Died On This Date (February 6, 1998) Carl Wilson / The Beach Boys
themusicsover Carl Wilson
December 21, 1946 – February 6, 1998
Carl Wilson was the youngest of three brothers who formed the Beach Boys. With Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine, Wilson helped create one of the best-selling and most influential bands in pop music history back in 1961. Some have called them the “American Beatles,” a band with which they had a friendly rivalry during their early years while actually strongly influencing each other. Carl was the lead guitarist for the band while handling an occasional lead vocal. It was he who sang lead on “God Only Knows,” “Good Vibrations,” and “Darlin’.” Carl released a handful solo albums during the ’70s and became the first Beach Boy to mount a solo tour. The turbulent goings-on within the band as well as at the Wilson home have been well documented. What many don’t know is that Carl was seen as the peacekeeper within the group. It was he who generally tried to keep the peace within the family and band. In 1997, Carl was diagnosed with brain cancer. He died less than a year later at the age of 51.
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