About This Quiz
The Beach Boys' sunny, laid-back sound belied some major tension beneath the surface. How much do you know about The Beach Boys? Take this quiz to find out.The band originally got together in 1961 in Hawthorne, California.
Carl, Dennis and Brian Wilson were founding members of The Beach Boys.
Dennis drowned in 1993 and Carl died of lung cancer in 1998, so Brian is the sole survivor.
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Mike Love is also a founding member.
The Beach Boys have 36 Top 40 hits, the most by an American band.
Four songs have topped the charts: "Help Me, Rhonda," "Good Vibrations," "I Get Around" and "Kokomo."
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"Kokomo," the Beach Boys' biggest hit, made it to No. 1 in 1988.
The band originally named themselves the Pendletones, a play on a type of wool jacket that was popular with surfers.
Only Dennis Wilson could claim to be a surfing enthusiast.
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The Beach Boys played a New Year's Eve show in 1961 — Ike & Tina Turner were the headliners.
"Surfin'" was released in December 1961 and made it to No. 75 on the national charts.
The group ended up having some major legal fights with Capitol Records down the road.
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"Surfin' USA," led off the title track, was a big hit.
Wilson gave Jan and Dean their only No. 1, "Surf City."
Brian Wilson had a burst of inspiration in the studio and the result was "Surfer Girl" and "Little Deuce Coupe."
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"Little Saint Nick" was a surprise hit for the group.
After "I Get Around" in May 1964, the band tried to cover new subjects.
Brian Wilson had a panic attack on an airplane in December 1964 while the band was on tour. He soon announced he wouldn't be touring anymore.
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Glen Campbell briefly replaced Wilson, but then he had to see to his own solo career.
Brian Wilson said "Rubber Soul" was his main inspiration for "Pet Sounds."
Then McCartney turned around and said the Beatles wrote "Sgt. Pepper" with "Pet Sounds" in mind.
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"Good Vibrations" went No. 1 in December 1966.
Wilson worked on "Smile" obsessively but didn't release it until 2004.
The band dropped out of Monterey for lack of new material, leading critics to say they were over.
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Brother Records released most Beach Boys albums of the '70s.
Wilson unknowingly picked up two hitchhiking Manson followers, and Manson eventually showed up at his house with the whole "family."
Manson wrote a song called "Cease to Exist" that was renamed "Never Learn Not to Love."
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The "American Graffiti" soundtrack featured a number of Beach Boys tunes.
The massive hit "Kokomo" was on the "Cocktail" soundtrack.
Carl Wilson (and Christopher Cross) backed up Roth on the 1983 hit.
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