Since the heyday of the Beach Boys in the early and mid 60s, Brian Wilson has suffered a number of personal problems, and the group has never been the commercial force it was then. However, Brian Wilson has continued to compose and perform music to the present time, and his recent return to the concert stage has been hailed as one of the greatest comebacks in rock music history. He has recently achieved significant commercial and critical success with the completion, performance and release of "SMiLE", the album that was meant to follow "Pet Sounds" but was abandoned before it was completed.

Many other serious pop and rock artists have expressed how much Brian Wilson's music has influenced them. Recent activities such as the 2001 TNT tribute in New York City to Brian, performances at Glastonbury and Live 8 in 2005, the induction to the UK Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 and Kennedy Centre honours in 2007 have raised Brian's public profile. His place as one of the leading musical geniuses of the current era is secure for a very long time.

Dennis Wilson born 12/4/44, Hawthorne, CA, died 12/28/83
Carl Wilson born 12/21/46, Hawthorne, CA, died 2/6/98
Brian Wilson born 6/20/42, Hawthorne, CA,
Mike Love born 3/15/41, Los Angeles, CA,
Alan Jardine born 9/3/42, Lima, OH,

Brian Wilson quit touring on a regular with the rest of the band from 1965 onwards to concentrate on making records in the studio, and also because he didn't enjoy the touring. Glen Campbell replaced him briefly on tour, and then Bruce Johnston replaced him on a more permanent basis. Bruce has been with the band most of the time since then and is still in the official touring Beach Boys. Aside from the classic line-up, he has probably the most right to be called a Beach Boy.

Others who have been regarded as official Beach Boys for a while in the early 1970s include Rikki Fataar and Blondie Chaplin, who were in a South African group called Flame before joining the Beach Boys, and David Marks who played guitar in the 1962-63 period when Al Jardine left the group briefly.

Brian Wilson was very active in 2004, probably his most active year since the heyday of the Beach Boys. His third studio album of new material "Gettin' Over My Head" was released on June 22 2004 (June 21 in Europe). He premiered the legendary "lost" album SMiLE during a European tour in February and March 2004, and a studio version of SMiLE was released in September 2004. In February 2005, Brian won his first Grammy in a nominated category for the instrumental, "Mrs. O'Leary's Cow." 2005 saw some extensive summer tours by Brian and his band of Europe and North America, including a gig at Glastonbury. He was also been involved in raising money for relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina and released his Christmas album, What I Really Want For Christmas" and Katrina benefit single "Walking Down The Path Of Life/Love And Mercy" at the end of 2005. 2006 was a much quieter year for Brian with only a few tour dates to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds. Interviews with Brian around that time also indicated an intention to slow things down a bit. However, 2007 has seen an increase in activity from Brian,including an extensive summer tour and the September 2007 live premiere of a new work "That Lucky Old Sun" which may has to a new studio album to be released in September 2008. 2008 has also seen some touring during the northern summer.