Introducing...

BRIAN WILSON

                Brian Wilson, born in 1942, widely known as the leader and main songwriter for The Beach Boys, grew up in Hawthorne, California in a very musical family, with both of his parents playing the piano and him singing soprano in his early years. Growing up, Brian was fascinated by the harmonies that some bands like the Four Freshman produced as well as the rhythms that Church Berry produced. With his brothers, Carl and Dennis (also Beach Boys members), Brian turned to creating music himself and soon created records that would later be recorded by the Beach Boys themselves such as “Sloop John B” which appears on Pet Sounds. After the three brothers performed a few local shows, two more members were added to the band, Mike Love and Al Jardine, which completed the five-some band we know as the Beach Boys today.

                Throughout the Beach Boys recording history, Brian became known for his unique sounding vocal harmonies and studio perfectionism, but to the outside world Wilson was the band’s main producer and arranger, providing many of the main vocals in the Beach Boys hit songs. Brian’s major influences for his work were not only previously mentioned the Four Freshman and Chuck Berry, but also Phil Spector, a famous record producer whom also took an interest in Wilson after hearing his recording techniques.

                However, Wilson’s days of live performances were cut short when he has a nervous breakdown in 1964 and declared he would focus mainly on songwriting and studio production for the band. Due to the birth of his first child, Carnie Wilson, in 1968 and the cancellation of the record Smile, Wilson felt extremely overwhelmed and most of the producing reins were eventually handed over to younger brother, Carl. In the coming years, music was placed on the backburner for Wilson as he struggled with drug abuse and mental illnesses, however, after going through many treatment rounds, Brian Wilson, Wilson’s first solo album, was released in 1988. Wilson still kept in the media eye with his production of his own memoir Wouldn’t it Be Nice- My Own Story, released in 1990 describing his journey through drug abuse, the internal hardships with the Beach Boys, and his struggling with mental illness. From then on, Wilson continued to produce new material, from his second solo album Imagination in 1998 to playing the entire Pet Sounds album live on stage, for the first time since 1964 when he stopped performing with the Beach Boys. Finally, Wilson released an album Gettin’ Over My Head featuring collaborations with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and his brother Carl Wilson. As you can see through Brian Wilson’s hectic past, music has always been a major influence in his life. However, his own personal issues have taken over his life at different times, but the music that he has produced, mainly with the Beach Boys, but also on his own, has forever left a legacy across the globe.

Sources: Rock Lives by Timothy White
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Wilson
http://www.brianwilson.com/brian/index.html