show name	Cheap Seats
format	Sports comedy
runtime	30 minutes
starring	Randy and Jason Sklar
country	United States
network	ESPN Classic
first aired
last aired
num episodes	77 }}

''Cheap Seats without Ron Parker'', commonly shortened to ''Cheap Seats'', is a television program broadcast on ESPN Classic hosted by brothers Randy and Jason Sklar. The brothers appear as fictional ESPN tape librarians who amuse themselves by watching old, campy sports broadcasts and wisecracking about them.

''Cheap Seats'' debuted on February 4, 2004, with an episode that showed ESPN sportscaster "Ron Parker" (played by Michael Showalter and supposedly the intended host for the show) getting buried under a shelf full of tapes, forcing the Sklars to fill in, as they were behind Parker on the "hosting depth chart" (with Ryan Leaf behind the Sklars, a reference to his overwhelming lack of success in the NFL). The founding production team behind "Cheap Seats" included Mark Shapiro, Todd Mason, James Cohen and Joseph Maar. ''Cheap Seats'' was originally an hour-long program. There were about 10 one hour-long episodes in the first season, all of which were subsequently cut down to fit a 30 minute time slot.

Regular segments

During the show, while not cutting in to add humorous comments or ironic insights, several feature segments took place, such as "Do You Care?" (in which the Sklar brothers inform you of extremely obscure facts related to the show they are watching) and "The Cheapies" (in which awards are granted for outrageous categories, such as "''Most Uncomfortable Moment"'' and "''Least Valuable Celebrity"''). Many times, the Cheapies category names lend themselves to jokes based on a play-on-words, for example one episode featuring boxer Joe Frazier had a Cheapie award for "''Best Knockout"'' that went not to Frazier as one might expect, but to the wife of one of the other contestants. Original sketches were also featured, offering comic insight to a topic that would come up during a program.

Some other regularly featured highlights include a "''Breakdown"'' (in which ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury would comedically break down an athlete's performance in a previously hosted segment), "''Do Not Lend Tapes to This Person"'' (which is usually a pre/post-commercial close-up shot of a poster featuring a notorious celebrity such as Vince McMahon or George W. Bush, athlete or fictional character such as Bigfoot or Freddy Krueger), "''What to Look For"'' (in which the Sklar brothers point out certain happenings that they find ironic or personally amusing), "''Cheap Shot of the Week"'' (which usually showcases an athlete featured earlier in the show at their worst), and "''What Got Cut"'' (which shows the viewer at home what didn't make the cut due to time constraints, also an acknowledgment that the show once ran in hour-long episodes, rather than the latter half-hour).

Source material

Most of the broadcasts are from ESPN's archives. Among them:

''Wide World of Sports'' broadcasts

''Professional wrestling''

''National Spelling Bees''

''World Series of Poker'' final tables

''Steve Garvey'' celebrity sporting events

The show was influenced chiefly by ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' and MTV's ''Beavis and Butt-head'', as the hosts' comment on the material in the style of a peanut gallery. The "Creative Breaking/K-1 Fighting" episode featured Mike Nelson, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot from ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'', in their theatrical silhouette form, cracking on sketches the Brothers performed.

''Cheap Seats'' was shot in New York City (with segments filmed in Los Angeles) and had made use of local comedians as guest stars in its sketches, including Ed Helms of ''The Daily Show'', Michael Showalter of ''The State'' and Ian Roberts of ''The Upright Citizens Brigade''. Most of the bit parts were played by stand-up comics whom Jason and Randy met during their years on the road as standup comedians themselves.

ESPN Classic broadcasted an all-day marathon of ''Cheap Seats'' episodes on Thanksgiving Day 2004, an homage to the similar marathons of ''MST3K'' that were frequently run on Comedy Central during Thanksgiving in the first half of the 1990s.

Many other comedians have made cameos on the show as characters, including Brian Posehn, Patton Oswalt, and Zach Galifianakis, who took a break from the ''Comedians of Comedy'' tour to tape their parts during the summer of 2005.

''SportsCentury: Cheap Seats''

After the first season, a ''SportsCentury'' mockumentary was produced about the show, and how its first season made a large impact on the world. Interviews from other athletes' ''SportsCentury'' episodes were cut and used as if the interview subjects were speaking about the Sklar brothers and the show. The title of this episode in the online episode guide is "The Best of Cheap Seats."

Live studio audience era

Shortly into the second season, ''Cheap Seats'' slightly changed its format by giving Randy and Jason a live studio audience and virtual "laugh track." The first episode of this particular format focused on the 1980 Major League Baseball All-Star Game. Fans of the show had by then already considered this particular moment as the period where ''Cheap Seats'' came the closest to "jumping the shark". Only six episodes were produced this way, and the studio audience was gone by the premiere of the third season on September 19, 2005. The Sklars' opening segment joked on the fact that they had removed the audience and acknowledged complaints from the fans.

The episodes with the live audience have since been re-edited in the sound department so that they cannot be heard, or minimally heard, during the regular segments of the show. Repeat telecasts of episodes produced prior to and during this period still contain a graphic instructing viewers to go to the ''Cheap Seats'' website to obtain tickets for the show.

On the road

Two episodes were taped in locations other than New York or Los Angeles. In October 2005, ESPN Classic aired "''Cheap Seats'' on the Road" from the Sklar brothers' hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, where the second Busch Stadium was being torn down because part of it was on the same land on which Busch Stadium III was being constructed. On the episode, the Sklars try to convince city officials to cancel the stadium's demolition by combining the two into a bizarre superstructure.

During Season 3, ''Cheap Seats'' went to Hillsborough, New Jersey, after a contestant won a contest for the Sklars to do an episode on her couch. The episode was titled '''Cheap Seats' on the Road: A Fan's Couch''.

''Utilityman - The Quest For Cooperstown''

This particular episode, which is not officially a part of the ''Cheap Seats'' canon, was a 2004 ESPN special (produced by MLB Productions). It featured the Sklars going on a trip to St. Louis and then to Cooperstown. The Sklars went all the way to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on a campaign to get beloved 1980s and 1990s St. Louis Cardinals player José "The Utilityman" Oquendo inducted for his versatility to play almost any position on the baseball field (including a game in the 1988 season, in which Oquendo played all nine positions). The special included the Sklars receiving Oquendo's blessing to lobby for his spot in Cooperstown, collecting signatures for the petition and giving a lackluster presentation to the HOF's committee. After initially denying their claim, the committee agreed to place his plaque in a spot that best fit Oquendo and his skills: the utility closet.

Season four and the end of ''Cheap Seats''

The fourth season of ''Cheap Seats'' began airing on June 5, 2006. The season premiere was ''1996 Spelling Bee: Part II''. There was a special titled ''This is Inside Cheap Seats'' that aired on April 17, 2006 which looked at the behind the scenes of ''Cheap Seats'', though most of the content was fictional. This special is part of Season 4 despite airing before that season's premier.

In the "Fall Preview" article in the September 25, 2006 issue of ''ESPN The Magazine'', the Sklars announced that The finale aired on November 19, 2006 at 7 p.m. Eastern Time and included racquetball, amateur bowling, curling, model airplane racing, and ping-pong. The episode's main focus was on the Sklars fictitiously getting a job as anchors on ESPN's ''SportsCenter''. However, it turned out they weren't hired to be anchors, but as errand boys to do the anchors' bidding, causing the brothers to consider going back to the show, which was currently being hosted by then New York Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon (a ''Cheap Seats'' fan) and the "Score Settler," a character from the series, as the apparent new hosts of the show, but the stint was short when the Score Settler reacted furiously after Damon stole one of his lines. Before the last episode, ESPN Classic presented 12 previous episodes in a six hour "finale-a-thon."

