Carl Wilson
Encyclopedia
Carl Dean Wilson was an American
rock and roll
singer and guitar
ist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist
of The Beach Boys
. Wilson performed lead vocals on a number of notable songs by The Beach Boys, including "Good Vibrations
" and "God Only Knows
".
Carl Wilson was the younger brother of fellow Beach Boys Dennis
and Brian Wilson
. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1988. Wilson died in 1998 from a combination of brain and lung cancer
.
-esque guitar parts on many of the band's early hits. Because the band first became successful when he was in his teens, he was still developing as a musician and singer. His lead vocals in the band's first three years included "Summertime Blues
" (duet with David Marks
), "Louie, Louie" (splitting the lead with Mike Love
), "Pom Pom Play Girl," "All Dressed Up for School," and "Girl Don't Tell Me
." When the band started being augmented or replaced by session musicians on many of their mid-'60s recordings (they contributed the majority of the instrumental work themselves on the early-'60s recordings), unlike the other members of the band Carl often played side by side in the studio with the session pros that Brian increasingly turned to from 1964 onward, or recorded his guitar leads during the Beach Boys vocal sessions, with his guitar plugged directly into the soundboard
.
Following his performance of the lead vocal on "God Only Knows
" in 1966, Carl was increasingly featured as lead vocalist for the band (a role previously dominated by Mike Love
and Brian Wilson
), singing many leads on the Smiley Smile
and Wild Honey
albums, including the hit singles "Good Vibrations
," "Darlin'," and "Wild Honey," then on 1969's "I Can Hear Music
," which served as Carl's first major studio production. He is widely recognized as an important singer in popular music. The renowned high tenor, Iestyn Davies, interviewed by Mark Lawson on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on 16 December 2009 referred to Wilson's lead in Good Vibrations as "[that] wonderful male alto solo; exactly the same sound you'd hear from a good singer in a cathedral or on a Baroque opera stage. It's a wonderful sound."
After his elder brother Brian's retirement from the stage in 1965, Carl became the de facto leader of the band onstage (contracts at that time reading that promoters hired 'Carl Wilson plus four other musicians'), and shortly after became the band's in-studio leader, producing the bulk of the albums 20/20
, Sunflower
, Surf's Up, Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" (named in honour of his effective leadership of the band at this point) and Holland
.
In 1967 Wilson also made headlines as a conscientious objector
to the Vietnam War
, at one point having to let the rest of the band tour the UK without him while he was up before the draft board.
Never a prolific songwriter, Wilson's first solo composing contributions to the band, other than a handful of early surf instrumentals, came with 1971's Surf's Up, on which he composed "Long Promised Road
" and "Feel Flows
" to lyrics by the band's then manager Jack Rieley
. He had earlier been given co-writing credits on a few songs, but these appear to have been for arrangement ideas contributed to others' songs - he considered "Long Promised Road" his first real song. On the immediately following Beach Boys albums, he would average one or two songs, cowritten with various lyricists or other members of the band. Carl's leadership role in the band diminished somewhat in the late '70s, both due to Brian's brief reemergence as the band's producer and substance abuse problems. He nonetheless remained a prominent and recognizable voice in the band, taking lead vocals on many songs and serving as "mixdown producer" on the Brian-produced Love You album.
By the time of recording of 1979's L.A. (Light Album)
, Carl again found himself filling the vocal and songwriting gap left by a retreating Brian Wilson. A song he wrote with Brian in 1974 and sang lead on, "Good Timin," was a Top 40 American hit from that album.
During the 1970s Wilson also produced records for several other artists, notably Ricci Martin (son of Dean Martin
, not to be confused with the late-'90s pop star) and South African group The Flame (two members of which later joined The Beach Boys for a couple of years). His voice appears as a backing vocal on many recordings by groups and solo singers. Examples include Chicago
's hits "Baby, What a Big Surprise
" and Wishing You Were Here
(with Al Jardine
and his brother Dennis Wilson
), Elton John
's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
" (with Bruce Johnston
), David Lee Roth
's hit cover of "California Girls
," Warren Zevon
's "Desperados Under the Eaves
" and the Carnie & Wendy Wilson holiday track "Hey Santa!"
He released a solo album, Carl Wilson
, which was well received by reviewers, in 1981, made up of songs co-written with Myrna Smith-Schilling (former backing vocalist for Elvis Presley
and Aretha Franklin
and wife of Wilson's then-manager Jerry Schilling
). The album briefly made the charts, and the second single, "Heaven", hit the top 20 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. He also undertook a solo tour to promote the album that same year, the first member of the band to do so (not counting Mike Love
's various side projects in the late '70s). Initially, Carl and his band played clubs like The Bottom Line in New York City, and the Roxy in Los Angeles, then joined the Doobie Brothers as opening act on their 1981 summer tour.
