On one occasion, Murry tied Brian to a tree for punishment, but with Brian there was more psychological torment rather than physical. As a child, Brian had a strange way of turning his head to listen. A doctor suggested that Brian have his tonsils removed, but this did not cure the problem. Brian had nerve deafness which he believes developed from his father smacking him on the side of the head when he was only two years old. This loss of hearing left Brian with only six percent of normal hearing in his right ear and no possible way to ever hear stereo. .
Brian's musical talented developed at a very young age. By the time he was eleven months old, he was able to hum the entire "Marine Corps Hymn." He took six weeks of accordion lessons when he was very young, and was singing by the age of three. He would sing solos in the church choir and at school functions. However, Brian's classmates weren't always kind and on numerous occasions called Brian a "sissy" and laughed at him. When he was sixteen, his parents gave him a Wollensak tape recorder which he used to record harmonies he sang with his mother. Brian continued singing through out high school and during the same few years met his future band partners Mike Love and Alan Jardine. .
Another member of the Beach Boys and Wilson family was Dennis Wilson. Dennis Carl Wilson was born on December 4,1944 just prior to the Wilson move to Hawthorne. Dennis also went to York Elementary School and Hawthorne High. Dennis looked the least like the Wilsons with blonde hair and a slim, athletic body. He was also the most like his father, fearless, stubborn and arrogant. By the time he was a pre-teen, Dennis was smoking cigarettes and committing petty crimes around the neighborhood. Like most middle children, he felt like he wasn't getting enough attention so he lashed out to gain that attention. He was nicknamed, "Dennis the Menace." Dennis was also a little prankster, and his father was the butt of the joke many times.