''Cheap Seats'' reruns currently air on ESPN Classic. The reruns appear quite sporadically, with no set time slot. Selected episodes from the first season are available for purchase through the iTunes Store.

References

External links

Category:Non-fiction television series Category:2004 American television series debuts Category:2000s American television series Category:American comedy television series Category:ESPN Classic network shows Category:American sports television series Category:2006 American television series endings

Name	Steve Garvey
Position	First baseman
Bats	Right
Throws	Right
Birth date	December 22, 1948
Birth place	Tampa, Florida
Debutdate	September 1
Debutyear	1969
Debutteam	Los Angeles Dodgers
Finaldate	May 23
Finalyear	1987
Finalteam	San Diego Padres
Stat1label	Batting average
Stat1value	.294
Stat2label	Hits
Stat2value	2,599
Stat3label	Home runs
Stat3value	272
Stat4label	Runs batted in
Stat4value	1,308
Teams	Los Angeles Dodgers (–) San Diego Padres (–)
Highlights	10× All-Star (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1984, 1985) World Series champion () 4× Gold Glove Award winner (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977) 1974 NL MVP 2× All-Star Game MVP (1974, 1978) 2× NLCS MVP (1978, 1984) 1981 Roberto Clemente Award 1984 Lou Gehrig Memorial Award San Diego Padres #6 retired }}

Steven Patrick Garvey (born December 22, 1948), nicknamed "Mr. Clean" because of the squeaky clean image he held throughout his career in baseball, is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and current Southern California businessman. Garvey was the 1974 NL MVP, 10-time All-Star, and holds the National League record for consecutive games played (1,207).

Playing career

Born in Tampa, FL to parents who had recently relocated from Long Island, New York, from 1956 to 1961, Garvey was a bat boy for the Brooklyn Dodgers, New York Yankees and Detroit Tigers. Garvey played football and baseball at Michigan State University after graduating from Chamberlain High School. Garvey played his entire career in the National League West for two teams; the Los Angeles Dodgers (1969–82) and the San Diego Padres (1983–87). He batted right and threw right. In a 19-year career, Garvey was a .294 hitter with 272 home runs and 1308 RBI in 2332 games played.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Garvey was part of the most enduring infield in baseball history along with third baseman Ron Cey, shortstop Bill Russell and second baseman Davey Lopes. The four infielders stayed together as the Dodgers' starters for eight and a half years.

Garvey is one of only two players to have started an All-Star Game as a write-in vote, doing so in . That year he won the NL MVP award, and had the first of six 200-hit seasons. Only 15 players in all of Major League Baseball history have had six or more 200 hit seasons (as of the end of 2010).

Garvey set a National League record with 1207 consecutive games played, from September 3, 1975, to July 29, 1983. The streak ended when he broke his thumb in a collision at home plate against the Atlanta Braves. It is the fourth-longest such streak in Major League Baseball history.

In the 1978 National League Championship Series, Garvey hit four home runs, and added a double for five extra base hits, both marks tying Bob Robertson's 1971 NLCS record; Jeffrey Leonard would tie the NLCS home run record in the 1987 NLCS.

In , at a point in his career when it looked like he would one day rank among the game's all-time greats, Lawrence Ritter and Donald Honig included him in their book ''The 100 Greatest Baseball Players of All Time''.

San Diego Padres

In December 1982 Garvey signed with the Padres for $6.6 million over five years in what some felt was a "masterstroke" to General Manager Jack McKeon's effort to rebuild the team. Though San Diego had vastly outbid the Dodgers, McKeon particularly noted Garvey's value in providing a role model for younger players. Additionally, Garvey's "box office appeal"--his impending departure from the Dodgers provoked some Girl Scouts to picket the stadium—helped San Diego increase its season ticket sales increased by 6,000 seats in Garvey's first year. Sports Illustrated ranked the signing as the fifteenth best free agent signing ever as of 2008.

His first season in San Diego allowed him to break the National League's record for consecutive games played, a feat that landed him on the cover of Sports Illustrated as baseball's "Iron Man." (In an unusual homecoming, Garvey tied the record in his first appearance back at Dodger Stadium in Padre gold.)

It was Garvey's second season in San Diego, however, that would provide his highlight in a Padres uniform. Led by Garvey, winning his third National League Championship Series MVP award, the Padres won their first National League pennant over the Chicago Cubs in 1984. Game 4, "the best game of the series, and one of the best games in memory," provided a particularly notable effort by Garvey. His hot bat provided excellent insurance for the top of the order, including future Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, who drew an intentional walk that Garvey converted into one of his four crucial RBI. After supplying critical hits in the third, fifth, and seventh innings, Garvey capped off his efforts with a two-run walk-off home run off future all-time saves leader Lee Smith in the 9th inning. As he rounded third base, Garvey, who after the game would be compared by teammates to fictional baseball hero Roy Hobbs, was met by fellow Padres who later carried him off the field in celebration. Following the 7-5 Padres victory, grateful fans thronged against stadium barricades chanting Garvey's name. Garvey, about to play in his fifth World Series, called the experience "the greatest playoffs I've ever seen."

Honors

He is a member of the Irish American Hall of Fame and the Michigan State University Athletics Hall of Fame. Steve Garvey Junior High School, in Lindsay, California, is named for him. Garvey's jersey #6, worn when he was both a Padre and Dodger is retired by the Padres. His number was displayed at the site of his 1984 NLCS home run in right field at Qualcomm Stadium.

Post-baseball career

Garvey, a Republican who harbored political ambitions after baseball, earned the nickname "Senator" from teammates. Those aspirations diminished after the public learned embarrassing details of his personal life.

Also, starting in the mid 1980s he began the Steve Garvey celebrity Blue Marlin tournament, as well as the Steve Garvey celebrity skiing challenge. These were featured on episodes of the ESPN Classic show ''Cheap Seats'' during its four season run.

Since 1988 he has been running Garvey Communications mainly involved in television production including infomercials. He is also the host of ''Baseball's Greatest Games''. In addition he is hired out to do motivational speaking, mainly for corporations.

Garvey spent 15 years in the Community Affairs department for the Dodgers, where he was a greeter for VIP season ticket holders and a consultant for community relations. He was fired by the team on July 8, 2011 after some very public comments he made critical of Dodger owner Frank McCourt and his involvement in a group trying to take over ownership of the team.

Garvey, who made over $10 million in his career only to go broke afterwards, currently serves as a member of the board of the Baseball Assistance Team, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping former Major League, Minor League, and Negro League players through financial and medical hardships.

He currently resides in Los Angeles and Palm Desert, California.

Personal

Garvey, known as "Mr. Clean," carried such a record for unblemished personal behavior during his playing days that manager Tommy Lasorda once commented, "If he ever came to date my daughter, I'd lock the door and not let him out." In the mid to late-1980s, however, Garvey engaged in a series of simultaneous romantic relationships and fathering of children with multiple women that led to him being the subject of national ridicule.

