Creators of lush songs described as "teenage symphonies to God" and one of the most innovative bands ever, the Beach Boys invented California rock. Brian Wilson's songs celebrated a West Coast teen fantasy, full of surfing, driving and pretty girls that barely hid the songwriter's inner conflicts. Wilson orchestrated and produced glossy, manicured tracks with an ultra-smooth blend of guitars and vocal harmonies, creating a signature pop sound as recognizable as any in rock history.
Brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson were encouraged by their parents, Murray and Audree, to do music and sports. Brian was a varsity baseball player at suburban Hawthorne High when he began to work seriously on music. His first band included brothers Dennis and Carl (who was expelled from Hawthorne for going to the bathroom without permission), cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. As the Pendletones, Kenny and the Cadets (Brian was "Kenny"), or Carl and the Passions, the group played local gigs. At Dennis' suggestion, Love and Brian wrote "Surfin'," which became a regional hit on the soon defunct Candix label in December 1961 while the group was calling itself the Beach Boys. Like most of their early songs, "Surfin'" used Chuck Berry guitar licks with vocal harmonies (arranged by Brian) recalling 1950s pop groups like the Four Freshmen, which Brian studied closely.
The band was very successful in years to come, they released hundreds of records and began touring the world. In the later years, however, they suffered through some difficulties due to health concerns among the members. Although there were some tough times, they most definitely made their mark on rock. A couple decades later, people are still able to recognize and groove to the sweet melodies that the beach boys had brought to life.
