55 Facts About Dennis Wilson

Dennis Carl Wilson was an American musician who co-founded the Beach Boys.

Dennis Wilson is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson.

Dennis Wilson was known for his association with the Manson Family and for co-starring in the 1971 film Two-Lane Blacktop.

Dennis Wilson served mainly on drums and backing vocals for the Beach Boys.

Dennis Wilson's 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.

Dennis Wilson originally had few lead vocals on the band's songs, but his prominence as a singer-songwriter increased following their 1968 album Friends.

Dennis Wilson's music is characterized for reflecting his "edginess" and "little of his happy charm".

Dennis Carl Wilson was born on December 4,1944, the second child of Audree Neva and Murry Gage Wilson.

Dennis Wilson spent his family years with his brothers Brian and Carl and their parents in Hawthorne, California.

Out of the three Wilson brothers, Dennis was the most likely to get beaten by their father and suffer the worst treatment.

In 1960, Dennis Wilson began taking drum lessons at Hawthorne High School.

In early 1963, Dennis Wilson teamed with Brian's collaborator Gary Usher.

In March 1964, Dennis moved out of the Wilson family home and took residence at an address in Hollywood.

Dennis Wilson spent $25,000 on a home but the rest just went.

Dennis Wilson [is] like that: he picks up the tab wherever he goes.

Brian remembered that the attention Dennis Wilson received was "hard to handle".

The girls would be going 'Dennis Wilson, Dennis Wilson' and run right past us to get to him.

Dennis Wilson's drumming contributions on Pet Sounds were limited to the track "That's Not Me".

Dennis Wilson played drums on more of our records than most people realize.

Van Dyke Parks, the project's lyricist, credited Dennis Wilson with inspiring the name of the would-be album track "Surf's Up".

Dennis Wilson's "Celebrate the News" was released as the B-side to the standalone single "Break Away".

Dennis Wilson picked them up and dropped them off at their destination.

Manson claimed that Dennis Wilson invited him to visit his Sunset Boulevard home when Manson came to Los Angeles.

Dennis Wilson was initially fascinated by Manson and his followers, referring to him as "the Wizard" in a Rave magazine article at the time.

Dennis Wilson introduced Manson to a few friends in the music business, including the Byrds' producer Terry Melcher.

In September 1968, Dennis Wilson recorded a Manson song for the Beach Boys, originally titled "Cease to Exist" but reworked as "Never Learn Not to Love", as a single B-side released the following December.

Dennis Wilson was afraid, and he thought he should have gone to the authorities, but he didn't, and the rest of it happened.

Shortly afterward, Manson visited Dennis Wilson's home, telling him that he had "just been to the moon", and demanded money, which Dennis Wilson agreed to give to him.

Dennis Wilson's testimony was deemed inessential since Jakobson agreed to publicly testify and corroborate Dennis Wilson's claims.

Dennis Wilson had a hard time separating reality from fantasy.

From August 13 to late October 1970, Dennis Wilson shot his parts for the Universal Pictures road movie Two-Lane Blacktop.

Dennis Wilson offered Poops and Hubba Hubba as the album's working titles.

At the Beach Boys' concerts in 1971, Dennis Wilson played solo piano renditions of his songs "Barbara" and "I've Got a Friend".

At the time, Dennis Wilson stated that he "pulled" the songs off the record because he did not feel they flowed well alongside the other tracks.

In June 1971, Dennis Wilson injured his hand badly enough to prevent him from playing drums for some time, so Ricky Fataar took over as the group's drummer between 1972 and 1974.

Dennis Wilson's drinking became worse and his participation in the band became erratic.

Dennis Wilson continued recording for his forthcoming solo album at the band's Brother Studios facility in Santa Monica.

In 1974, concurrent with the success of the greatest hits compilation Endless Summer, Dennis Wilson returned to his role behind the drums.

Dennis Wilson released his debut solo album Pacific Ocean Blue in 1977.

Dennis Wilson did occasionally perform his solo material on the 1977 Beach Boys tour.

In January 1981, Brian's then-girlfriend and nurse Carolyn Williams accused Dennis Wilson of enticing Brian to purchase about $15,000 worth of cocaine.

Dennis Wilson was proven wrong as the rest of the band gave him an ultimatum after his last performance in September 1983 to check into rehab for his alcohol problems or be banned from performing live with them.

Forensic pathologist Michael Hunter believed that Dennis Wilson experienced shallow-water blackout just before his death.

On January 4,1984, Dennis Wilson's body was buried at sea by the US Coast Guard, off the California coast.

At the time, only veterans of the Coast Guard and Navy were allowed to be buried in US waters without being first cremated, but Dennis Wilson's burial was made possible by the intervention of then-President Ronald Reagan.

In 2002, Brian expressed unhappiness with the arrangement, believing that Dennis Wilson should have been given a traditional burial.

Dennis Wilson did indeed drive fast cars, hang with hippies and dated his share of beautiful California women.

Dennis Wilson's music reflected his edginess and exhibited little of his happy charm, setting it apart from Brian's music.

Dennis Wilson always emphasises the fusion, in their work, of pop and classical music.

In 1988, Dennis Wilson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame posthumously as a member of the Beach Boys.

Dennis Wilson's second was Barbara Charren, with whom he had two sons, Michael and Carl.

Dennis Wilson was then married twice to actress Karen Lamm, the former wife of Chicago keyboardist Robert Lamm, in 1976 and again in 1978.

In 1978, following a Beach Boys concert in Arizona, Dennis Wilson was arrested for sharing drugs and alcohol with a 16-year-old girl in his hotel room.

Dennis Wilson referred to the incident as a setup, and paid $100,000 in legal fees.

From 1979 to 1982, Dennis Wilson had a relationship with Christine McVie of Fleetwood Mac.