At the age of 22 Garvey married Cyndy Garvey, "a prospective medical-school student, who dropped that ambition to be at Steve's side as he pursued his baseball career." They had two children, Krisha and Whitney. Their marriage lasted from 1971 until their divorce in 1983. Following a tempestuous marriage, she left Garvey for famed composer Marvin Hamlisch. (Cyndi would later claim Garvey "gave me away" to Hamlisch after a private two hour conversation.) Garvey later became romantically involved with his secretary, Judy Ross. Hiding it from Ross, Garvey began a simultaneous affair with CNN correspondent Rebecka Mendenhall. Garvey then added a third relationship when he became involved with San Diego medical products sales representative Cheryl Ann Moulton. Garvey discovered in July 1988 that Moulton was pregnant with his child, a pregnancy Garvey subsequently contended was intentional on Moulton's part but without his consent. (It ultimately took a court order before Garvey paid child support to Moulton.) He then proposed to Mendenhall because of what he termed her "ultimatum" in November 1988, while Moulton was several months pregnant with his child. Ross asserts that during this period—engaged to one woman and having a child with a second—Garvey then told her that he wished to be married to Ross and had broken up with Mendenhall. In January 1989, less than two weeks after nonetheless announcing his engagement to Mendenhall, Garvey became involved with a fourth woman, Candace Thomas, whom he met at a benefit for the Special Olympics. Over the next few weeks, Garvey and Thomas began a whirlwind courtship that included trips to the inauguration of President George H.W. Bush and the Super Bowl. Mendenhall, unaware that Garvey was romancing a fourth woman and believing she and the former All-Star were to be married, then discovered she, also, was pregnant with Garvey's child.

When these details became public, Garvey became the object of comedians' jokes and satirical bumper stickers as his post-baseball political ambitions were widely seen to have disappeared under the weight of the sex scandals. Garvey, in the midst of what he later termed a "midlife disaster," sued Cyndi, his ex-wife, for access to his two children. His daughters, who found his protestations of affection insincere, testified in court that they did not love their father and did not wish to see him. (Cyndi was briefly jailed for her refusal to allow Garvey access to the girls.) Under the shadow of multiple lawsuits and damage to his reputation, Garvey lost business opportunities, declared himself broke, and found himself paying half his monthly television earning in child support. He and Candace Thomas married in 1989. That same year Cyndy Garvey published a tell-all book in which she revealed the details of her marriage with Steve.

See also

List of major league players with 2,000 hits

MLB consecutive games played streaks

List of top 300 Major League Baseball home run hitters

References

External links

Steve Garvey.com

Baseball Library - biography and career highlights

The Baseball Page - profile and career analysis

Garvey's record-breaking 1,118^th cover @ Sports Illustrated (25 April 1983)

The Diamond Angle (article), By Ken Haag with James Floto and David Marasco; should Garvey be in the Hall of Fame

Steve Garvey Los Angeles Dodgers Online

Category:1948 births Category:Living people Category:Major League Baseball first basemen Category:Los Angeles Dodgers players Category:San Diego Padres players Category:National League All-Stars Category:Baseball players from Florida Category:Gold Glove Award winners Category:Major League Baseball All-Star Game MVPs Category:Michigan State Spartans baseball players Category:Major League Baseball announcers Category:People from Tampa, Florida Category:American people of Irish descent Category:Major League Baseball players with retired numbers Category:Los Angeles Dodgers Legend Bureau

fr:Steve Garvey ja:スティーブ・ガービー pl:Steve Garvey

name	Brian Wilson
alt	Brian Wilson performing in January 2007
landscape	yes
background	solo_singer
birth name	Brian Douglas Wilson
birth date	June 20, 1942
birth place	Inglewood, California, U.S.
death date
genre	Rock, pop, psychedelic rock, surf rock, experimental rock, baroque pop, art rock
occupation	Songwriter, bassist, pianist, vocalist, producer, composer, organist, arranger
instrument	Vocals, bass, piano, organ, synthesizers
years active	1961–present
label	Capitol/EMI RecordsSire/Reprise/Warner Bros. RecordsBrother/Reprise/Warner Bros. RecordsGiant/Warner Bros. RecordsCaribou/CBS RecordsNonesuch/Elektra RecordsWalt Disney Records
associated acts	The Beach Boys The Four Freshmen Jan and Dean Van Dyke Parks
url
notable instruments	Fender Precision BassBaldwin HT2R Theater Organ }}

Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, best known as the leader and chief songwriter of the group The Beach Boys. Within the band, Wilson played bass and keyboards, also providing part-time lead vocals and, more often, backing vocals, harmonizing in falsetto with the group. Besides being the primary composer in The Beach Boys, he also functioned as the band's main producer and arranger. Wilson was responsible for writing and soon produced most of the Beach Boys earliest and most successful music including more than two dozen Top 40 hits and a large portion of the songs on most of the bands 60's albums — many of which were co-written in part with cousin Mike Love.

In the mid-60's Wilson started to use his increasingly creative ambitions to compose music such as ''Pet Sounds'' which is considered one of the greatest albums of all time and the hit single "Good Vibrations". During this point in time his music was considered to rival that of "Lennon/McCartney". The intended follow up to Pet Sounds, ''Smile'' was cancelled due to various reasons including his deteriorating mental health and Wilson's life was derailed following years of drug abuse and mental illness. Wilson's contributions to The Beach Boys eventually became less and less as the years went by and his erratic behaviour led to tensions with the band. After years of treatment and recuperation he began a solo career in 1988 with ''Brian Wilson'', the same year that he and The Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Since then he has managed to fight his personal demons and tour for the first time in decades with a new band and release acclaimed albums such as a reworked version of ''Smile'', ''That Lucky Old Sun'', and ''Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin''.

Wilson has received a lot of well deserved recognition in the last 20 years for his music in the Beach Boys particularly the album Pet Sounds and many of his songs which are often considered some of the best music ever written. In 2008, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine published a list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", and ranked Wilson number 52. Wilson also won a Grammy Award in 2005 for "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (Fire)" as Best Rock Instrumental. He is also an occasional actor and voice actor, having appeared in television shows, films, and other artists' music videos. Though no longer a part of The Beach Boys touring band, Brian Wilson remains a member of the Beach Boys corporation, Brother Records Incorporated.

Life and career

Early years

Wilson was born on June 20, 1942 at Centinela Hospital in Inglewood, California. He was the eldest of three boys; his younger brothers were Dennis and Carl. When Brian was two, the Wilson family moved from Inglewood to 3701 West 119th Street in nearby Hawthorne, California, a town in the greater Los Angeles urban area about five miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. He spent his entire subsequent childhood years in this middle-class family home.

Brian Wilson's father Murry Wilson told of Brian's unusual musical abilities prior to his first birthday, observing that the baby could repeat the melody from "When the Caissons Go Rolling Along" after only a few verses had been sung by the father. Murry stated, "He was very clever and quick. I just fell in love with him."

At about age two, Brian heard George Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue", which had an enormous emotional impact on him. A few years later Brian was discovered to have extremely diminished hearing in his right ear. The exact cause of this hearing loss is unclear, though theories range from Brian's simply being born partially deaf, to a blow to the head from Brian's father, or a neighborhood bully, being to blame.

While father Murry was ostensibly a reasonable provider, he was often abusive. But Murry, a minor musician and songwriter, also encouraged his children in this field in numerous ways. At an early age, Brian was given six weeks of lessons on a "toy accordion", and at seven and eight sang solos in church with a choir behind him. By most accounts a natural leader by the time he began attending Hawthorne High School, Brian was on the football team as a quarterback, played baseball and was a cross-country runner in his senior year. However, most of his energy was directed toward music. He sang with various students at school functions and with his family and friends at home. Brian taught his two brothers harmony parts that all three would then practice when they were supposed to be asleep. He also played piano obsessively after school, deconstructing the harmonies of The Four Freshmen by listening to short segments of their songs on a phonograph, then working to recreate the blended sounds note by note on the keyboard. Brian received a Wollensak tape recorder on his sixteenth birthday, allowing him to experiment with recording songs and early group vocals.

First steps: Carl and the Passions

Wilson's surviving home tapes document his initial efforts singing with various buddies and family, including a song that would later be recorded in the studio by The Beach Boys, "Sloop John B", as well as "Bermuda Shorts" and a hymn titled "Good News". In his senior year at Hawthorne High, in addition to his classroom music studies, he would gather at lunchtime to sing with friends like Keith Lent and Bruce Griffin. Brian and Lent worked on a revised version of the tune "Hully Gully" to support the campaign of a classmate named Carol Hess who was running for senior class president. When performed for a full high school gathering, Brian's revised arrangement received a warm round of applause from the student audience.