He recorded a second solo album, Youngblood
, in a similar vein, but by the time it was released in 1983 he had already rejoined The Beach Boys.
Although Youngblood
did not chart, a single, the John Hall-penned "What You Do To Me," did, making Carl only the second Beach Boy to land a solo single on the Billboard Hot 100, and again, hit the top 20 on their AC chart. Carl frequently performed that song and "Rockin' All Over the World" from the album, as well as "Heaven" from the 1981 album at Beach Boys concerts in the '80s, the latter being cast as a tribute to brother Dennis after his death in December 1983. The Beach Boys' 1985 eponymous album was dominated by Carl's lead vocals and songwriting, highlighted by his "It's Gettin' Late" (another top 20 AC hit) and the "Heaven"-like "Where I Belong". After this, though, Mike Love increasingly came to dominate the group's recorded output, and Carl stepped aside.
Carl carried on as a vital part of the band as a studio vocalist and concert performer, singing lead on the chorus of the band's most recent big chart success, 1988's US number one "Kokomo
". He continued touring with the band until the last months of his life.
and lung cancer
in early 1997. Despite his illness and chemotherapy treatments, Carl continued to perform after diagnosis. Carl played through the Beach Boys' entire summer tour which ended in the fall of 1997. He sat down most of the time and needed oxygen after every song, but he still had his unique voice. The only time he stood during concerts was when he sang "God Only Knows
" to his fans.
Carl Wilson lost his battle with cancer on February 6, 1998, just two months after the death of his mother, Audree Wilson. He was survived by his brother Brian, wife Gina (daughter of Dean Martin
), and two sons by his first marriage, Justyn and Jonah.
A handful of recordings of Wilson have been released, notably the album Like a Brother, by a "supergroup" Wilson formed with Gerry Beckley
of America
and Robert Lamm
of Chicago
. He also appeared posthumously on his brother Brian's album Gettin' in Over My Head
(which used his vocal from the unreleased Beach Boys song "Soul Searchin'" put to a new backing track), and bandmate Alan Jardine's 2010 release A Postcard From California (on the similarly reconstructed track "Don't Fight The Sea"). He also appears on the many Beach Boys archival releases that have come out since his death.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
singer and guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist, best known as a founding member, lead guitarist and sometime lead vocalist
Lead vocalist
The lead vocalist is the member of a band who sings the main vocal portions of a song. They may also play one or more instruments. Lead vocalists are sometimes referred to as the frontman or frontwoman, and as such, are usually considered to be the "leader" of the groups they perform in, often the...
of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. Wilson performed lead vocals on a number of notable songs by The Beach Boys, including "Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations
"Good Vibrations" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. Composed and produced by Brian Wilson, the song's lyrics were written by Wilson and Mike Love....
" and "God Only Knows
God Only Knows
"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. It is the eighth track on the group's 11th studio album, Pet Sounds , and one of their most widely recognized songs. "God Only Knows" was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher and lead vocal by Carl...
".
Carl Wilson was the younger brother of fellow Beach Boys Dennis
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
in 1988. Wilson died in 1998 from a combination of brain and lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
.
Beach Boys career
Wilson played the Chuck BerryChuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
-esque guitar parts on many of the band's early hits. Because the band first became successful when he was in his teens, he was still developing as a musician and singer. His lead vocals in the band's first three years included "Summertime Blues
Summertime Blues
"Summertime Blues" is the title of a song co-written and recorded by American rockabilly artist Eddie Cochran. It was written in the late 1950s by Cochran and his manager Jerry Capehart. Originally a single B-side, it was released in August 1958 and peaked at number 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 on...
" (duet with David Marks
David Marks (musician)
David Marks is an American songwriter and musician. He is best known as being a member of The Beach Boys from February 1962 to October 1963. Marks was part of the Beach Boys line-up, at age 13, when they signed with Capitol Records on July 16, 1962...
), "Louie, Louie" (splitting the lead with Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
), "Pom Pom Play Girl," "All Dressed Up for School," and "Girl Don't Tell Me
Girl Don't Tell Me
"Girl Don't Tell Me" is a song written by Brian Wilson for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1965 album Summer Days . Featuring Carl Wilson on Lead. In December 1965, it was chosen to be the B-side to The Beach Boys' "Barbara Ann" single, which would chart at #2 in the...
