Biography for
Brian Wilson (I) More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

20 June 1942, Inglewood, California, USA

Birth Name

Brian Douglas Wilson

Nickname

Genius

Height

6' 2" (1.88 m)

Mini Biography

Brian Douglas Wilson was born on June 20th 1942 and has gone on to become one of, if not the greatest, musical geniuses in the world. It was while growing up, 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 Freshmen 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 Wilson and Carl Wilson 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 Al Jardine, they formed 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" and "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 use of marijuana 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 albums 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 package "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 brothers Dennis Wilson (who drowned in 1983) and Carl Wilson (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. 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.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Simon Edwards

Spouse

Melinda Ledbetter	(6 February 1995 - present) 3 children
Marilyn Wilson	(7 December 1964 - 1979) (divorced) 2 children

Trade Mark

The "Wall of Sound" popularized by Phil Spector

Trivia

Cousin of Mike Love

Father of Carnie Wilson

Father of Wendy Wilson

Inducted by Elton John into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of the Beach Boys) 20 January 1988.

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 Carl Wilson

Brother of Dennis Wilson

Subject of the hit song "Brian Wilson" by the Barenaked Ladies

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".

Was a board member for the Monterey Pop Festival.

Confessed years later that one entire album side (from 1965's 'The Beach Boys Today') had been written and arranged under marijuana's influences.

Almost completely deaf in his right ear, from an early accident. While he has never heard stereo music, his ear for balance between sounds is unusually strong; he preferred to mix in mono because he noticed stereo was off-balance unless one was directly between the speakers. (Later productions of his are in stereo, or binaural sound.)

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.)

Recently revisited his long-shelved "Smile" album (co-written with Van Dyke Parks), finally completing the project, with plans to both release the album and perform it live on tour, with current backup band The Wondermints. (March 2004)

The Beach Boys were voted the 12th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone.

With the death of brother Carl Wilson in 1998, he became the last surviving original member of the Wilson family.

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.

Inducted by Sir Paul McCartney into the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame June 2000

Names "California Girls" his favorite song out of all the songs he has written.

In June 2006, re-united with the original Beach Boys on top of the Capitol Records Building for the first time since 1996, and the first time without brother Carl.

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."

No longer plays bass or guitar, and has played keyboards or piano since his 1985 performance at Live Aid in which he gave a solid performance of "Wouldn't It Be Nice", he first in many years.

Is portrayed by Greg Kean in Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys (1990) (TV)

Turned in a composition called "Surfin'" to his high school music theory teacher, which got an F, but eventually became a million dollar hit.

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.

In December 2000 at a Christmas party of a friends, when told he could "tickle the ivories" unexpectedly began to play "Heroes and Villians", which he refused to play since 1967. For over 20 years, whenever anybody asked him about the song, he would refuse to talk about it saying "It's not appropriate" or "No comment." After he played the song, someone said "You should do that at the tribute show", a tribute to Wilson was being planned for the spring of 2001. He agreed and for the first time since he wrote it, performed the song at An All-Star Tribute To Brian Wilson (2001). He said that the reaction to his performance led him to decide to finish and perform SMiLE, which had been sitting on the shelf for well over 30 years.

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!".

His favorite Beach Boys Album is "Love You", favorite Beach Boys song is "California Girls", favorite Beatles song is "Let It Be" and favorite Dennis Wilson song is "Little Bird.".

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]

Recipient of the 2007 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients that year were Leon Fleisher, Steve Martin, Diana Ross, and Martin Scorsese.

Enjoys the music of Phil Spector, The Ronettes and The Byrds.

His favorite singers include Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley.

The first single he bought was "Rock Around The Clock" by Bill Haley and The Comets.

His favorite album of all time is "Phil Spector's Christmas Album". Another favorite is "Sail Away" by Randy Newman.

He and the Beach Boys were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording at 1500 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.

Personal Quotes

I'm not a genius. I'm just a hard working guy.

I'd earned over a million dollars by the time I was old enough to vote.

"My new band is better then The Beach Boys".

"The Four Freshmen influenced me the most, with their great harmonies. Whew! The greatest".

For me, making music has always been a very spiritual thing, and I think anybody who produces records has to feel that, at least a little bit. Producing a record, the idea of taking a song, envisioning the overall sound in my head and then bringing the arrangement to life in the studio, well that gives me satisfaction like nothing else.

To be a great producer, music has to be a big part of your soul. And when it comes to making music, if I could invent a way to get it from my heart into yours, without doing all that hard work, I would be very happy.

My mother used to tell me about vibrations. I didn't really understand too much of what that meant when I was just a boy. To think that invisible feelings, invisible vibrations existed scared me to death.

First of all, I want people to understand that I'm here to create for them. To create music for people so they'll know that I'm a source of love. And they can depend on my name.

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