Brian Wilson is a celebrated musician, singer, and record producer. However, his most famous act is co-founding the beloved 1960s rock band, The Beach Boys. Wilson has remained an iconic figure in music history since The Beach Boys skyrocketed to fame and has inspired generations of younger musicians since.
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Early Life: Family, Childhood, Adolescence, and Musical Beginnings
Brian Douglas Wilson was born on June 20, 1942, in Inglewood, California to Audree Neva and Murry Gage Wilson. He was the eldest of three children, with his younger brothers Dennis and Carl being born in 1944 and 1946, respectively. Together, the Wilson boys would collectively co-found The Beach Boys. Other core members of the group would include their paternal cousin, Mike Love, and a friend, Al Jardine.
Sometime in 1945, the Wilsons moved to Hawthorne, California, where Brian and his brothers spent their childhoods. Brian had an affinity for music from a young age, partially thanks to his father’s influence (despite their more than rocky relationship). One of the earliest instruments Wilson mastered was the accordion, though he fell in love with the piano once he got his hands on it. He was also heavily involved with the choir at his local church, where he often had solo performances starting at a young age.
Among Wilson’s earliest inspirations included music from the genres of jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll. Glenn Miller’s rendition of Rhapsody in Blue kickstarted his love affair with jazz. His favorite artists included the likes of Elvis Presley, Rosemary Clooney, and Carl Perkins. Moreover, Brian and his brothers would bond over different radio stations, analyzing and discussing the R&B that rolled in on the soundwaves.
The Beach Boys and Rise to Fame
It’s said that The Beach Boys came to be after a fishing trip to the Redondo Pier in 1961. At least, that is what rock historian Ed Ward attests on the NPR podcast, Fresh Air. In the episode “The 1961 Fishing Trip That Launched The Beach Boys,” Ward details how cousins Dennis Wilson and Mike Love spent what was meant to be a fishing trip writing a song about surfing.
What better way to start a band whose entire identity initially revolved around surf culture?
Brian Wilson soon became the band’s primary songwriter. He was seen as the creative force behind many of the albums produced by The Beach Boys and was elevated to their producer. The weight of Wilson’s role in the band would soon come to weigh heavily on him, but until then, in the band’s early years, Wilson enjoyed developing the group’s signature sound. It was through Wilson’s musical influence that The Beach Boys rose to fame and became one of the most influential rock bands of the 60s and 70s.
Together, The Beach Boys helped establish the California sound in music, as well as sunshine pop and psychedelic music. Inimitable songs such as Surfin’ USA and California Girls went on to perpetuate the California myth and simultaneously become anthems for America’s youth in the 60s.
Artistic Innovation and Challenges
Wilson became the official artistic force behind The Beach Boys during their album, Pet Sounds (1966). It was praised for its progressive sound and the various musical influences that went into its production. Wilson attributed his marijuana use during its creation to its creative ingeniousness.
Regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time, Pet Sounds was written during the troubles of Wilson’s first marriage. A handful of the songs capture Wilson’s vulnerability during this time, including You Still Believe In Me. He was also attempting to manage his mental health during this time and struggled with substance abuse and inner-band conflict. Though attempting to write an album capable of rivaling the success of The Beatles, Wilson had a lot on his plate.
Throughout the later 60s, Wilson suffered from worsening substance abuse and mental illness. He suffered a nervous breakdown and, in 1969, demanded that he be pushed into and buried in a grave that he had dug in his yard. The scrapped concept album, Smile, the follow-up to Pet Sounds, had an especially intense impact on Wilson’s deteriorating mental health.
What Happened to Brian Wilson?
Brian Wilson has lived with a lifelong mental illness since the mid-60s. His experience was compounded by substance abuse and the stress of rapidly becoming a celebrity. He had a recluse period, withdrawing from friends, family, and the public eye. During this period, he spent extensive time in and out of psychiatric care under Eugene Landy. Sometime during Landy’s treatment of Wilson, the psychiatrist began to exploit his patient and sought to produce his albums.
Landy’s controlling behavior continued until 1992 when Wilson finally parted ways with his former psychiatrist. By then, Landy had surrendered his license to practice psychology within the state of California and had garnered a substantial amount of bad press.
Later Career and Resurgence
The solo career of Brian Wilson was a long time coming. He had made efforts over the years to distance himself from The Beach Boys, though it was to no avail. It didn’t come from bad blood with the band, either, but rather a disillusionment with the contracts they signed and rigid management. Wilson found himself crippled under the stress of the quota demanded for writing and producing albums for The Beach Boys. At the behest of Eugene Landy – perhaps with little consideration for Wilson’s health at the time – the musician released a solo album in 1988: Brian Wilson. By then, it was the first album produced by Wilson since The Beach Boys Love You (1977).
The first solo studio album was lauded with praise as a return to form for Wilson, who had been stunted by his personal struggles. However, Brian Wilson was overshadowed by The Beach Boys song Kokomo, which was released the same month as the album. Kokomo rapidly became a hit in the US and the UK, leading many to wonder if the band truly needed Wilson’s guidance to succeed.
