Brian Douglas Wilson is a vocalist, musician, music composer, and producer. He is most famous for being one of the founding members of the band Beach Boys. Commonly regarded as one of the most innovative and significant songwriters of the late 20th century, Wilson personifies a figure of tragedy in the music industry. Despite suffering from schizoaffective disorder with mild manic depression, Wilson created a body of work that is a testament to his unorthodox approaches to pop composition and mastery of recording techniques. A native of California, Wilson grew up deeply influenced by 1950s’ rock and roll and jazz-based vocal groups. He formed the Beach Boys with his brothers Carl and Dennis, cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine in 1961. They released several albums, including the ground-breaking LP ‘Pet Sounds’. Wilson was the de-facto leader of the group as well as their songwriter, producer, and co-lead vocalist. However, his mental health began to deteriorate in the mid-1960s, which eventually led to Wilson ceding the production and songwriting duties to others in the band. It would take him close to three decades to fully return to the public sphere as a solo artist. A two-time Grammy winner, Wilson has the distinction of being the first pop star in history to create and perform his own material.