Welcome to my Rock N Roll Hall of Fame Series.
The Beach Boys were an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by their vocal harmonies, adolescent-oriented themes, and musical ingenuity, they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. They drew on the music of older pop vocal groups, 1950s rock and roll, and black R&B to create their unique sound, and under Brian's direction, often incorporated classical or jazz elements and unconventional recording techniques in innovative ways. They are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Between the 1960s and 2010s, the group had 36 songs reach the US Top 40 (the most by an American band). They were one of the few American rock bands to sustain their commercial standing during the British Invasion
In the late 1960s, the group's commercial momentum faltered in the US, and despite efforts to maintain an experimental sound, they were widely dismissed by the early rock music press. Carl took over as the band's musical leader; records from this period later enjoyed a cult following among fans. In the mid-1970s, as their concerts drew larger audiences, the band transitioned into an oldies act. Dennis drowned in 1983 and Brian soon became estranged from the group. Following Carl's death from lung cancer in 1998, the band granted Love legal rights to tour under the group's name.
Formed 1961
- Original line up: Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson, Mike Love, and Al Jardine.
- Top selling original album: Pet Sounds
- Top Selling single: Good Vibrations
I wake up in the morning and I say 'Ahh! Today's the day for a song! I'm going to write a song today!' And I do. I write a song - Brian Wilson