A Genius Of Rock

Legendary composer, producer, arranger and performer Brian Wilson, formerly of the Beach Boys, celebrates his 67th birthday today.



Brian Douglas Wilson is responsible for the Beach Boys' unique sound that fused harmonious rock with the ethos of surfing.

After the success of the Beach Boys, Wilson had a much-publicized 20-year struggle with drugs and emotional problems.
In 1988 he produced his first solo album, Brian Wilson. Ten years later he recorded another solo album of new material, Imagination.A new studio album, Gettin' in Over My Head, was released in 2004, and featured collaborations with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Wilson's deceased brother Carl. The album was almost entirely composed of re-recordings of unreleased material, and received mixed reviews.

On September 28th, 2004, Brian released the legendary unfinished album, SMiLE.

Work on the original Beach Boys version of Smile (what Brian Wilson called 'a teenage symphony to God') had begun in 1966, following the release of their album Pet Sounds.

A combination of resistance from the other members of the band, recording difficulties, Brian Wilson's dissatisfaction with the project itself, and his eventual mental breakdown led to the collapse of its sessions.

Upon its release, SMiLE received high critical acclaim from music critics.
The new SMiLE album was followed by two U.S. tours.Gator and I were fortunate to catch a performance in Wallingford, CT.Brian led his band through a set of classic Beach Boy's tunes, and then performed the SMiLE album in it's entirety.It was a great show.