Brian Douglas Wilson was born on June 20th 1942 and has gone on to become one if not the greatest musical genius in the world. It was while growing up with while being physically and psychologically abused by his father that he discovered music as a way of shutting out all hurt and pain that he was feeling at home. As he listened to Four Freshman records and records of that day, he noticed that he had a flair for writing and arranging music in his own particular style: using his two younger brothers, Dennis and Carl along with first cousin Mike Love, Brian recreated songs for them to sing along to. Eventually after they had started singing for many years at family parties and in their room, Mike told Brian that they needed to form a group. Along with college friend, Alan Jardine, they formed themselves as the Beach Boys, releasing their first song "Surfin'" to popular reviews. When Brian's father Murry decided that he should be their manager, he set up the Beach Boys with a contract at Capitol Records and help them embark on a seven year contract with the company. Within the first two years, Brian made himself the leader of the group and was, uniquely, writer/producer/arranger/musician and lead vocalist of the band. It was clear from the very early years that Brian was the one destined to take the Beach Boys into the spotlight. Along the way, mainly with Mike Love, he wrote a handful of top forty singles, including "California Girls", "Surfin' USA", "Surfer Girl", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Don't Worry Baby", "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "God Only Knows" and the three number one hits in America, "I Get Around", "Help Me, Rhonda" "Good Vibrations" which was also a hit in Britain and a second UK #1 single "Do It Again".

In two years of recording at Capitol, Brian fell prone to a nervous breakdown which came from the stress of all his duties. He decided at the end of 1964 that he would exclude himself from touring and would stay at home and write, produce and arrange the songs so the group could go out on the road and return to some wonderful material. Brian was satisfied for the moment, but with the increase of his usage of Marijuanna and LSD, became prone to spend his time with his drug-filled friends and his sanity was now becoming a problem as he was starting to hear voices. However that did not stop him creating two of his greatest albums in 1965, "Beach Boys Today!" and "Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). It was in 1966 that he finally showed the world that he was the leader of the pack. After being inspired by the Beatles "Rubber Soul", Brian went on to create one of the greatest album of all time, "Pet Sounds." This album became a milestone in music and went on to influence many of the greatest artists of the next four decades. Brian's next ambition was to top "Pet Sounds". The album was to be called "Dumb Angel", but he later changed it to "Smile", an album made with the same amount of genius and ambition as that of the Beach Boys greatest single, "Good Vibrations". Smile was never completed and it has since been called the greatest album never released.

After the destruction of "Smile", Brian went into seclusion and spent most of his time in bed. In this period, the Beach Boys created albums that while not doing so well in America, were increasingly popular in Britain and the rest of the world. It was another eight years before Brian came back to the limelight. After the successful reincarnation of their early work in the packaged "Endless Summer", Brian decided that he wanted to work again and wanted to tour just as he had done in the very early years. The two albums he produced at this time were "15 Big Ones" and "Beach Boys Love You". After these two albums, his health suffered again and it wasn't until eleven years later after he had left the Beach Boys, that he released his first solo album, "Brian Wilson". This was released to rave reviews and many people were glad to hear that Brian was back again. However with the deaths of his two brother Dennis (who drowned in 1983) and Carl (who died of lung cancer in 1998), he was on the edge of another breakdown. It was only due to his new marriage to Melinda Ledbetter that Brian was back for good and after having found a new band and released many new albums he was able to perform "Pet Sounds Live" in full and even more fantastically he was able to perform "Smile" and release it, making it one of his greatest chart successes ever.

To this day, Brian is now considered one of the most influential and most innovative songwriters and producers ever. Many artists look in awe of him and really gain a lot of inspiration from the music that he created long ago and the music that he is creating now.


Cousin of Mike Love Father of Wendy Wilson His songs 'California Girls' and 'Good Vibrations' have been played more than three million times, 'I Get Around', 'Help me, Rhonda' and 'Wouldn't it be Nice' more than two million times, on radio. [1998] Brother of Dennis Wilson Became a virtual recluse after the "Smile" project was abandoned, which by all accounts would have been on a par with The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Confessed years later that one entire album side (from 1965's 'The Beach Boys Today') had been written and arranged under marijuana's influences. Founded Sea of Tunes as the Beach Boys' publishing company with father Murry Wilson; eventually lost all his 1960s song copyrights when Murry sold the company at the band's late-1960s low point. It was later proven he had been tricked and hounded into signing over control to Murry, and documentation for the company was faulty or nonexistent - and Sea of Tunes buyers Irving Music had profited directly from this. While he couldn't regain ownership of his early songs, he was ultimately awarded $25 million by a California court, for his loss. (Cousin and co- writer Mike Love, in turn, filed for a share of this from Brian, for songs - including "California Girls" - Murry had never credited him with, and was awarded $12 million.) The Beach Boys were voted the 12th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone. Years of smoking six packs of cigarettes a day damaged his voice; even though he no longer smokes, he sings without the range and smoothness of his early days. When he performs Beach Boys songs during shows, another vocalist often takes Wilson's former parts, while Wilson takes the parts recorded by Mike Love. He has referred to having a chest x-ray after he quit smoking as the bravest thing he ever did. Names "California Girls" his favorite song out of all the songs he has written. Actually performed the song "Brian Wilson" by The Barenaked Ladies live with slight abridgments to one line instead of "Playing my guitar and building castles in the sun" he said "Playing my piano and building castles in the sand." Is portrayed by Greg Kean in Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys (1990) (TV) Although he spent much of the early seventies in bed and depressed suffering from mental problems, re-joined The Beach Boys on-stage in 1976 and was actually doing better until his therapist Dr. Eugene Landy, was fired in December. Throughout 1977 he continued to record, but largely by 1978 he lapsed into his problems, drinking, overeating and doing more drugs. He divorced his first wife in late 1978. In 1982, he weighed 312 pounds when Dr. Landy came back, at the request of The Beach Boys, whom "fired" him in December. The "firing" was largely cosmetic, as Brian returned from a voyage to Hawaii in March 1983 having lost 100 pounds and rejoined the Beach Boys on stage. Footage of a 1983 Beach Boys concert shows Wilson in fine form, very conversant, with his demons under control. In 1985, he rejoined The Beach Boys on-stage for Live Aid (1985 and recorded and album with them. Soon after, Landy requested that Brian became a solo artist, which he did. Up until the 1990s, Landy retained control of Wilson, but was fired by brother Carl Wilson, whom reorganized Brian Wilson's financial affairs to exclude Landy. Although he was still taking some prescriptions, the damage inducing drugs stopped, which caused Wilson to become less sure of himself, but also brought him out of Landy's world. However, he smoked from 1992-1995, which allegedly caused him to lose his falsetto range. In 1995, he remarried and since than has been at his most productive since the 1960s. Live performances show him capable, although less vibrant then the aforementioned 1983 tour. As of 2007, he claims he is doing better than ever. During the 1980s and his crash-diet and when he was at his thinnest, Dr. Eugene Landy had him eating 600 calories a day, or as Brian described it, "One little sunflower seed a day!". Inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for his outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture. [14 November 2006] Enjoys the music of Phil Spector, The Ronettes and The Byrds. The first single he bought was "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and The Comets. He and the Beach Boys were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1500 Vine Street in Hollywood, California. Referenced in the song "When God Invented Girls," written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin.