Becoming the Beach Boys, 1961-1963, examines the iconic band’s origin story: how five teenagers with no musical training formed a band, wrote a song about the surfing craze gripping the West Coast, recorded it with the help of several key individuals, and scored a #3 hit in Los Angeles.

They dodged being called the Pendletones, a musical homage to the Pendleton wool shirts favored on chilly nights at the beach, or the Surfers, when fate intervened and gifted them the name Beach Boys. But what separated them from every other high school garage band? Raw talent, persistence, and a wellspring of creativity launched them on a musical journey now in its sixth decade. Helmed by the musical vision of Brian Wilson, one of the twentieth century’s most gifted composers, the Beach Boys blended ethereal vocal harmonies, searing electric guitars, and lush arrangements into an unparalleled musical legacy. Drawn from original interviews and newly uncovered documents, the book untangles many of the myths of the band’s convoluted early history. It is the true story of how five teenage boys formed America’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band and the obstacles they overcame on the way to becoming the Beach Boys.