The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock group with a distinctive surfer-oriented sound, founded in 1961 by Mike Love, Alan Jardine, and three brothers named Wilson: Dennis, Brian, and Carl. Their first album was 1962’s “Surfin’ Safari,” which remains classic. Its tracks included the title song, as well as “409,” (which was the flip side when “Surfin’ Safari” was released as a single) and “Summertime Blues.” In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine published its choices for the 100 most influential artists of the Rock and Roll era. They defined the “era” very inclusively, from the days of Howlin’ Wolf – the bluesman who came to the attention of record producer Sam Phillips in 1951 – right up to Eminem. In an impressive field where the Beatles and Bob Dylan came in at numbers #1 and #2, the Beach Boys showed up at #12. The Beach Boys continue to perform, although as of 2012, after the death of two of the Wilsons and many roster changes, Mike Love is the only one of the founders still touring as one of the band.