Enlisting his cousin and often-time singing partner Mike Love, and Wilson's reluctant youngest brother Carl Wilson, Brian's next public performance featured more ambitious arrangements at a fall arts program at his high school. To entice Carl into the group, Wilson named the newly-formed membership "Carl and the Passions". The performance featured tunes by Dion and the Belmonts and The Four Freshmen ("It's a Blue World"), the latter of which proved difficult for the ensemble to carry off. However, the event was notable for the impression it made on another musician and classmate of Brian's who was in the audience that night, Al Jardine, later to join the three Wilson brothers and Mike Love in The Beach Boys.

Initial compositions and the Pendletones

Brian enrolled at El Camino Community College in Los Angeles, majoring in psychology, in September 1960. However, he continued his music studies at the college as well. At some point in the year 1961 Brian wrote his first all-original melody, loosely based on a Dion and the Belmonts version of "When You Wish Upon a Star". Brian's tune would eventually be known as "Surfer Girl". Brian has commented that he wrote the melody in his car, then later at home finished the bridge and harmonies. Although an early demo of the song was recorded in Feb. 1962 at World-Pacific Studios, it was not re-recorded and released until 1963, when it became a top ten hit.

Brian and his brothers Carl and Dennis Wilson along with Mike Love and Al Jardine first gelled as a music group in the summer of 1961, initially named the Pendletones. After being prodded by Dennis to write a song about the local water sports craze, Brian and Mike Love together created what would become the first single for the band, "Surfin'". Over Labor Day weekend 1961, Brian took advantage of the fact that his parents were in Mexico City for a couple days and intended to use the emergency money they had left for the boys to rent an amp, a microphone, and a stand-up bass. As it turned out, the money they had left was not enough to cover musical expenses, so Al Jardine appealed to his mother, Virginia for assistance. When she heard the group perform, she was suitably impressed and handed over $300 to help out. Al promptly took Brian to the music store where he was able to rent a stand-up bass. After two days of rehearsing in the Wilson's music room, Brian's parents returned home from their trip. Murry was irate, until Brian convinced him to listen to what they'd been up to. His father was convinced that the boys did indeed have something worth pursuing. He quickly proclaimed himself the group's manager and the band embarked on serious rehearsals for a proper studio session. Recorded by Hite and Dorinda Morgan and released on the small Candix label, "Surfin'" became a top local hit in Los Angeles and reached number seventy-five on the national ''Billboard'' sales charts.

Dennis later described the first time Brian heard their song on the radio as the three Wilson brothers (and soon-to-be-band member David Marks) drove in Brian's 1957 Ford in the rain: "Nothing will ever top the expression on Brian's face, ever ... THAT was the all-time moment."

However, the Pendletones were no more. Without the band's knowledge or permission, Candix Records had changed their name to The Beach Boys.

First performances and the quest for a major label

Brian Wilson and his bandmates, following a set by Ike and Tina Turner, performed their first major live show at The Ritchie Valens Memorial Dance on New Year's Eve, 1961. Three days previously, Brian's father had bought him an electric bass and amplifier; Brian had learned to play the instrument in that short period of time, with Al Jardine moving to rhythm guitar.

Looking for a followup single for their radio hit, Brian and Mike wrote "Surfin' Safari", and attempts were made to record a usable take at World Pacific, including overdubs, on February 8, 1962, along with several other tunes including an early version of "Surfer Girl". Only a few days later, discouraged about the band's financial prospects, and objecting to adding some Chubby Checker songs to The Beach Boys live setlist, Al Jardine abruptly left the group.

Murry Wilson had become The Beach Boys manager, and when Candix Records ran into money problems and sold the group's master recordings to another label, Murry terminated the contract. Brian, worried about The Beach Boys' future, asked his father to help his group make more recordings. But Murry and Hite Morgan (who at this point was their music publisher) were turned down by a number of Los Angeles record companies.

As "Surfin'" faded from the charts, Brian, who had forged a songwriting partnership with Gary Usher, created several new tunes, including a car song, "409", that Usher had helped write. Recruiting Carl and Dennis' friend, thirteen-year-old neighbor David Marks, who had been playing electric guitar (and practicing with Carl) for years, Brian and the revamped Beach Boys cut new tracks on April 19 at Western Recorders including an updated "Surfin' Safari" and "409". These tunes convinced Capitol Records to release the demos as a single; they became a double-sided national hit.

The Beach Boys and first success with Capitol Records

After signing with Capitol Records in mid-1962, Brian Wilson wrote or co-wrote a series of hit singles including the aforementioned "Surfin' Safari", "Surfin' USA", "Shut Down", "Little Deuce Coupe", "Be True to Your School", "In My Room", "Fun, Fun, Fun", "I Get Around", "Dance, Dance, Dance", "Help Me Rhonda", "California Girls" and "Good Vibrations". These songs and their accompanying albums were internationally popular, making The Beach Boys one of the biggest acts of their time.

Recording sessions for the band's first album took place in Capitol's basement studios (in the famous tower building) in August 1962, but early on Brian lobbied for a different place to cut Beach Boy tracks. The large rooms were built to record the big orchestras and ensembles of the 50s, not small rock groups. At Brian's insistence, Capitol agreed to let The Beach Boys pay for their own outside recording sessions, which Capitol would own all the rights to, and in return the band would receive a higher royalty rate on their record sales. Additionally, although it was very rare at the time for rock and roll band members to have a say in the process of making their records, during the taping of their first LP Brian fought for, and won, the right to be totally in charge of the production- though his first acknowledged liner notes production credit did not come until the band's third album ''Surfer Girl'', in 1963.

January 1963 saw the recording of the first top-ten (cresting at #3 in the United States) Beach Boys single, "Surfin' USA", which began their long run of highly successful recording efforts at Hollywood's Western Recorders on Sunset Boulevard. It was during the sessions for this single that Brian made the production decision from that point on to use doubletracking on the group's vocals, resulting in a deeper and more resonant sound.

The tune, adapted from (and eventually entirely credited to) Chuck Berry, is widely seen as emblematic of the early 60s American rock cultural experience. The ''Surfin' USA'' album was also a big hit in the United States, reaching number two on the national sales charts by early July, 1963. Brian and his group had become a top-rank recording and touring music band.

Early era as writer/producer

Brian was first credited as The Beach Boys' producer on the ''Surfer Girl'' album, recorded in June and July 1963 and released in September 1963. This LP reached #7 on the national charts on the strength of songs like the ballad "In My Room", later released as a single; "Catch a Wave"; and "Little Deuce Coupe", which was released as a double-sided single with the album's title track, both top-15 hits.

He also began working with other artists in this period. On July 20, 1963, "Surf City", which he had co-written with Jan and Dean, was the first surfing song to reach the pinnacle of the sales charts. While Brian was excited and happy, his father (and still-manager) Murry and Capitol Records were less than thrilled. Indeed, openly enraged by Brian's chart-topping effort for what he saw as a rival band, Murry went so far as to order his oldest son to sever any further efforts with Jan and Dean.

Brian's other non-Beach Boy work in this period included tracks by The Honeys, Sharon Marie, The Timers, and The Survivors. Feeling that surfing songs had become limiting, Brian decided to produce a set of largely car-oriented tunes for The Beach Boys' fourth album ''Little Deuce Coupe'', which was released in October 1963, only three weeks after the ''Surfer Girl'' LP. The departure of guitarist David Marks from the band that month meant that Brian was forced to resume touring with The Beach Boys, for a time reducing his availability in the recording studio.

Artistic growth

Brian became known for his unique use of vocal harmonies, his trademark style of lyrics and incessant studio perfectionism. Early influences on his music included not only the previously mentioned Four Freshmen and Chuck Berry, but also the work of record producer Phil Spector, the latter of whom obsessed Wilson for years. He later considered The Beatles to be his chief rivals, and they in turn would cite his work as a major influence. Wilson also produced records for other artists, but to much lesser success, with the exception of Jan and Dean, for whom Wilson co-wrote several hit songs. Following a nervous breakdown onboard a flight from L.A. to Houston in 1964, Wilson stopped performing live with the Beach Boys in an effort to concentrate solely on songwriting and studio production. Glen Campbell was called in as his temporary stand-in for live performances,|}} As he began work on the new project, ''Pet Sounds'', Wilson formed a temporary songwriting partnership with lyricist Tony Asher. Wilson, who had recorded the album's instrumentation with The Wrecking Crew, then gathered with The Beach Boys to record vocal overdubs, following their return from a tour of Japan. Upon hearing what Wilson had created for the first time in 1965, the group, particularly Mike Love, was somewhat critical of their leader's music,

During the ''Pet Sounds'' sessions, Wilson had been working on another song, which was held back from inclusion on the record as he felt that it was not sufficiently complete. The song, "Good Vibrations", set a new standard for musicians, and what could be achieved in the recording studio. Recorded in multiple sessions and in numerous studios, the song eventually cost $50,000 to record within a six month period. In October 1966, the song was released as a single, giving The Beach Boys their third U.S. number-one hit—alongside "I Get Around" and "Help Me, Rhonda"—and it sold over a million copies.

''Smile'', group tension and Brother Records

With the surprising success of "Good Vibrations", Capitol Records had no choice but to back Wilson up for his next project, originally called ''Dumb Angel'' Soon after, ''Smile'' was abandoned, and Wilson would not return to complete it until 2004, when it was released as a Brian Wilson album of the same name. Van Dyke Parks later noted, "...Brian had a nervous collapse. What broke his heart was ''Sgt. Pepper''." Writing for ''The Guardian'' in December 1999, Will Hodgkinson summarized the main reasons for the eventual demise of Wilson's ambitious project;

:[A] combination of factors, including litigations against the record company and increasing animosity between Wilson and the rest of the band, meant that in May 1967 Wilson pulled the plug on the record... [Mike] Love had already dismissed "Good Vibrations "as "avant-garde shit" and objected to the way Wilson, Parks and a group of highly skilled session musicians were creating music way beyond his understanding... By March 1967, the bad feeling got too much for Parks and, having no desire to break up The Beach Boys, he walked out.

Following the cancellation of ''Smile'', The Beach Boys relocated to a recording studio within the confines of Brian Wilson's mansion, where the hastily compiled ''Smiley Smile'' album was assembled, along with a number of future Beach Boys records. This marked the end of Wilson's leadership within the band, and has been seen to be "the moment when the Beach Boys first started slipping from the vanguard to nostalgia."

Mental illness

Psychologically overwhelmed by the cancellation of ''Smile'', and the birth of his first child Carnie Wilson in 1968, Wilson began having a diminished creative role with The Beach Boys. Until about 1970 he remained the group's principal songwriter, but increasingly production reins were handed to younger brother Carl. Carl Wilson mostly oversaw the albums ''Smiley Smile'', ''Wild Honey'', and ''Friends'' (a personal favorite of Brian's), which only performed modestly on the charts. After that, Brian Wilson all but stopped writing songs and was frequently seen partying in the company of songwriter Tandyn Almer and Three Dog Night singer Danny Hutton. It was during this period that he was introduced to cocaine. The 1969 album ''20/20'' was made mostly without Wilson's participation, although the Wilson/Love-authored "Do It Again" was a major hit, topping the charts in the UK.

Wilson spent the majority of the following three years in his bedroom sleeping, taking drugs, and overeating. During this time, his voice deteriorated significantly as a result of chain smoking, drug ingestion and neglect. Many of his "new" contributions to Beach Boys albums were remnants of ''Smile'' (e.g., "Cabinessence", "Surf's Up"), and those that were genuinely new reflected his depression and growing detachment from the world ("'Til I Die", the EP "Mount Vernon and Fairway"). Reportedly, Warner Bros. Records was so desperate for material from Wilson that the single "We Got Love" (co-written by Ricky Fataar, Blondie Chaplin, and Love) was scrapped from the ''Holland'' album in favor of "Sail On, Sailor", a song mostly written by committee (including Chaplin, Almer and Parks) that happened to draw its initial germ from a Wilson chord sequence.

In 1975, Wilson's wife and family enlisted the services of controversial therapist Eugene Landy in a bid to help Wilson, and hopefully help revive the group's ailing profile. Wilson did not stay under Landy's care for long, but during this short period, the doctor managed to help him into a more productive, social frame of mind. The new album ''15 Big Ones'', consisting of oldies and some new songs was released in 1976 and Wilson began to regularly appear live on stage with the band. A Love-orchestrated publicity campaign announced that "Brian is Back". He was also deemed to be well enough to do a solo performance on ''Saturday Night Live'' in November 1976. In 1977, the cult favorite ''Love You'' was released, consisting almost entirely of new material written and performed by Wilson. He continues to say it is his favorite Beach Boys album.

By 1982, Eugene Landy was once more called into action, and a more radical program was undertaken to try to restore Wilson to health. This involved firing him from The Beach Boys, isolating him from his family on Hawaii, and putting him onto a rigorous diet and health regimen. This, coupled with long, extreme counseling sessions, continued to bring Wilson back to reality. He lost a tremendous amount of weight, was certainly healthier and more conversant than previously, but he was also under a strict level of control by Landy. Wilson's recovery continued as he joined the band on stage in Live Aid in 1985, and recorded the album ''The Beach Boys'' with the group.

Dr. Landy provided a Svengali-like environment for Wilson, controlling his every movement in his life, including his musical direction. Landy's misconduct would eventually lead to the loss of his psychologist license, as well as a court-ordered removal and restraining order from Wilson.

Some years later, during his second marriage, Wilson was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type which supposedly caused him to hear voices in his head. By 1989 the rumor was that Brian either had a stroke or had abused too many drugs and was permanently "fried". a neurological condition marked by involuntary, repetitive movements, that develops in about 20% of patients treated with antipsychotic drugs for a long period of time. Wilson's drug regimen has now been reduced to a mild combination of antidepressants, and he has resumed recording and performing.

The effects of Brian Wilson's mental illness on his parenting skills were discussed by Wilson's daughter Wendy during her appearance in an episode of the British reality television program ''Supernanny''. Wilson's daughter Carnie and granddaughter Lola also made an appearance on the episode.

Solo career

Wilson launched a career as a solo artist in 1988 with limited success. It is possible that his efforts in this regard were both encouraged and hampered by Landy's influence. Partly due to the control that Landy exercised on his life, Wilson stopped working with The Beach Boys on a regular basis after the release of ''The Beach Boys'' in 1985. He had been signed to a solo record deal with Sire Records by label boss Seymour Stein.

