Carl Wilson

Carl Dean Wilson (December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates Brian and Dennis, and the group's de facto leader in the early to mid-1970s. He was also the band's musical director on stage from 1965 until his death. Influenced by the guitar playing of Chuck Berry and the Ventures, Wilson's initial role in the group was that of lead guitarist and backing singer, but he performed lead vocals on several of their later hits, including "God Only Knows" (1966), "Good Vibrations" (1966), "Darlin'" (1967), "I Can Hear Music" (1969) and "Kokomo" (1988). More often than other members of the band, he frequently played alongside the session musicians employed during the group's critical and commercial peak in the mid-1960s. During the period of Brian's reduced involvement with the group, Carl produced the bulk of their recordings from 20/20 (1969) through Holland (1973). Concurrently, he spent several years challenging his draft status as a conscientious objector. During the 1980s, Wilson launched a solo career, releasing the albums Carl Wilson (1981) and Youngblood (1983). In the 1990s, he recorded material with Gerry Beckley and Robert Lamm, later released for the posthumous album Like a Brother (2000). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beach Boys in 1988. Wilson was also a member of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, a religious corporation. He died on February 6, 1998, at the age of 51, of lung cancer.