The Beach Boys

Formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California, The Beach Boys coalesced around brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and their friend Al Jardine amid a culture where surf life and American pop converged. The Beach Boys first made their mark on the West Coast rock scene with a blend of surf music, rock’n’roll and vocal harmonies close to doo-wop, driven by themes of adolescence, beaches and cars, as heard on early records like "Surfin' Safari" (1962). Over the 1960s, Brian Wilson’s composing and arranging moved the group toward a more orchestrated, introspective pop—crystallized on "Pet Sounds" (1966) and the aborted "Smile" project, partly redirected into "Smiley Smile" (1967), in collaboration with lyricist Van Dyke Parks. The 1970s saw The Beach Boys explore more mature and sometimes melancholic terrain on albums such as "Sunflower" (1970) and "Surf’s Up" (1971), while remaining active onstage in the United States and Europe. Despite lineup changes, the deaths of Dennis and Carl Wilson and solo paths taken by some members, The Beach Boys have continued to issue reissues, studio projects—including "That’s Why God Made the Radio" (2012)—and tours, sustaining a style founded on tight vocal harmonies, melodic songwriting rooted in 1960s pop, and an image tied to California and the ocean.