Wilson's first solo album, ''Brian Wilson'', released in 1988, was favorably reviewed in the music press, but sold poorly. A memoir, ''Wouldn't It Be Nice - My Own Story'', was released in 1990, in which he spoke about his troubled relationship with his abusive father Murry, his internal disputes with the Beach Boys, and his "lost years" of mental illness. Although it was written following interviews with Brian and others and released with Brian's name as co-author, Landy was largely responsible for the direction of the book, in conjunction with ''People'' magazine writer Todd Gold. The book describes Landy in terms that could be called messianic. In a later lawsuit over the book, instigated by several family members including his brother Carl and mother Audree, Wilson testified in court that he hadn't even read the final manuscript. As a result, the book was taken out of press some years later. A second solo album made for Sire under the aegis of Landy, entitled ''Sweet Insanity'', was never released after being rejected by the record label. Landy's illegal use of psychotropic drugs on Wilson and his influence over Wilson's financial affairs was legally ended by Carl Wilson and other members of the Wilson family. A court appointed conservator was appointed to oversee Wilson's financial and legal affairs.

In 1995, Wilson married Melinda Ledbetter, a car saleswoman and former model he met several years earlier while still under the care of Eugene Landy. The couple adopted five children: two girls, Daria Rose and Delanie Rae, in 1998; a boy, Dylan, in 2004; a boy, Dash Tristan; and a girl, Dakota Rose, in 2010 in 2009. Wilson has two daughters from his first marriage to Marilyn Rovell: Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, who would go on to musical success of their own in the early 1990s as two-thirds of Wilson Phillips.

Also in 1995, he released two albums, albeit neither containing any new original Wilson material, almost simultaneously. The first, the soundtrack to Don Was's documentary ''I Just Wasn't Made for These Times'', consists of re-recorded versions of songs from his Beach Boys and solo catalogue produced by Was, along with a 1976-vintage demo recording. The second, ''Orange Crate Art'', saw Wilson as lead vocalist, multitracked many times over, on an album of songs produced, arranged and (mostly) written by Van Dyke Parks, and was released as a duo album under both men's names.

His final release as part of the group was on the 1996 album ''Stars and Stripes Vol. 1'', a group collaboration with select country music artists singing the lead vocals. After considerable mental recovery, he mended his relationship with his daughters Carnie and Wendy and the three of them released an album in 1997 titled ''The Wilsons''.

In 1996 Wilson sang backup on Belinda Carlisle's "California."

Wilson released a second solo album of mostly new material, ''Imagination'', in 1998. Following this, he received extensive vocal coaching to improve his voice, and learned to cope with his stage fright and started to play live for the first time in decades, going on to play the whole ''Pet Sounds'' album live on his tours of the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe.

A new studio album, ''Gettin' in Over My Head'', was released on June 22, 2004. It featured collaborations with Elton John, Paul McCartney, Eric Clapton, and Wilson's deceased brother Carl. Clapton played on the track "City Blues." The album was almost entirely composed of re-recordings of unreleased material, and received mixed reviews.

Brian Wilson has recently contributed a cover of Buddy Holly's "Listen To Me" for the upcoming tribute album, Listen to Me: Buddy Holly to be released on September 6th, 2011.

''Smile'' resurrected

With the improvements in his mental health, Wilson found himself able to contemplate returning to the ''Smile'' project. Aided by musician and long time fan Darian Sahanaja of The Wondermints, and lyricist Van Dyke Parks, Brian painstakingly worked throughout 2003 to release the album. In February 2004, 37 years after it was conceived, Wilson debuted the newly completed ''Smile'' at the Royal Festival Hall in London and throughout a subsequent UK tour.

The debut performance at the RFH was a defining moment for Brian. The documentary DVD of the event shows Brian preparing for the big day and, right up to show time, expressing doubts over the concept of putting this legendary work before the public. After an opening set of Beach Boys classics, he climbed back on stage for a rousing performance of the album. A 10-minute standing ovation followed the concert; the DVD shows a sprinkling of rock luminaries in the crowd, such as Roger Daltrey, Paul Weller, Sir George Martin and Sir Paul McCartney (although neither Martin nor McCartney attended the opening night, contrary to what the DVD implies).

''Smile'' was then recorded through April to June and released in September, to wide critical acclaim. The release hit #13 on the Billboard chart. The 2004 recording featured his backup/touring band, including Beach Boys guitarist Jeff Foskett, members of the Wondermints and backup singer Taylor Mills. In this version, "Good Vibrations" features Tony Asher's original lyrics in the verses, instead of Mike Love's lyrics from the released 1966 version.

Wilson won his only Grammy Award in 2005 for the track "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow (Fire)" as Best Rock Instrumental. In 2004 ''Smile'' was taken on the road for a thorough tour of Australia, New Zealand and Europe. In December 2005, he also released ''What I Really Want for Christmas'' for Arista Records. The release hit #200 on the Billboard chart, though sales were modest. Wilson's remake of the classic "Deck The Halls" became a surprise Top 10 Adult Contemporary hit.

Though no longer a part of The Beach Boys touring band, Brian Wilson remains a member of the Beach Boys corporation, Brother Records Incorporated.

Post-''Smile'' to ''That Lucky Old Sun''

thumb|Brian Wilson and his group performing In Europe in 2005.In February 2005, Wilson had a cameo in the TV series ''Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century'' as Daffy Duck's spiritual surfing advisor. He also appeared in the 2005 holiday episode of ''Extreme Makeover: Home Edition'', performing "Deck the Halls" for a group of children with xeroderma pigmentosum (hypersensitivity to sunlight) at Walt Disney World Resort. On July 2, 2005, Wilson performed for the Live 8 concert in Berlin, Germany.

In September 2005, Wilson arranged a charity drive to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina, wherein people who donated $100 or more would receive a personal phone call from Wilson. According to the website, over $250K was raised. In November 2005, former bandmate Mike Love sued Wilson over "shamelessly misappropriating... Love's songs, likeness, and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the 'Smile' album itself" in the promotion of ''Smile''. The lawsuit was ultimately thrown out of court on grounds that it was meritless.

On November 1, 2006, Wilson kicked off a small but highly anticipated tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of ''Pet Sounds''. He was joined by Al Jardine.

Wilson released a new album ''That Lucky Old Sun'' on September 2, 2008. The piece originally debuted in a series of September 2007 concerts at London's Royal Festival Hall, and in January 2008 at Sydney's State Theatre while headlining the Sydney Festival. Wilson describes the piece as "consisting of five 'rounds', with interspersed spoken word". A series of US and UK concerts led up to its release.

On September 30, 2008, Seattle's Light in the Attic Records released ''A World of Peace Must Come'', a collaboration between Wilson and Stephen Kalinich, originally recorded in 1969, but later lost in Kalinich's closet.

''Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin'' (2009–present)

In summer 2009, Wilson was approached by the Gershwin estate to record an album of covers of classic Gershwin songs, and to complete two piano pieces left unfinished by Gershwin at his death. The album, ''Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin'', was released on August 17, 2010 on Disney's Pearl label. ''Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin'' hit #1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. Wilson signed a two-record deal with Disney; the second album will be a collection of classic Disney movie songs.

Biographical Movie

''The Tree of Life'' producer Bill Pohlad and veteran television writer/producer John Wells (''E.R.'', ''The West Wing'') have teamed to develop a drama based on Wilson's personal and professional story. They've acquired life rights from Wilson and his wife, Melinda, and hired Oren Moverman, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter behind the offbeat Bob Dylan film ''I'm Not There'', to write a script.

Awards and recognitions

Wilson and the Beach Boys were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame in January 1988, alongside The Beatles and Bob Dylan.

In 2000, Wilson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Paul McCartney introduced Brian, referring to him as "one of the great American geniuses."

In March 2001, TNT and Radio City Music Hall hosted "An All-Star Tribute to Brian Wilson." This event featured performances and appearances by Elton John, Billy Joel, Chazz Palminteri host, David Crosby, Dennis Hopper, Paul Simon, Carly Simon, The Go-Go's, Cameron Crowe, Sir George Martin, Vince Gill, Brian's daughters Carnie & Wendy Wilson along with Chynna Phillips (Wilson Phillips), Jimmy Webb, Darius Rucker, Matthew Sweet, Ann and Nancy Wilson of (Heart), The Boys Choir of Harlem, and others.

