For other people named Dennis Wilson, see Dennis Wilson (disambiguation).
Dennis Wilson
Wilson in 1968
Background information
Birth name
Dennis Carl Wilson
Born
(1944-12-04)December 4, 1944 Inglewood, California, U.S.
Origin
Hawthorne, California, U.S.
Died
December 28, 1983(1983-12-28) (aged 39) Marina del Rey, California, U.S.
Genres
Rock
pop
Occupation(s)
Musician
songwriter
singer
Instrument(s)
Vocals
drums
keyboards
Years active
1961–1983
Formerly of
The Beach Boys
the Four Speeds
Spouse(s)
Carole E. Unrot
(m. 1965; div. 1968)
Barbara Charren
(m. 1970; div. 1974)
Karen Lamm
(m. 1976; div. 1977)
(m. 1978; div. 1980)
Shawn Marie Love
(m. 1983)
Musical artist
Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. Dennis was the only true surfer in the Beach Boys, and his personal life exemplified the "California Myth" that the band's early songs often celebrated. He was also known for his association with the Manson Family and for co-starring in the 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop.
Wilson served mainly on drums and baritone backing vocals for the Beach Boys. His playing can be heard on many of the group's hits, belying the popular misconception that he was always replaced on record by studio musicians.[1][2] He originally had few lead vocals on the band's songs due to his limited baritone range, but his prominence as a singer-songwriter increased following their 1968 album Friends. His music is characterized for reflecting his "edginess" and "little of his happy charm".[3] His original songs for the group included "Little Bird" (1968), "Forever" (1970) and "Cuddle Up" (1972). Friends and biographers have asserted that he was an uncredited writer on "You Are So Beautiful", a 1974 hit for Joe Cocker frequently performed by Wilson in concert.[4]
During his final years, Wilson struggled with alcoholism and the use of other drugs (including cocaine and heroin), exacerbating longstanding tensions with some of his bandmates. His solo album, Pacific Ocean Blue (1977), was released to warm reviews and moderate sales comparable to those of contemporaneous Beach Boys albums.[5] Sessions for a follow-up, Bambu, disintegrated before his death from drowning in 1983 at age 39. In 1988, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beach Boys.
^Stebbins 2000, pp. 60–61.
^Cite error: The named reference P4K2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Cite error: The named reference Sclafani2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Wilson's talent sings forth on 'Pacific' re-release". Chicago Tribune. July 20, 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
^Cite error: The named reference WebbGuardian2003 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer...
Irish, and Swedish origins. Wilson's two younger brothers, Dennis and Carl, were born in 1944 and 1946. Shortly after Dennis' birth, the family moved from...
(with Brian, DennisWilson, Jardine) "Be Here in the Mornin'" (with Brian, Dennis, Jardine, Mike) "When a Man Needs a Woman" (with Brian, Dennis, Jardine...
Pacific Ocean Blue is the only studio album by American musician DennisWilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys. When released in August 1977, it was warmly...
publisher, best known as the father of the Beach Boys' Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson. After the band's formation in 1961, Murry became their first manager...
Wendy Wilson (born October 16, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality who is a member of the pop trio Wilson Phillips. She...
1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by...
Ruth Wilson MBE (born 13 January 1982) is an English actress. She has played the eponymous protagonist in Jane Eyre (2006), Alice Morgan in the BBC psychological...
Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with DennisWilson of the Beach Boys, who introduced Manson to record producer Terry Melcher...
Hills. Wilson married musician and producer Robert Bonfiglio in 2000. They have daughters born in 2005 and 2009. Her uncles were DennisWilson and Carl...
Spahn (died 1974) Leslie Van Houten Paul Watkins (died 1990) Tex Watson DennisWilson (died 1983) Following his release from prison on March 22, 1967, Charles...
Moorehouse learned of this, which resulted in him meeting Manson at DennisWilson's house, where Manson kneeled down and kissed Moorehouse’s toes, welcoming...
Dennis Geoffrey William Wilson, known as Dennis Main Wilson (1 May 1924 – 20 January 1997) was a British producer of radio and television programmes,...
DennisWilson Graham (June 14, 1896 – December 2, 1967), nicknamed "Peaches", was an American Negro league outfielder between 1921 and 1931. A native...
uncredited by the publisher as of 2023, several sources assert that DennisWilson of the Beach Boys assisted Preston in completing the song by co-writing...
The Unseen (1980) and Trackdown (1976). She was married to musicians DennisWilson and Robert Lamm. Lamm was born in Indianapolis, Indiana.[citation needed]...
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