The Beach Boys , American rock group whose dulcet melodies and distinctive vocal mesh defined the s youthful idyll of sun-drenched southern California. The original members were Brian Wilson b. June 20, , Inglewood, California, U.

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We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Beginning their career as the most popular surf band in the nation, the Beach Boys finally emerged by as America's preeminent pop group, the only act able to challenge for a brief time the overarching success of the Beatles with both mainstream listeners and the critical community. From their debut with the regional hit "Surfin'," the three Wilson brothers -- Brian , Dennis , and Carl -- plus cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine constructed the most intricate, gorgeous harmonies ever heard from a pop band. With Brian 's studio proficiency growing by leaps and bounds during the mid-'60s, the Beach Boys also proved one of the best-produced groups of the '60s, exemplified by their peak with the Pet Sounds LP and the number one single "Good Vibrations. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the group soldiered on long into the '70s and '80s, with Brian only an inconsistent participant. The band's post material is often maligned if it's recognized at all , but the truth is the Beach Boys continued to make great music well into the '70s.
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Two bass lines in two different keys? Kaye never exactly expected to be remembered. Most session musicians thought they were creating ephemeral pop hits, not lasting touchstones. Legacies are complicated affairs. As anyone who shares success with other people knows, collaboration and dispute tend to go together. Once, when a very pregnant Kaye needed to use the bathroom, Spector told her to maneuver through a studio packed tight with musicians without touching any of the mikes placed precariously around the room. Wilson was less dictatorial, more experimental. When Paul McCartney rhapsodizes about how the bass lines on that album partially inspired Sgt. Carol Kaye born Smith grew up too fast like a lot of Depression-era children. He was abusive, which is partially why Kaye takes a complicated view of Beach Boy patriarch Murry Wilson, who allegedly smacked Brian so hard he went deaf in one ear.
Distinguished by their vocal harmonies and early surf songs , they are one of the most influential acts of the rock era. One of the first self-contained rock groups, the Beach Boys began as a garage band led by Brian and managed by the Wilsons' father Murry. In , the group gained national prominence with a string of top-ten singles reflecting a southern California youth culture of surfing , cars, and romance, dubbed the " California sound ". They were one of the few American rock bands to sustain their commercial standing during the British Invasion. From , they abandoned beachgoing themes for more personal lyrics and ambitious orchestrations. In , the Pet Sounds album and " Good Vibrations " single raised the group's prestige as rock innovators. After scrapping the unfinished album Smile in , Brian's contributions diminished due to his mental health issues. The group's commercial momentum faltered, 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 until the late s, during which they carried out a series of successful international concert tours. Personal struggles, creative disagreements, and the overshadowing success of the band's greatest hits albums precipitated their transition into an oldies act.