Brian Wilson Biography

Brian Wilson was born on 20 June 1942 in California. He was the eldest of three boys, who would later become the Beach Boys. He showed musical talent prior to his first birthday, according to his father Murry.

At around the age of five or six, it was discovered that Brian was partially deaf in his right ear but this didn't affect his musical talents.

As the main songwriter in 1960s group The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson penned classic hits such as 'Help Me, Rhonda', 'I Get Around' and 'Good Vibrations'.

At the age of 19, Brian Wilson recorded 'Surfin' in his parents living room, with his younger brothers Dennis and Carl, his cousin Mike, and a friend named Al Jardine, which was destined to become the first single from the newly formed Beach Boys.

The Beach Boys were soon signed to Capitol Records and released their first album, 'Surfin’ Safari' in 1962. After their third album, Brian became the band's producer, and the Beach Boys released seven albums in quick succession.

The music produced by Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys soon came to epitomise an era in America in which people were hopeful for the future. Teenagers were keen on activities like rock'n'roll and surfing, and such pastimes became the subject of many of the Beach Boys' hits, despite the fact that Wilson himself was actually afraid of the water.

By 1964, Brian Wilson had retired from touring with the Beach Boys, and was pouring all his energy into writing and producing for the band.

In 1966, when he was still only 24, Brian wrote the legendary album 'Pet Sounds', with lyricist Tony Asher. This was described by the NME as the "Greatest Album Of All Time", and personally named by Paul McCartney as his favourite album.

The year after, Brian wrote the album 'Smile', which was nearly recorded but never released. Speaking about the album in 2011, he blamed the band's drug-taking.

He told BBC News: "I regret what happened. We overdid the drugs, we went too deep into the drugs.

"It took us so into the music we couldn't finish it. Because we were so stoned, we were like... Okay, let's hold on for 10 minutes."

Wilson soon became frustrated and exhausted, however, and eventually withdrew more and more from music and the world. He was persuaded to see a therapist by his family and friends in 1975 as he had started losing his voice due to chain smoking, neglect and drug ingestion.

Dr Eugene Landy took more control over Brian's life, including firing him from the Beach Boys and isolating him on Hawaii – something for which the doctor would later lose his license.

In 1985, Brian returned to the stage with the group to perform at Live Aid and recorded the album 'The Beach Boys'.

His first solo album was released in 1988 but, despite critical acclaim and commercial success, was hampered by controversy as rumours circulated about Brian's therapist.

1995 saw a positive turn for Brian Wilson as he married Melinda Ledbetter. The couple later had two daughters, Daria and Delanie.

'Imagination' was released in 1998 by Wilson, with the help of producer Joe Thomas, and this most recent album was well-received, as was the tour that accompanied it, despite some initial worries about Brian's stage-fright.