Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre walking tall
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May 22, 2015
“We built the wave, and I’m still riding it,” Bruce Johnston tells Gumbo.
The Beach Boy is standing in his Santa Barbara home, staring at out that surf and munching an apple.
“Really, I’m grateful every day for the lifestyle our fans have afforded me. It helped put my four sons through college and graduate school,” he said. “I’m riding the wave-and, as soon as I hang up, I’m literally going to be out there riding the wave.”
Johnston had a pretty storied start before joining the Beach Boys in 1965. Prior to that, he worked with Phil Spector, Ritchie Valens, the Everly Brothers, Sandy Nelson and Eddie Cochran.
He lucked into the California surf band when then-bass player Glen Campbell bowed out of the band.
Likely one of the hardest working classic bands still touring, Johnston said the Beach Boys are “self-propelled.”
“We rehearse every day and at each performance’s sound check,” he said. “We sing everything in its original key. Not too many older guys can still say that.”
The Beach Boys emulate the work ethic of crooner Tony Bennett. “He’s been around such a long time and still sings as fresh as ever,” Johnston said. “That’s what we aim to do, too. Don’t get me wrong; we’re still having fun. But people telling us we sound as good today as we do on our recordings-that is the ultimate compliment.
It was just over 50 years ago-April 21, 1965, to be exact-the Beach Boys were introduced to America. The venue was ABC’s “Shindig!” which was in its 32nd season. Also on the TV show were The Shangri-Las, Ian Whitcomb, The Ikettes, Wayne Fontana and the Mindbenders, Cilia Black, Rita Pavone, Dick and Dee Dee, Joey Cooper, The Shindogs, Shindigs dancer Carol Shelyne, The Wellingtons and Joe and Eddie.
For the pink pie in Trivial Pursuit, what did they sing?
The five-piece band opened with “Do You Wanna Dance,” followed by “Fun, Fun, Fun,” “Long Tall Texan,” “Please Let Me Wonder,” “Help Me, Rhonda” and “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring.”
In no time, America dubbed the surf rock the California sound.
Others would follow, but the Beach Boys launched the movement. Their matching stripped Oxford shirts, tanned boyish good looks and catchy melodies captured hearts and cemented the Beach Boys’ place in musical history.
The brothers Wilson-Brian, Carl and Dennis-along with cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine comprised the original band. But powerhouse releases, including their inaugural “Pet Sounds,” which still holds a spot among rock music’s top 100 al-
bums, weren’t enough to stave off problems.
Fighting mental illness and substance abuse, Brian Wilson took a backseat to the music. His travails are the subject of “Love & Mercy,” a movie in theaters starring John Cusack, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Dano and Paul Giamatti.
Dennis drowned in 1983, and brother Carl died in 1998 of lung cancer.
Johnston and David Lee Marks later joined the group, and the Beach Boys have had several famous stand-ins:
Daryl Dragon of Captain and Tennille fame and John Stamos among them.
The Beach Boys’ original five were inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. They have 44 albums to their credit, including “The Beach Boys Live: The 50th Anniversary Tour.” They’ve sold more than 100 million records worldwide, earning the number 12 spot on Rolling Stone magazine’s 2004 list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”
Mike Love, 74, is the last original Beach Boy still performing with the band. Johnston, who turns 73 in June, will also take the Cypress Bayou stage as the longest-tenured non-original member.
The Cypress Bayou appearance is the band’s final U.S. stop before heading to the United Kingdom for the summer leg of their anniversary tour.
“Some bands think they’re too heavy or too cool to play casinos,” Johnston said. “But I believe if people are interested, I’ll be there.”
Concertgoers can expect all the hits the band can pack into 100 minutes.
“We’ll try to play as many hits as we can,” Johnston said. “Fortunately, we’ve got a few to choose from.”
IF YOU GO…
BEACH BOYS
WHEN: May 24, 8 p.m.
WHERE: Cypress Bayou Casino, Charenton
COST:$72.50-$82.90
CONTACT: CYPRESSBAYOU.COM or Ticketmaster, 504-525-1052
Brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine comprised the original Beach Boys. They were inducted in the Hall of Fame in 1988.
