Where Is Brian Wilson Now?
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As many fans of The Beach Boys know, Brian Wilson is considered one of the most innovative and influential musicians of our time. So, where is he now?
Brian Wilson’s Early Life
Brian Wilson was born on June 20, 1942, in Inglewood, California, the second son of Audree Neva (née Korthof) and Murry Wilson. Brian’s father, Murry, was a machinist and songwriter, who had co-written the tune “Santa’s Got A Brand New Bag” with Beanie Sigel. Brian’s mother, Audree, was a homemaker. Brian had an elder brother, Dennis, and a younger sister, Carlen. At the age of two, Brian heard George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” on the radio, which had a profound and immediate effect on him.
His family
Brian Wilson was born on June 20, 1942, in Inglewood, California, the third of Carl and Audree Wilson’s three boys. He had an older brother, Dennis, and a younger one, Carl. The boys were full of music from their earliest years. Their mother loved to play the piano and ever-present on the radio in the Wilson household was Nat “King” Cole as well as other singers like Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee. “I grew up thinking everybody had pianos in their living rooms,” Brian later said.
His childhood
Brian Wilson was born on June 20, 1942, in Inglewood, California, the third of Murry and Audree Wilson’s two sons. Brian’s older brother, Dennis, was born in 1944. The Wilson brothers spent most of their childhood in Hawthorne, California. Brian Wilson’s father, Murry, was a songswriter and aspiring musician who worked as a clerk at a Sears Roebuck & Co. store. Audree Wilson was a full-time homemaker who later worked as a waitress to help support her family.
Murry Wilson was a domineering father who was oftencritical of his sons’ musical abilities. In an effort to encourage their musical interests, he bought his sons a small harmonica and ukulele when they were young. He also taught them how to play simple melodies on the piano. Despite his father’s initial criticisms, Brian Wilson quickly developed into a talented musician. He started writing his own songs when he was just teenager and began playing the drums in his high school band, the Pendletones (later known as the Beach Boys).
Brian Wilson’s Career
Brian Wilson is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. After signing with Capitol Records in 1962, Wilson wrote or co-wrote more than two dozen Top 40 hits for the group. As the Beach Boys’ creative leader, he frequently invoked musical experimentation that led to their groundbreaking album Pet Sounds (1966).
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group’s original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. The Beach Boys began as a garage band managed by the Wilsons’ father Murry. Early hits such as “Surfin’ Safari” (1962), “Surfin’ USA” (1963), and “Fun, Fun, Fun” (1964) established the band as America’s preeminent pop group, producing51 US Billboard Top 40 hits over a 20-year period.
By the mid-1960s, the Beach Boys had outgrown their original surf aesthetic and begun experimenting with more sophisticated styles of pop music. Brian Wilson’s composition “God Only Knows” (1966) is widely regarded as one of the finest examples of pop craftsmanship. The album Pet Sounds (1966) is often considered one of the most influential pop records ever made, inspiring a host of imitators from the Beatles to Animal Collective.
The Beach Boys’ commercial fortunes declined sharply thereafter; despite sporadic attempts at revival, they failed to return to their former level of popularity. Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983; Carl Wilson died of cancer in 1998. After Love and Jardine sold their shares in the band to brother Brian in 1998, he regained creative control and embarked on a successful solo career; he remains the Beach Boys’ principal songwriter and producer.The group continues to tour sporadically with a shifting lineup featuring surviving membersLoveand Jardineand two of Brian’s sons: guitarist Jeffrey Foskettwho has been touringwith them since 1984and keyboardist Matt Jardinewho joined them for sporadic dates between 2010and 2012in additionto Bruce Johnstonwho has been with them since 1965…
His solo work
Most of Wilson’s post-Beach Boys work has been solo albums, the first being 1968’s Brian Wilson, an experimental album credited to “The Beach Boys”. This was followed by 1969’s 20/20, 1970’s Sunflower ( Beach Boys album), and 1971’s Surf’s Up. A mixed critical and commercial success, the albums are notable for their complex songwriting and use of recording techniques that were virtually unprecedented at the time.
Brian Wilson’s Mental Health
For anyone who’s followed the Beach Boys, it’s no secret that Brian Wilson has had his share of mental health struggles. In fact, it could be argued that his battle with mental health is what made the Beach Boys so great. Nevertheless, it’s been a long time since Wilson has been an active member of the band. So, where is Brian Wilson now?
His struggles
Brian Wilson, the genius behind The Beach Boys, has been open about his mental health struggles for many years. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 2015, he said: “I was paranoid as a young guy. I was under a lot of pressure.”
Wilson was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1964, at the age of 24. He spent years in and out of hospitals and was prescribed high doses of drugs that left him feeling numb and disconnected from the world. In the early 1970s, he underwent electric shock therapy, which further damaged his mental health.
In recent years, Wilson has been using various therapies to help him cope with his mental illness. He’s also been surrounded by a supportive network of family and friends. Thanks to these factors, he’s been able to lead a relatively normal life in recent years.
His treatment
It is said that Brian Wilson was never the same after his brothers death. In 1966, Dennis drowned while diving in Marin County, California. The loss was devastating to Brian. He became a recluse, stopping touring with the Beach Boys and locking himself in his room to write and record music. He also started using drugs more heavily to cope with the loss.
By the early 1970s, Wilson’s mental health had deteriorated to the point where he was having paranoid delusions and hearing voices. He withdrew further into himself and became a virtual shut-in. His family and friends were very concerned about him but were unable to get him to seek help.
Finally, in 1975, Wilson had a nervous breakdown on stage during a Beach Boys concert in Dallas, Texas. He was hospitalized for several weeks and diagnosed with schizophrenia. He was prescribed medication to help control his symptoms but he continued to struggle with his mental health for many years.
In the early 1990s, Wilson finally began to get his life back on track. He started working with a therapist named Eugene Landy who helped him deal with his demons and get off of drugs. Landy was later fired by Wilson’s family after it was revealed that he was manipulating and controlling him.
Since then, Wilson has continued to work on his mental health. He has been open about his struggles and has even written songs about them. He is now living a relatively normal life and is even touring again with the Beach Boys.
Brian Wilson’s Later Life
After the Beach Boys’ Smile album was finally released in 2004, Brian Wilson largely retreated from the public eye. He made sporadic appearances and worked on various musical projects, but for the most part, he was out of the spotlight. In the last few years, however, Wilson has made a comeback of sorts. He’s released a new solo album, been touring with a reformed Beach Boys, and even appeared on The Simpsons. So what’s Brian Wilson been up to lately?
His current work
Now in his late seventies, Brian Wilson is still making music and touring with his band. He released a new album in 2015, and he continues to play shows around the world to sold-out audiences. He has also been working on a memoir, which is expected to be published in the next few years.
In addition to his musical endeavors, Brian Wilson has also been involved in a number of philanthropic causes. He is a supporter of the Ronald McDonald House Charities, and he has also worked with the Humane Society and the American Red Cross.
His family life
In 2014, Brian married his longtime girlfriend, Melinda Ledbetter. The couple have two children together, twins named Gorgeous and Pistachio. Brian also has three adult children from his first marriage to Marilyn Rovell: Carnie, Wendy, and Darren.
Since finding success with the Beach Boys, Brian has struggled with mental health issues and substance abuse. In the 1980s, he underwent lengthy hospitalization and treatment for schizophrenia and addiction. In recent years, Brian has been open about his struggles and is an advocate for mental health awareness.
Despite his challenges, Brian has continued to make music throughout his life. He released a solo album in 1988 and continues to tour with various Beach Boys reunion projects. In 2015, he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a solo artist.