Latest news with #musicalgenius
BreakingNews.ie
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BreakingNews.ie
Paul McCartney says ‘musical genius' Brian Wilson was ‘bright shining light'
Sir Paul McCartney has said The Beach Boys star Brian Wilson was a 'musical genius' and a 'bright shining light' after his death aged 82. The 82-year-old Beatles bass player has previously cited Wilson's work as an inspiration for his own, and collaborated with him on Wilson's 2014 solo album Gettin' In Over My Head. Advertisement He also took part in his induction into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame in 2000. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Paul McCartney (@paulmccartney) 'The notes he heard in his head and passed to us were simple and brilliant at the same time. In a post on Instagram, Sir Paul said: 'Brian had that mysterious sense of musical genius that made his songs so achingly special. 'I loved him, and was privileged to be around his bright shining light for a little while. How we will continue without Brian Wilson, 'God Only Knows'. Thank you, Brian.' His tribute comes after the surviving original members of The Beach Boys honoured the 'genius' of Wilson. Advertisement His cousin Mike Love, 84, said Wilson's 'musical gifts were unmatched' while Al Jardine described his bandmate as 'my brother in spirit'. Wilson was the eldest and last surviving of the three brothers who formed the American rock band with Love and school friend Jardine in 1961. 'The melodies he dreamed up, the emotions he poured into every note – Brian changed the course of music forever,' Love wrote in a lengthy post on Facebook, saying there was 'something otherworldly' about Wilson. 'Like all families, we had our ups and downs. But through it all, we never stopped loving each other, and I never stopped being in awe of what he could do when he sat at a piano or his spontaneity in the studio.' Advertisement Describing Wilson as 'fragile, intense, funny' and 'one of a kind', he said his music 'allowed us to show the world what vulnerability and brilliance sound like in harmony'. 'Brian, you once asked 'Wouldn't it be nice if we were older?'. Now you are timeless,' he wrote. Posting a picture of himself with Wilson on Facebook, Jardine, 82, said: 'I will always feel blessed that you were in our lives as long as you were.' 'You were a humble giant who always made me laugh and we will celebrate your music forever.' Advertisement On Wednesday, Wilson's family said in a statement to his website: 'We are heartbroken to announce that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving.' Sir Elton John posted on Instagram, saying Wilson was 'always so kind to me' and 'the biggest influence on my songwriting ever'. 'He was a musical genius and revolutionary,' he wrote. 'He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and changed music forever. A true giant.' Bob Dylan was among other musical stars to pay tribute, with the 84-year-old posting on X that he was thinking 'about all the years I've been listening to him and admiring his genius'. Advertisement Fellow singer-songwriter Carole King, 83, described Wilson as 'my friend and my brother in songwriting' while former Velvet Underground member John Cale said on X he was 'a true musical genius toiling away at melding POP into startling sophistication'. Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I've been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian. — Bob Dylan (@bobdylan) June 11, 2025 Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, 78, paid tribute to Wilson and US musician Sly Stone, who died earlier this week, in a social media post, saying: 'Oh no Brian Wilson and Sly Stone in one week – my world is in mourning, so sad.' His bandmate Keith Richards, 81, posted an extract of his 2010 memoir, Life, on Instagram recalling hearing The Beach Boys for the first time on the radio and his reaction to their 1966 album Pet Sounds. The extract reads: 'When we first got to American and to LA, there was a lot of Beach Boys on the radio, which was pretty funny to us – it was before Pet Sounds – it was hot rod songs and surfing songs, pretty lousily played, familiar Chuck Berry licks going on… 'It was later on, listening to Pet Sounds, well, it's a little bit overproduced for me, but Brian Wilson had something.' Sean Ono Lennon, the son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, described Wilson as 'our American Mozart' in a post on X while The Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz said 'his melodies shaped generations, and his soul resonated in every note'. We are heartbroken to announced that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy — Brian Wilson (@BrianWilsonLive) June 11, 2025 Wilson was born on June 20 1942, and began to play the piano and teach his brothers to sing harmony as a young boy. The Beach Boys started as a neighbourhood act, rehearsing in Wilson's bedroom and in the garage of their house in suburban Hawthorne, California with Wilson playing bass alongside his brothers Dennis as the drummer and Carl on lead guitar. The band were managed by the trio's father, Murry Wilson, but by mid-decade he had been displaced and Brian, who had been running the band's recording sessions almost from the start, was in charge. They released their most recognised album, Pet Sounds, in May 1966 which included the well known songs Wouldn't It Be Nice and God Only Knows. Wilson married singer Marilyn Rovell in 1964 and the couple welcomed daughters Carnie and Wendy, whom he became estranged from following their divorce. The Beach Boys' Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson and Mike Love (PA) He later reconciled with them and they sang together on the 1997 album The Wilsons, which was also the name of a music group formed by Carnie and Wendy following the break-up of pop vocal group Wilson Phillips. Wilson, who had dealt with mental health and drug problems, got his life back on track in the 1990s and married talent manager Melinda Ledbetter. When Ledbetter died last year, Wilson said their five children, Daria, Delanie, Dylan, Dash and Dakota, were 'in tears'. Wilson was also embroiled in multiple lawsuits some of which followed from the release of his 1991 autobiography, Wouldn't It Be Nice: My Own Story. The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award in 2001. Wilson's brother Dennis died in 1983 while Carl died in 1998.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Elton John pays tribute to 'true giant' Brian Wilson
Elton John has paid a heartfelt tribute to late "musical genius" Brian Wilson. On Wednesday, family members announced that the co-founder of the Beach Boys had died at the age of 82. A cause of death wasn't announced, though Brian had been diagnosed with dementia in February 2024. Following the sad news, Elton took to Instagram to post a throwback photo of himself in a recording studio with the Good Vibrations hitmaker. "Brian Wilson was always so kind to me from the day I met him. He sang 'Someone Saved My Life Tonight' at a tribute concert in 2003, and it was an extraordinary moment for me. I played on his solo records, he sang on my album, The Union, and even performed for my AIDS Foundation," he wrote in the caption. "I grew to love him as a person, and for me, he was the biggest influence on my songwriting ever; he was a musical genius and revolutionary. He changed the goalposts when it came to writing songs and shaped music forever. A true giant." Bob Dylan also shared a message in honour of Brian. "Heard the sad news about Brian today and thought about all the years I've been listening to him and admiring his genius. Rest in peace dear Brian," the legendary musician commented on X. Elsewhere, Nancy Sinatra recalled how singing California Girls with Brian was "one of the biggest thrills of my life", while Mick Fleetwood explained how he was "greatly saddened" by this "major worldly loss". "Anyone with a musical bone in their body must be grateful for Brian Wilson's genius magical touch!! And greatly saddened of this major worldly loss!! My thoughts go out to his family and friends," the Fleetwood Mac star posted on Instagram. In addition, Sean Ono Lennon noted that he was "heartbroken" over Brian's passing. "Not many people influenced me as much as he did. I feel very lucky that I was able to meet him and spend some time with him. He was always very kind and generous. He was our American Mozart. A one-of-a-kind genius from another world," he wrote on X.