''Pet Sounds'' has been ranked as one of the most influential records in popular music, and has been ranked #1 on several music magazines' lists of the greatest albums of all time. It is ranked #2 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

On May 10, 2004, Wilson was honored as a BMI Icon at the 52nd annual BMI Pop Awards. He was saluted for his "unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers."

A 2005 concert, "Musicares: A Tribute to Brian Wilson," was held in Wilson's honor, during which he was named MusiCares Person of the Year. Performers included Jeff Beck, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Earth Wind & Fire, Barenaked Ladies, and The Backstreet Boys, among others.

On May 20, 2005, Wilson and the five other original-era Beach Boys were honored with the unveiling of the Beach Boys Historic Landmark on the former site of the Wilson family home in Hawthorne, California.

In 2005, Wilson won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for Mrs. O'Leary's Cow.

In November 2006, Wilson was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour. Wilson performed "God Only Knows" and "Good Vibrations" at the ceremony.

On December 2, 2007, the Kennedy Center Honors committee recognized Wilson for a lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts in music.

May 20, 2011, Wilson received the UCLA George and Ira Gershwin Award at UCLA Spring Sing.

Discography

''Brian Wilson'' (July 12, 1988)

''I Just Wasn't Made for These Times'' (August 15, 1995)

''Orange Crate Art'' (with Van Dyke Parks) (October 24, 1995)

''Imagination'' (June 16, 1998)

''Live at the Roxy Theatre'' (June, 2000)

''Pet Sounds Live'' (June 11, 2002)

''Gettin' in Over My Head'' (June 22, 2004)

''Smile'' (September 28, 2004)

''What I Really Want for Christmas'' (October 18, 2005)

''That Lucky Old Sun'' (September 2, 2008)

''Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin'' (August 17, 2010)

''In The Key Of Disney'' (October 25, 2011)

Additional Appearances:

''The Wilsons'' (1997)

See also

List of songs by Brian Wilson

Beach Boys Historic Landmark

A Tribute To Brian Wilson - Radio City Music Hall (March 29, 2001)

Notes

References

Badman, Keith. ''The Beach Boys: The Definitive Diary of America's Greatest Band on Stage and in the Studio'' (Backstreet Books, 2004). ISBN 0-87930-818-4.

Carlin, Peter Ames. ''Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson'' (Rodale Inc., 2006). ISBN 13 978-1-59486-749-1.

Leaf, David. ''The Beach Boys and the California Myth'' (Kingsport Press, 1978). ISBN 0-89471-412-0.

Lambert, Philip. ''Inside the Music of Brian Wilson: the songs, sounds and influences of the Beach Boys' founding genius'' (Continuum International Publishing Group Inc., 2007). ISBN 13 978 0 8264 1877 7.

Stebbins, Jon. ''The Lost Beach Boy'' (Virgin Books Ltd, 2007). ISBN 978-1-8522-7391-0.

External links

Official site

2004 Larry King Transcript where they speak about Wilson's mental illness

"After the wipe out" by Ginny Dougary in ''The Guardian'' (June 1, 2002)

"Four Decades Later, Wilson's 'Smile' Hits London" Audio review at NPR (February 25, 2004)

SMiLE Timeline

Brian Wilson Pictures from 2007 Consumer Electronics Show performance

January 2009 Interview with L.A. Record

This list of "outside productions" by members of the Beach Boys includes records Brian produced and-or wrote for other artists throughout his career

Cabin Essence, Web Page for Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson's Wave by Peter Ames Carlin, ''American Heritage'', August/September 2004.

Category:American composers Category:American record producers Category:American rock bass guitarists Category:Grammy Award winners Category:MusiCares Person of the Year Honorees Category:Kennedy Center honorees Category:Sire Records artists Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Nonesuch Records artists Category:Musicians from California Category:People from the Greater Los Angeles Area Category:People with bipolar disorder Category:Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees Category:The Beach Boys members Category:1942 births Category:Songwriters from California Category:Living people Category:People with schizophrenia Category:American people of Swedish descent

cs:Brian Wilson da:Brian Wilson de:Brian Wilson es:Brian Wilson fr:Brian Wilson is:Brian Wilson it:Brian Wilson he:בריאן וילסון hu:Brian Wilson nl:Brian Wilson ja:ブライアン・ウィルソン no:Brian Wilson nn:Brian Wilson pl:Brian Wilson pt:Brian Wilson ru:Уилсон, Брайан simple:Brian Wilson fi:Brian Wilson sv:Brian Wilson uk:Вілсон Браян Дуґлас

name	Jonathan Papelbon
team	Boston Red Sox
number	58
position	Relief pitcher
birth date	November 23, 1980
birth place	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
bats	Right
throws	Right
debutdate	July 31
debutyear	2005
debutteam	Boston Red Sox
statyear	August 19, 2011
stat1label	Win-loss record
stat1value	23–18
stat2label	Earned run average
stat2value	2.31
stat3label	Strikeouts
stat3value	489
stat4label	Saves
stat4value	217
teams	Boston Red Sox (–present)
awards	4× All-Star selection (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) World Series Champion (2007) 2007 This Year in Baseball Closer of the Year Award 2007 DHL Delivery Man of the Year Award 2007 Babe Ruth Award Holds Major League record for most consecutive scoreless innings to start a postseason career (26). Fewest appearances to reach 200 saves. First pitcher to achieve 30 or more saves in each of their first five years of major league service. }}

Jonathan Robert Papelbon (; born November 23, 1980 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana) is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball. He bats and throws right-handed.

He was the Red Sox closer during most of 2006. In early September, Papelbon injured his shoulder. When the Red Sox were eliminated from playoff contention, he was shut down for the rest of the season to rest. Papelbon was being groomed to be part of the Red Sox starting rotation, but because of his shoulder problems, was later moved back to the bullpen before the start of the season and remained the team's closer. On August 21, 2007, Papelbon had his 30th save of the season making him the first Boston pitcher to ever have two 30-save seasons. As of July 1, 2009, Papelbon holds the record of most saves by a Red Sox pitcher, beating Bob Stanley's previous record of 132 saves.

Early career

High school

Papelbon was a three-time All-City honoree while playing in high school for Bishop Kenny High School in Jacksonville, FL. Early in his senior year, he committed to play college baseball for Mississippi State.

College: Mississippi State

Papelbon was a closer for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. He had a 9–6 record, 13 saves, and 2.90 ERA in his three years on the team in relief. During his time at MSU, the Bulldogs appeared in the 2001 and 2003 NCAA Tournaments and won the 2001 SEC Tournament. In the summer after his freshman year, Papelbon played with the Silver Spring-Takoma Park Thunderbolts in suburban D.C. The team is a part of a wooden bat league for college players. During the subsequent summers of his college career Papelbon played for the Danville Dans, a summer baseball team located in Danville, Illinois. Soon after arriving in Danville he easily became a crowd favorite and led the team to a CICL championship. Papelbon graduated from Mississippi State in 2003.

Minor leagues

After a 13–10 record for Class-A Lowell Spinners and Sarasota Red Sox from 2003–04, Papelbon was 5–2 in 14 starts for Double-A Portland in 2005. Promoted to Triple-A Pawtucket, he went 1–2 with a 3.57 ERA in four starts, walking two and striking out 21 in 22.1 innings.