." When the band started being augmented or replaced by session musicians on many of their mid-'60s recordings (they contributed the majority of the instrumental work themselves on the early-'60s recordings), unlike the other members of the band Carl often played side by side in the studio with the session pros that Brian increasingly turned to from 1964 onward, or recorded his guitar leads during the Beach Boys vocal sessions, with his guitar plugged directly into the soundboard
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
.
Following his performance of the lead vocal on "God Only Knows
God Only Knows
"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. It is the eighth track on the group's 11th studio album, Pet Sounds , and one of their most widely recognized songs. "God Only Knows" was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher and lead vocal by Carl...
" in 1966, Carl was increasingly featured as lead vocalist for the band (a role previously dominated by Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
and Brian Wilson
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group...
), singing many leads on the Smiley Smile
Smiley Smile
Smiley Smile is the twelfth studio album by The Beach Boys, issued in 1967. Released in the place of the much-touted Smile, Smiley Smile is widely considered to be under-produced, and it was received with indifference and confusion upon its unveiling...
and Wild Honey
Wild Honey (album)
-Singles:* "Wild Honey" b/w "Wind Chimes" , 23 October 1967 US #31; UK #29* "Darlin'" b/w "Here Today" , 18 December 1967 US #19; UK #11....
albums, including the hit singles "Good Vibrations
Good Vibrations
"Good Vibrations" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. Composed and produced by Brian Wilson, the song's lyrics were written by Wilson and Mike Love....
," "Darlin'," and "Wild Honey," then on 1969's "I Can Hear Music
I Can Hear Music
"I Can Hear Music" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector. It was originally performed by the Ronettes in 1966, and later covered by the Beach Boys in 1969, by Larry Lurex in 1973, by José Hoebee in 1983, and by She & Him in 2010.-Beach Boys version:"I Can Hear Music"...
," which served as Carl's first major studio production. He is widely recognized as an important singer in popular music. The renowned high tenor, Iestyn Davies, interviewed by Mark Lawson on BBC Radio 4's Front Row on 16 December 2009 referred to Wilson's lead in Good Vibrations as "[that] wonderful male alto solo; exactly the same sound you'd hear from a good singer in a cathedral or on a Baroque opera stage. It's a wonderful sound."
After his elder brother Brian's retirement from the stage in 1965, Carl became the de facto leader of the band onstage (contracts at that time reading that promoters hired 'Carl Wilson plus four other musicians'), and shortly after became the band's in-studio leader, producing the bulk of the albums 20/20
20/20 (The Beach Boys album)
20/20 is the sole 1969 album release by The Beach Boys, and their last studio album to be released with Capitol Records for the next seventeen years.-Recording:...
, Sunflower
Sunflower (album)
Sunflower is the sixteenth studio album by American rock group The Beach Boys, their first on Reprise Records. The album achieved number 151 on the US albums chart during a four week stay, becoming the lowest charting Beach Boys album until 1978's M.I.U. Album equalled it. It reached #29 in the...
, Surf's Up, Carl and the Passions - "So Tough" (named in honour of his effective leadership of the band at this point) and Holland
Holland (album)
Holland is the nineteenth studio album by the American rock group The Beach Boys, released in January 1973. It was famously recorded in Baambrugge, Netherlands over the summer of 1972 using a reconstructed studio sent from home, and with two Brian Wilson tracks rush-recorded in Los Angeles and...
.
In 1967 Wilson also made headlines as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, at one point having to let the rest of the band tour the UK without him while he was up before the draft board.
Never a prolific songwriter, Wilson's first solo composing contributions to the band, other than a handful of early surf instrumentals, came with 1971's Surf's Up, on which he composed "Long Promised Road
Long Promised Road
"Long Promised Road" is a song written by Carl Wilson and Jack Rieley for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was first released as a single in May 1971, and did not chart. It was then released on their 1971 album Surf's Up, and was rereleased as a single, with a different b-side, 'Til I Die,...
" and "Feel Flows
Feel Flows
"Feel Flows" is a song written by Carl Wilson and Jack Rieley for the American rock band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1971 album Surf's Up.Carl Wilson's lead vocals were recorded using reverse echo....
" to lyrics by the band's then manager Jack Rieley
Jack Rieley
Jack Rieley is an American record producer. He was the manager of the pop music group the Beach Boys during the early 1970s, and is credited with guiding them back to acclaim. He would also sometimes a co-songwriter with the rest of the band, usually penning lyrics.He also worked with Kool and the...
