Brian Wilson

As the co-founder, co-vocalist, songwriter, and producer of The Beach Boys through the ’60s, Brian Wilson radically expanded ideas of what pop music could be.

But for all the sunshine, his songs also contained an underlying darkness, stemming from the struggles that began in Wilson’s childhood and nearly derailed his career.

Born in Inglewood, California, in 1942, Wilson was a musical prodigy who began writing songs at the age of 12.