The Beach Boys

[Audio] For my research project I have decided to learn about The Beach Boys. The reasoning behind why I chose this band is because I have a history of listening to their music since I was a little kid. There is a car show at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds called the Back to the Fifties and thousands of people attend this show yearly and my family would be a part of that group. Every year we would get into our 1955 Chevy Bel Air and head to this event. Since it was an older car we would have a variety of different CD’s we could listen to while we drove an hour to attend this event and every year it would always be the same CD “Still Cruisin” by The Beach Boys. Over time I gained respect to the songs and they grew on me. The music they created makes me not only happy but it allows me to relive my younger years again. I have always felt a special connection to this band and people my age find it weird that I like their music so much because it is not typical for my generation. I think part of it has to do with the fact that I grew up with it and was constantly around it that it was normalized for me. Most people talk about artists that blew up in the 1980’s as it was a completely different genre of music that arouse and many of our parents grew up in the era..

[Audio] The Beach Boys was a boy band that primarily wrote songs about cars at the time and summertime. They are an American rock band that was established in 1961. They have had multiple members throughout the years but the main members consist of Brian Wilson Carl Wilson Mike Love Al Jardine and Dennis Wilson. Unfortunately some of these members have passed away since the 1960’s. Dennis Wilson died due to drowning in the Marina Del ray in 1983. Then Carl Wilson died in 1998 from lung cancer. Despite knowing that information only 2 of these members are still touring and performing shows occasionally. Those two members are Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Bruce Johnston joined The Beach Boys in 1965 as a replacement for Brian Wilson for a time being. He later was officially contracted to The Beach Boys as time went by..

[Audio] The Beach Boys are a huge band that many people know about and still talk about to this day. I wouldn’t say they were as popular as The Beatles but many still know of them. Additionally they have obtained many accomplishments over the years. On their website they note “The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time with over 100 million records sold worldwide.” They also have created more than 80 songs which is a lot for most upcoming artists. Their music allowed people to feel good and have fun in the summer which makes total sense knowing they originated out of California. They also have been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards and were winners of the Lifetime Achievement award in 2001. This group was known for the vocalizing harmonies and lyrics that described the summer weather in California. They are extremely popular also with the car community because of the lyrics they used in “Little Deuce Coupe” and “409”..

[Audio] Although they this group was able to accomplish a lot over a 50-year time period there were definitely some ups and down to the group just like other bands during this time. The Wilson brothers to start grew up in an emotional verbal and physical abusive household. It is said that “Brian’s deafness in one ear may have been caused by a blow from his father.” Brian was one of the initial singers of the group and was known as the Band’s manager. As the years went on for Brian he ended up stop touring and this is when Bruce Johnston joined the band and replaced him in the touring scene. With knowing that Brian was still able to create multiple hit songs until psychedelic drugs started to take over and he got diagnosed with Bipolar Schizoaffective disorder. Carl Wilson was then acclaimed to oversee the band after Brian was deemed not able to handle the role anymore. They couldn’t create any major songs until “Kokomo” came out. “It sold more than a million singles and landed at Number 1 in the 1988” (Kettler). They were also inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the same year 1988. There was a lot of controversy in the ceremony though as it only seemed to be contributed to Mike Love. 10 years later Carl Wilson passed about due to lung cancer. Next there is Dennis Wilson the troublemaker. He was known to treat life like it was marathon and he had to be the one to finish first which ultimately led to his death. In the later 1970’s the Beach Boys made Dennis leave the group due to his excessive drinking. Which that in itself was a rocky ship. They did allow him to try and come back but they had to hire bodyguards to ensure he would not drink before performing onstage. As some time went past and 5 marriages had failed he found himself in financial restraints. Then died from a drowning at the young age of 39 years old..

[Audio] Mike Love is another singer of the band and is well loved throughout the community. Mike had a lot of issues with Dennis and Brian that ended with court ordered restraining orders and defamation accusations. Mike Love is now the one in charge of the Beach Boys and they have not performed live since 2012. In conclusion there is a lot that goes on behind closed doors that many don’t know about. The Beach Boys went through a lot in this period whether that was arguments amongst themselves or family history that scared them to produce better music at times. In all they were able to create music that people still listen to this day and people try to create the harmonies they were able to achieve. They are one of the defining stepping stones to our world we call music and now it’s time for the next hit artist to come forward..