. He had earlier been given co-writing credits on a few songs, but these appear to have been for arrangement ideas contributed to others' songs - he considered "Long Promised Road" his first real song. On the immediately following Beach Boys albums, he would average one or two songs, cowritten with various lyricists or other members of the band. Carl's leadership role in the band diminished somewhat in the late '70s, both due to Brian's brief reemergence as the band's producer and substance abuse problems. He nonetheless remained a prominent and recognizable voice in the band, taking lead vocals on many songs and serving as "mixdown producer" on the Brian-produced Love You album.
By the time of recording of 1979's L.A. (Light Album)
L.A. (Light Album)
L.A. is The Beach Boys' twenty-third studio album, their last released in the 1970's, and their first as part of their contract with CBS Records...
, Carl again found himself filling the vocal and songwriting gap left by a retreating Brian Wilson. A song he wrote with Brian in 1974 and sang lead on, "Good Timin," was a Top 40 American hit from that album.
During the 1970s Wilson also produced records for several other artists, notably Ricci Martin (son of Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, not to be confused with the late-'90s pop star) and South African group The Flame (two members of which later joined The Beach Boys for a couple of years). His voice appears as a backing vocal on many recordings by groups and solo singers. Examples include Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
's hits "Baby, What a Big Surprise
Baby, What a Big Surprise
"Baby, What a Big Surprise" is a song written by Peter Cetera for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago XI , with Cetera singing lead vocals. The first single released from that album, it reached #4 on the U.S...
" and Wishing You Were Here
Wishing You Were Here
"Wishing You Were Here" may also refer to a different song by Deborah Gibson."Wishing You Were Here" is a song written by Peter Cetera for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Chicago VII , with lead vocals by Terry Kath , while Cetera sang the song's bridge...
(with Al Jardine
Al Jardine
Alan Charles "Al" Jardine is a founding member of top-selling American music group The Beach Boys, a guitarist and occasional lead vocalist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.-Early life:...
and his brother Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
), Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
's "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me
"Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" is the first single from British musician Elton John's 1974 album Caribou; it was released that year during the latter half of May in the United Kingdom, and on 10 June in the United States.-Lyrics and music:...
" (with Bruce Johnston
Bruce Johnston
Bruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a songwriter, remembered especially for composing "I Write the Songs". Johnston was not one of the original members of the band...
), David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth was ranked nineteenth by Hit Parader on their list of the 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Singers of All Time....
's hit cover of "California Girls
California Girls
"California Girls" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys, featured on their ninth studio album Summer Days . Written by band-members Brian Wilson and Mike Love, the song features contrasting verse-chorus form...
," Warren Zevon
Warren Zevon
Warren William Zevon was an American rock singer-songwriter and musician noted for including his sometimes sardonic opinions of life in his musical lyrics, composing songs that were sometimes humorous and often had political or historical themes.Zevon's work has often been praised by well-known...
's "Desperados Under the Eaves
Desperados Under the Eaves
"Desperados Under the Eaves" is a song written and performed by Warren Zevon from the 1976 album Warren Zevon. The song describes the narrator's growing alcoholism and laments that no matter what occurs, he will wind up paying the bill for his low rent digs at the Hollywood Hawaiian Hotel...
" and the Carnie & Wendy Wilson holiday track "Hey Santa!"
Solo records
By the early 1980s the Beach Boys were in disarray: the band had split into several camps. Frustrated with the band's sluggishness to record new material and reluctance to rehearse for live shows, Wilson took a leave of absence in 1981, rather than remain as part of what he saw increasingly becoming a nostalgia act.He released a solo album, Carl Wilson
Carl Wilson (album)
Carl Wilson is the self-titled debut solo album of The Beach Boys band member, Carl Wilson. The youngest of the three Wilson brothers in the band, Carl Wilson was reportedly at this time unhappy with the progress being made by The Beach Boys creatively...
, which was well received by reviewers, in 1981, made up of songs co-written with Myrna Smith-Schilling (former backing vocalist for Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
and wife of Wilson's then-manager Jerry Schilling
Jerry Schilling
Jerry Schilling is a veteran music industry professional, best known for his association with Elvis Presley since 1954 . He briefly managed The Beach Boys and Presley's daughter, Lisa Marie....
). The album briefly made the charts, and the second single, "Heaven", hit the top 20 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart. He also undertook a solo tour to promote the album that same year, the first member of the band to do so (not counting Mike Love
Mike Love
Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an American singer/songwriter and musician with The Beach Boys. He was a founding member of the band along with his cousins Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine, and continues to perform with the band to the present day...
's various side projects in the late '70s). Initially, Carl and his band played clubs like The Bottom Line in New York City, and the Roxy in Los Angeles, then joined the Doobie Brothers as opening act on their 1981 summer tour.
