DENNIS WILSON
Best known as the drummer of The Beach Boys and one of the three brothers in the band, Dennis became more of a lead member of the band as time went on. When the band started out, no one really saw much potential in Dennis because he was always seen as “the surfer” as the group who took more of a backdrop role compared to his two brothers and Al Jardine and Mike Love. However, although Dennis did not sing vocals at performances, he often did in the recording studio and went on to sing lead in a few songs later in the beach Boys career. He also became one of writers for the band in the 1970s, although he started to help write songs back in 1963 with Brian Wilson.
Dennis was also known for getting involved with a few films, most famously in the critically acclaimed film Two Lane Blacktop as “the mechanic” who drove aimlessly across the United States. He worked in this film alongside actors James Taylor and Warren Oates.
Dennis first made his own move away from the Beach Boys when he released his first solo album called Pacific Ocean Blue under the name Dennis Wilson and Rumbo in 1977. The album sold 300,000 copies and hit number ninety-six in the United States, showing the same ratings and sales of The Beach Boys album Love You, also released in 1977. Dennis started work on a second solo album, entitled Bamboo, before his first album was even released, however as the eighties came along, work on the album started to slow and he decided to just include some of his finished songs on Beach Boy albums, most notably the LA Light Album.
Sadly, Dennis Wilson’s life came to a sudden end in 1983 when he passed away due to drowning at the Marina del Ray in Los Angeles after drinking all throughout the day. Later he dove into the water late at night to try to find items that he had lost overboard on his yacht three years previously, which ultimately caused his untimely death.
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