Major league career

2003–2005

Papelbon was drafted in the 4th round in , a year after the Oakland Athletics picked him in the 40th round. He did not sign with Oakland because he wanted one more year in college to pitch and a chance to get to the College World Series, which his team failed to do. The Philadelphia Phillies had called him in round six to ask if he would sign if they drafted him, but he rejected the offer. Finally, the Red Sox drafted him the next year in the third round.

Papelbon made his major league debut with the Red Sox on July 31, against the Minnesota Twins, in which he went 5⅓ innings, struck out seven batters, and issued five walks in Boston's 4–3 victory. He did not receive a decision. He earned his first major league win on September 12, 2005, pitching three scoreless innings in an extra-inning game against the Toronto Blue Jays. In two postseason appearances in 2005, he pitched four scoreless innings against the eventual World Series Champion Chicago White Sox. The Red Sox had plans of slotting Papelbon into their starting rotation prior to the regular season in 2006. However, the incumbent closer, Keith Foulke, proved to be ineffective trying to come back from an injury-plagued 2005.

2006–2007

In April 2006, he changed his hair to a Mohawk style, after Charlie Sheen's character Ricky Vaughn from the film ''Major League'' due to a wager with teammate Kevin Youkilis in which they bet whether he could start the season with 10 scoreless innings.

On April 5, the second game of the 2006 season, Papelbon recorded his first career save in Texas. On April 29, 2006, he set a major league record with his 10th save, against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. No rookie in major league baseball history had recorded that many saves in the month of April.

The 25-year-old closer finished 2006 with one of the most dominant seasons ever for a rookie reliever. Papelbon saved 35 games, struck out 75 batters in 68 innings, and held opposing batters to a .167 batting average.

On October 11, 2007, Papelbon was named the 2007 winner of the "DHL Presents the Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award." Papelbon garnered 39,043 votes out of almost 125,000 votes cast.

After the Boston Red Sox clinched the American League East title in 2007, Papelbon celebrated the victory by Irish step dancing in the middle of the Fenway Park diamond to the Dropkick Murphys' song "I'm Shipping Up to Boston", a song which he now is introduced to. Following the Red Sox American League Championship Series victory, he repeated his dance performance on the field with members of the band. For a third time, Papelbon did his dance on a flat bed truck with the World Series trophy over his head along with the Dropkick Murphys playing live during the Sox' Championship "Rolling Rally" Parade.

In late 2007 on Dan Patrick's radio show, David Ortiz revealed a friendly clubhouse wager that stated that Papelbon must perform his signature celebratory dance on demand for people wearing Boston Red Sox apparel. Terms of the bet were not disclosed, but it is rumored that Ortiz wagered 20 cases of Vitamin Water against Papelbon's offer of 1 free car from The Westville Motorsports Megastore, a local dealership he endorses. In Game 2 of the World Series Papelbon was brought in with the bases empty and 2 outs in the eight with the Red Sox leading 2–1 to face the Rockies best hitter, Matt Holliday. Papelbon gave up a single to Holliday before picking off Holliday to end the inning. Papelbon pitched a one-two-three ninth for the save.

In Game 4 of the 2007 World Series, he entered in the 8th inning to shut down the Colorado Rockies comeback, and pitched until the 9th where he threw the game-winning strikeout for the Red Sox as they clinched the 2007 Championship. He is well known for his victory jump with Jason Varitek.

2008–present

On March 6, 2008, Papelbon agreed to terms with the Boston Red Sox for $775,000. Papelbon's deal set the record for the largest contract for a closer not eligible for salary arbitration, topping Mariano Rivera's previous record by $25,000. Boston was under no obligation to pay Papelbon more than the league minimum of $390,000. On January 20, 2009, Papelbon agreed to a one-year $6.25 million contract with the Red Sox, avoiding arbitration. This is the largest contract for a closer in his first year of arbitration eligibility. Papelbon recorded his 100th career save on July 13, 2008. Among pitchers who have thrown at least 200 innings, Jonathan Papelbon's 0.930 WHIP through 2008 is the lowest in major league history.

Papelbon criticized former teammate Manny Ramirez in the April 2009 issue of ''Esquire'' magazine.

On June 29, 2009, Papelbon gained his 132nd save, in a 4–0 shut out against the Baltimore Orioles, tying Bob Stanley's record for most saves by a Red Sox pitcher. Two days later on July 1, Papelbon recorded his 133rd save with the Red Sox, starting a new record. On July 5, 2009, Jonathan was selected to represent Boston at the 2009 All Star Game.

Papelbon has been cited repeatedly for his slow play; on September 4, 2009 it was reported that he had been fined $5,000 for failing to deliver his first pitch within the required time in a September 1 appearance. Papelbon told the Boston Herald that he had been cited on at least five occasions and fined more than $10,000 for these violations. Papelbon jokingly added, "I think they're going to call my parole officer and put me away."

In the 2009 ALDS, Game 3, Boston down 2 games to none, Papelbon blew the save (causing Boston to be swept), allowing 4 hits, 3 runs, all of the runs scoring with 2 out. His difficulties continued into the next season. In 2010, he blew eight saves, leaving the possibility of him being traded elsewhere. The Red Sox ended up keeping Papelbon as their closer, and his productivity has seemingly improved over the 2011 season. On June 7, 2011, Papelbon recorded his 200th career save, and achieved the mark in the fewest number of appearances (359), beating Mariano Rivera's mark in 382 appearances.

Papelbon will become a free agent after the 2011 season.

Personal life

His mother, Sheila, played softball at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and his father, John, is the Deputy Director of the Ted Williams Museum and Hitters Hall of Fame in St. Petersburg, Florida. Jonathan is the older brother of twins Josh Papelbon, former pitcher for the Brockton Rox, and Jeremy Papelbon, former pitcher for the Tennessee Smokies, the double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs.

Papelbon and his wife, Ashley, live in Hattiesburg, Mississippi and Wayland, Massachusetts. On December 29, 2008, Ashley gave birth to the couple's first child, a daughter. On April 17, 2010, Ashley gave birth to the couple's second child, a son.

He appeared on ''The Late Show with David Letterman'' on October 31, 2007, after the Red Sox won the 2007 World Series. On December 20, 2007, Papelbon claimed that his dog "Boss," chewed up the ball that recorded the final out of the 2007 World Series.

Papelbon is an avid fan of the Jacksonville Jaguars and attends games at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium after the completion of the baseball season.

Achievements

4x All-Star (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009)

Holds the single-season record for most saves in a season by a Red Sox rookie (2006).

Second in 2006 American League Rookie of the Year voting to Justin Verlander.

First pitcher in Red Sox franchise history to have three 30 save seasons.

Holds the Major League record for most consecutive scoreless innings to start a postseason career (25).

Holds the Red Sox team record of most saves.

Only pitcher to record 25 saves in each of his first five full seasons; he has gone beyond that and recorded 30 in each of those years. Fastest pitcher in MLB history to reach 200 career saves.;

See also

List of Major League Baseball all-time saves leaders

References

External links

ESPN: "Red Sox believe Papelbon is the real deal"

Sports Illustrated: "Late & Great" by Tom Verducci

Jonathan Papelbon Video at FoxSports Video Archive

Jonathan Papelbon Contract Price in the Fantasy Baseball Stock Exchange

Category:1980 births Category:Living people Category:Bishop Kenny High School alumni Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:American League All-Stars Category:Boston Red Sox players Category:People from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Category:Major League Baseball pitchers Category:Baseball players from Louisiana Category:Mississippi State Bulldogs baseball players Category:People from Hattiesburg, Mississippi Category:Lowell Spinners players Category:Sarasota Red Sox players Category:Portland Sea Dogs players Category:Pawtucket Red Sox players

fr:Jonathan Papelbon ko:조너선 파펠본 ja:ジョナサン・パペルボン pt:Jonathan Papelbon zh:喬納森·派柏邦