He recorded a second solo album, Youngblood
Youngblood (album)
Youngblood is Carl Wilson's second and final solo album. It was released in 1983 by Caribou Records. It was re-issued on CD on September 21, 2010.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Carl Wilson and Myrna Smith; except where indicated....
, in a similar vein, but by the time it was released in 1983 he had already rejoined The Beach Boys.
Although Youngblood
Youngblood (album)
Youngblood is Carl Wilson's second and final solo album. It was released in 1983 by Caribou Records. It was re-issued on CD on September 21, 2010.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Carl Wilson and Myrna Smith; except where indicated....
did not chart, a single, the John Hall-penned "What You Do To Me," did, making Carl only the second Beach Boy to land a solo single on the Billboard Hot 100, and again, hit the top 20 on their AC chart. Carl frequently performed that song and "Rockin' All Over the World" from the album, as well as "Heaven" from the 1981 album at Beach Boys concerts in the '80s, the latter being cast as a tribute to brother Dennis after his death in December 1983. The Beach Boys' 1985 eponymous album was dominated by Carl's lead vocals and songwriting, highlighted by his "It's Gettin' Late" (another top 20 AC hit) and the "Heaven"-like "Where I Belong". After this, though, Mike Love increasingly came to dominate the group's recorded output, and Carl stepped aside.
Carl carried on as a vital part of the band as a studio vocalist and concert performer, singing lead on the chorus of the band's most recent big chart success, 1988's US number one "Kokomo
Kokomo (song)
"Kokomo" is a song written by John Phillips, Scott McKenzie, Mike Love and Terry Melcher and recorded by The Beach Boys in spring 1988. Its lyrics describe two lovers taking a trip to a relaxing Caribbean island called Kokomo. It was released as a single in July 1988 by Elektra Records and became a...
". He continued touring with the band until the last months of his life.
Death
Wilson was diagnosed with brainBrain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
and lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in early 1997. Despite his illness and chemotherapy treatments, Carl continued to perform after diagnosis. Carl played through the Beach Boys' entire summer tour which ended in the fall of 1997. He sat down most of the time and needed oxygen after every song, but he still had his unique voice. The only time he stood during concerts was when he sang "God Only Knows
God Only Knows
"God Only Knows" is a song by American rock band The Beach Boys. It is the eighth track on the group's 11th studio album, Pet Sounds , and one of their most widely recognized songs. "God Only Knows" was composed and produced by Brian Wilson with lyrics by Tony Asher and lead vocal by Carl...
" to his fans.
Carl Wilson lost his battle with cancer on February 6, 1998, just two months after the death of his mother, Audree Wilson. He was survived by his brother Brian, wife Gina (daughter of Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
), and two sons by his first marriage, Justyn and Jonah.
A handful of recordings of Wilson have been released, notably the album Like a Brother, by a "supergroup" Wilson formed with Gerry Beckley
Gerry Beckley
Gerald Linford "Gerry" Beckley is a founding member of the band America.Beckley was born to an American father, and an English mother. He began playing the piano at the age of three and the guitar a few years later. By 1962, Beckley was playing guitar in The Vanguards, an instrumental surf music...
of America
America (band)
America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist...
and Robert Lamm
Robert Lamm
Robert William Lamm is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter who came to fame as a founding member of the pop rock band Chicago...
of Chicago
Chicago (band)
Chicago is an American rock band formed in 1967 in Chicago, Illinois. The self-described "rock and roll band with horns" began as a politically charged, sometimes experimental, rock band and later moved to a predominantly softer sound, becoming famous for producing a number of hit ballads. They had...
. He also appeared posthumously on his brother Brian's album Gettin' in Over My Head
Gettin' in over My Head
Gettin' in Over My Head is Brian Wilson's seventh solo album, and third of new studio material. It was recorded over several years and, making use of many previously written songs never before released, was issued in mid-2004 on Rhino Records....
(which used his vocal from the unreleased Beach Boys song "Soul Searchin'" put to a new backing track), and bandmate Alan Jardine's 2010 release A Postcard From California (on the similarly reconstructed track "Don't Fight The Sea"). He also appears on the many Beach Boys archival releases that have come out since his death.
Solo discography
- Carl WilsonCarl Wilson (album)Carl Wilson is the self-titled debut solo album of The Beach Boys band member, Carl Wilson. The youngest of the three Wilson brothers in the band, Carl Wilson was reportedly at this time unhappy with the progress being made by The Beach Boys creatively...
(1981) - YoungbloodYoungblood (album)Youngblood is Carl Wilson's second and final solo album. It was released in 1983 by Caribou Records. It was re-issued on CD on September 21, 2010.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Carl Wilson and Myrna Smith; except where indicated....
(1983)