Dennis Carl Wilson
(December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983)
was an
American musician
who co-founded
He was their drummer
and the
middle brother
of bandmates
Brian and Carl Wilson
as well as a
first cousin
of other bandmate
Mike Love.
Dennis was the only
true surfer
in the Beach Boys,
and his personal life
exemplified the
"California myth"
that the band's
early songs
often celebrated.
He was also known for
his association with
the Manson Family
and for co-starring
in the 1971 film
Two-Lane Blacktop.
Dennis served mainly
on drums and backing vocals
for the Beach Boys.
His playing can be heard
on many of the group's hits,
belying the popular
misconception that he was
always replaced
on record by
studio musicians.
He originally had
few lead vocals
on the band's songs
due to his limited
baritone range,
but his prominence as a
singer-songwriter
increased following
their 1968 album
Friends.
His music is characterized
for reflecting his
"edginess"
and
"little of his happy charm."
His original songs
for the group included
"Little Bird"
(1968),
"Forever"
(1970)
and
"Cuddle Up"
(1972).
Friends and biographers
have asserted that he
was an
uncredited writer on
"You Are So Beautiful",
a 1974 hit for
Joe Cocker
frequently performed by
Wilson in concert.
During his final years,
Wilson struggled with
substance abuse,
exacerbating
longstanding tensions
with some of his bandmates.
His only solo album
issued in his lifetime,
Pacific Ocean Blue
(1977),
was released to
warm reviews
and moderate
sales comparable
to those of contemporaneous
Beach Boys albums,
and has retrospectively
become highly acclaimed.
Sessions for
a follow-up,
Bambu,
disintegrated
before his death
from drowning
in 1983
at age 39.
In 1988,
he was posthumously
inducted into the
Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame
as a member of
the Beach Boys.
I'LL NEVER MAKE THE
HEADLINES OF
THE EVENING NEWS
THERE WON'T BE
RAGS TO RICHES
STORY FOR ME
