “I Just Wasn’t Made For These Times,” the film soundtrack and with former lyric-collaborator Van Dyke Park on “Orange Crate Art.”

Brian occasionally works with The Beach Boys, offering his voice on record or popping in with a new song for his bandmates to record. In 1996, he co-produced The Beach Boys Stars & Stripes album which features country versions of their classics by artists that range from Willie Nelson to Lorrie Morgan. To the great delight of his fans, he makes surprise appearances on-stage with the group. Likewise, his solo stage jaunts (often performances to benefit good causes), always attract his fans en masse.

Married to Melinda Ledbetter in 1995, Wilson continues to write the deeply complex songs that are his hallmark. He is always exploring new sounds and avenues to express his talent. His inimitable voice and harmonic sense have created gorgeous wells of background vocals for other admiring artists’ recordings such as Linda Ronstadt’s “Adios” and Belinda Carlisle’s “California.” In 1996, he began work on an album with his daughters, Carnie and Wendy. He continues to write with collaborators, including Pet Sounds alum Tony Asher, Van Dyke Parks and Andy Paley with an eye (and ear) toward creating another solo album in the near future.

Wilson’s music is currently reaching an entirely new generation. Rock fans in their late teens and twenties have discovered Brian’s message of “love and mercy,” have become passionate fans and send him enthusiastic mail. They keep the flame burning on the “information superhighway” with lively and heavily “traveled” web site dedicated solely to Brian’s legacy of music.

Not only is Brian Wilson’s music a signpost of excellence for the 60’s generation who first heard him and The Beach Boys on tiny transistor radios, it is now influencing their children. Although those kids didn’t experience the surf-rock fad and missed out on the head-to-head chart shoot-out between the Beatles and The Beach Boys, they have plunged deeply into Brian’s musical world. This is the first generation to recognize Wilson in a true classical sense; as one of the most influential composers of the twentieth century whose music and technique will continue to be studied for years to come.
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