Dennis Wilson was the only Beach Boy who could actually surf
The Beach Boys sold the world an image of California surf culture, yet only their drummer rode the waves. Dennis Wilson, the wild middle brother, pushed Brian to write their first local hit, Surfin'. For years people assumed session players replaced him on record, but he drummed on far more of the hits than most realise.
Born in 1944 and raised in Hawthorne, California, Dennis was the family's self-described black sheep; neighbourhood kids called him Dennis the Menace, and he bore the worst of his father's harsh discipline. He dodged the family singalongs and Brian's home tape recordings, preferring cars and sport, though late at night the three brothers harmonised in their shared bedroom. Their mother made Brian include him in the band, and he picked drums over bass because they seemed more exciting.
When Surfin' first played on the radio he ran down the street shouting the news. Carl later admitted the rest of them tried surfing and were terrible. Dennis lived fast, and in 1964 their father told a reporter he had burned through 94,000 dollars while his brothers saved. On stage he drew screaming fans, and Brian gave him more lead vocals on The Beach Boys Today! in 1965; Do You Wanna Dance? became the first single with Dennis singing lead, reaching No. 12.
Session drummer Hal Blaine played most of Pet Sounds because Brian found him more reliable, but Carl insisted Dennis did great work whenever he got the chance. In the late 1960s Dennis began writing, starting with Little Bird on the 1968 album Friends, and emerged as a producer on 20/20 in 1969. His song Forever, from 1970, became his best-known work.
His only solo album released in his lifetime, Pacific Ocean Blue in 1977, got warm reviews and has since earned a cult following. By the early 1980s addiction, a failing voice and friction with the band had taken hold, and a second album fell apart before he drowned in 1983 at 39. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him alongside his bandmates in 1988.
Source: Dennis Wilson
