Iconic California surf band The Beach Boys will reunite in 2012 to release a new album and embark on a 50-date worldwide tour celebrating their 50th anniversary, the band said today.
Members Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks, who were all involved in early versions of The Beach Boys band in the 1960s, when their fame rose due to the popularity of songs such as Surfin' USA, California Girls and Good Vibrations, are producing a new record after a 15-year studio album hiatus.
"This anniversary is special to me because I miss the boys, and it will be a thrill for me to make a new record and be on stage with them again," Wilson (69) said in a statement.
Singer Love (70) added "It was a thrill to be around a piano again with Brian, Alan and Bruce and experience firsthand the brilliance of Cousin Brian's gift for vocal arrangements."
The still untitled new album will be released in April, and be tied to a 50-date tour starting at Jazz Fest in New Orleans that is part of their 50th anniversary campaign spotlighting the band's career, music catalog with commemorative releases.
The Beach Boys struck their first chords in Hawthorne, California in 1961, with brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, their cousin Love and school friend Al Jardin. Johnston and Marks joined later versions of the Beach Boys to fill in for departing members.
The band became known for their upbeat songs about California's carefree beach lifestyle, pioneering the sound for surf-rock. Their albums included Pet Sounds and Smile.
The Beach Boys hold the title for America's top-selling band according to Nielsen SoundScan figures, and also hold the record for the most Billboard Top 40 chart hits with 36 songs.
Despite the deaths of Dennis and Carl Wilson in 1983 and 1998, respectively, the band have continued to tour successfully over the years. They have received numerous accolades including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement award and an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Reuters