It wasn’t until 1992, after Wilson parted ways from Landy, that he began to flourish as an independent artist. He increased in productivity and relished the freedom from Landy’s overbearing meddling in his work. Alongside songwriter and record-producer Andy Paley, Wilson worked on a collection of songs for The Beach Boys as well as music for Wilson’s solo work. It was also during the 90s that the documentary Brian Wilson: I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times was released.
Throughout the 90s Wilson released two more solo albums. In 1998, he lost his brother, Carl, and his mother, Audree Wilson. With their deaths, he lost his remaining immediate family. Despite the sorrow, Wilson continued to work and released two albums in 2004, including Brian Wilson Presents Smile and Gettin’ In Over My Head.
Discography
With The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson released twenty-nine studio albums between the band’s onset in 1961 and 2012. From 2012 to more recent years, the band has only released archived songs and albums from the late 60s and mid-70s. As a solo artist – a stint that began in the late 80s at the behest of Eugene Landy – Wilson has released twelve albums in all.
Brian Wilson’s solo albums include…
- Brian Wilson (1988)
- I Just Wasn’t Made for These Times (1995)
- Orange Crate Art (1995)*
- Imagination (1998)
- Gettin’ In Over My Head (2004)
- Brian Wilson Presents Smile (2004)
- What I Really Want for Christmas (2005)
- That Lucky Old Sun (2008)
- Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin (2010)
- In the Key of Disney (2011)
- No Pier Pressure (2015)
- At My Piano (2021)
*Orange Crate Art was released by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks
Awards and Other Accomplishments
Brian Wilson is often hailed as one of the most innovative songwriters of his time. It is then unsurprising how many accolades the artist has received. In 1988, Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside other core members of The Beach Boys. He has also been nominated several times for a Grammy Award and has won twice, in 2005 and 2013 respectively, for his past work with The Beach Boys.
Other accomplishments include…
- Being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (2000)
- Receiving the Ivor Novello International Award (2003)
- Receiving an honorary doctorate of music from Northeastern University (2003)
- Winning MusiCares Person of the Year (2005)
- Being inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame (2006)
- Being recognized by the Kennedy Center Honors Committee (2007)
- Receiving the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement (2008)
- Being nominated for a Golden Globe for “One Kind of Love” (2016)
Brian Wilson’s Relationships and Children
Over the years, Brian Wilson has been married twice. From those relationships, he has seven children, five of whom were adopted in his second marriage.
The first of his marriages was to fellow singer, Marilyn Rovell (now Wilson-Rutherford). She was in a musical group, the Rovell Sisters, with – you guessed it – her sisters and, later, a cousin. Brian would end up writing and producing for the Rovell Sisters, who came to be known as The Honeys. Wilson and Rovell met at a 1962 Beach Boys concert and married in 1964, though their relationship wasn’t entirely sunshine and flowers. To put it frankly, Wilson’s first marriage was tumultuous.
Wilson and Rovell would have two daughters, Wendy and Carnie, in 1968 and 1969. Despite his wife and children acting as muses for Wilson, he seldom saw them. According to Rovell, Wilson so intensely feared becoming like his own father that he withdrew from his family completely. Throughout their marriage, Wilson would have extramarital affairs and encourage Rovell to pursue her own. The unhealthy dynamic continued until Wilson filed for divorce in 1979.
Throughout their marriage, Rovell witnessed firsthand her husband’s declining mental health, substance abuse, and the exhaustion he experienced from being in The Beach Boys. He would disappear multiple times, causing Rovell to send out family and friends to track him down. Rovell would also frequently need to remind Wilson of contractual agreements he made with various agencies with The Beach Boys. By the time of their divorce, Wilson was under the care of the psychiatrist Eugene Landy.
Things were completely opposite in Wilson’s second marriage to saleswoman Melinda Ledbetter. The two married in 1995. By 1999, Ledbetter acted as Wilson’s manager, a dynamic the couple appeared to have enjoyed. Wilson was an individual who needed the assurance of security and stability to healthily function – things that Ledbetter provided. After she died in 2024, Wilson referred to her as his “savior” and said that she “encouraged me to make music that was closer to my heart.” The pair had adopted five children.
As families tend to do, Brian Wilson’s family acted as a support system for the musician. They were there on good days and bad, showing Wilson unyielding support during his life’s trials. Those near and dear to him were immortalized in songs and albums that Wilson made, especially his children.
Brian Wilson Today
Nowadays, Brian Wilson is under the care of a conservatorship. It was enacted in 2024 after the death of his second wife, Melinda Ledbetter, at the behest of his friends, medical staff, and family. He is still creating music and has taken up a handful of projects, with his most recent album, At My Piano, having been released in 2021.
Wrapping Up the Life Story of a Legendary Musician
Through the ups and downs of life, Brian Wilson has remained a steadfast inspiration in the music industry. He began as a prodigy, able to recognize various unique musical sounds and techniques, and continued to expand his innate talent through his passions. He is, at his heart, a writer, composer, and artist. The traits that raised him to lofty heights as a child continued to elevate him as a teen and young adult breaking into the music industry.
Wilson struggled with mental illness that plagued him during his life’s lowest points; schizoaffective disorder left him with illusory “heroes and villains” that either picked him up or knocked him down. However, he overcame these mental health struggles – with the support of his family and friends – and has been able to return to the world of music with their aid. With his iconic sound and masterful lyrics, Brian Wilson has left an undeniable mark on popular music and history itself.