Brian Wilson (The Beach Boys)

He is one of rock's most deeply revered figures, a legendary writer, producer, arranger and performer of some of the most cherished music in rock history. Indeed, it is no exaggeration to call Brian Wilson one of the most influential pop composers of the last 50 years. But as numerous books, films and television programs have recounted, success does not tell the whole story about this fascinating man. For while few artists achieve the stature that Wilson today enjoys, even fewer have been able to overcome the profound personal setbacks and professional frustrations that he has endured. Happily, Wilson has not only survived those obstacles, but today is thriving once again, making great music, performing with an ace band of seasoned sidemen and cutting-edge pop-rockers, and selling out concert halls around the world. Echoing the reaction of many fans who have seen and/or performed with Brian in recent months - including Neil Young, Sheryl Crow, Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan, Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, and R.E.M.'s Peter Buck - a San Francisco Chronicle reviewer wrote, "The Brian Wilson concert was one of the most moving and inspirational events in recent memory for me."

The Hollywood Reporter chimed in with "A long-awaited ray of light," while the Los Angeles Times pronounced, "Wilson stood triumphant." "My state of being has been elevated," explains Brian Wilson, "because I've been exercising, writing songs. I'm in a better frame of mind these days. It feels great - it's like I see some light. Things make sense to me again."As recent events have shown, the man and his music have the power to take an audience beyond mere nostalgia, to reach across generations and deliver a musical experience that is timeless and unforgettable. Ultimately, it is a most profound resurgence of a legendary career, one that began to take shape on Labor Day weekend, 1961, in Hawthorne, California…It was then and there that nineteen-year-old Brian Douglas Wilson and his younger brothers Dennis and Carl assembled in their family's living room with cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine to rehearse a little tune that Brian and Mike had written for a try-out recording session. As luck would have it, the Wilsons' parents were vacationing and had left the boys $250 for food money. Home alone, and promptly using that cash to rent the best musical equipment they could find, the budding Beach Boys got busy. Written at Dennis' suggestion, "Surfin"' sang the praises of the newest southern California teen craze.