Over four decades ago, a handsome group of musically talented young men captured the hearts of Rock"n"Roll fans across America and around the world. The Beach Boys were the most popular band in America during the 1960's, and perhaps the most infamous to this day. They were led by the musical genius Brian Wilson, who directed the band as a singer, songwriter and producer. When brothers Carl Wilson, Dennis Wilson and Brian Wilson formed an informal singing group in Hawthorne, California in the summer of 1961, they involuntarily created one of the longest-running, impulsively intriguing and bitterly tragic sagas in popular music. The group had their ups and downs, as well as their secrets, as do any other recording artist through out the history of Rock"n"Roll. However, the Beach Boys will forever be America's favorite sand, surf and sun band. .
The most influential member of the Beach Boys was leader Brian Douglas Wilson. Brian was born on June 20, 1942 at Centinela Hospital in Inglewood to proud parents Audree and Murry Wilson. "When Brian was born, I was one of those young, frightened fathers" Murry Wilson once said, "but I just fell I love with him, and in three weeks he cooed back at me."1 When Brian was nearly three, the Wilson family moved to Hawthorne, California to a two bedroom home on Kornblum Avenue. Brian attended York Elementary school and later Hawthorne High School. Brian was by far the best looking of his brothers with dark hair and hazel-blue eyes. Around the high school he was considered a "regular guy" who loved sports, cars, junk food and of course, girls. As an adolescent, Brian was quite a prankster. He once filled his father Murry's favorite pipe with grass from the lawn and laughed hysterically when Murry tried to light it. However, pranks on his father were rare as Brian was always out to impress his father. Murry was a very demanding father who physically abused his sons regularly.