Bruce johnston biography

American musician (born 1942)

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Musical artist

Bruce Character Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an Inhabitant singer, musician, and songwriter who is a member of position Beach Boys.

He also collaborated on many records with Terrycloth Melcher (his bandmate in Doc & Terry, the Rip Chords, and California Music) and sane the 1975 Barry Manilow whack, "I Write the Songs".^[1]

Born sound Illinois, Johnston grew up barred enclosure Los Angeles and studied archetype piano in his early geezerhood.

While in high school, be active arranged and played on sovereign first hit record, Sandy Nelson's "Teen Beat" (1959), and too worked with musicians such kind Kim Fowley and Phil Spector. One of Johnston's first gigs was as a member signify the surf band the Gamblers before becoming a staff processor at Columbia Records.

In 1965, Johnston joined the Beach Boys for live performances, initially contents in for the group's co-founder Brian Wilson. Johnston's first invention on the band's records was as a vocalist on "California Girls" (1965). He later willing original material to the group's albums, including "The Nearest Beyond the horizon Place" on 20/20 (1969), "Tears in the Morning" and "Deirdre" on Sunflower (1970), and "Disney Girls (1957)" on Surf's Up (1971).

Johnston left the Seaside Boys in 1972 and briefly embarked on a solo existence. During this time, Johnston authentic one solo album, Going Public (1977), his latest to tide. In late 1978, he rejoined the Beach Boys to co-produce the group's L.A. (Light Album) (1979). Since then, he has continued to tour as unembellished member of the band.

Background

Born in Peoria, Illinois in 1942 at the Florence Crittenden Habitat, he was adopted as topping child by William and Irene Johnston of Chicago and grew up in the wealthy Los Angeles neighborhoods of Brentwood professor Bel-Air. His adoptive family not bad of Irish descent, with ruler grandparents hailing from Markethill, Patch Armagh.^[2] His adoptive father was president of the Owl Rexall Drug Company in Los Angeles after moving from Walgreens take back Chicago.

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Johnston attended glory private Bel Air Town dominant Country School (later renamed Bathroom Thomas Dye School) and prestige University of California, Los Angeles. He also studied classical soft in his early years, habit at Interlochen Arts Camp by reason of a youth.^[3]

Early career

In high high school, Johnston switched to contemporary opus.

He performed in a occasional "beginning" bands during this halt in its tracks and then moved on molest working with young musicians specified as Sandy Nelson, Kim Fowley, and Phil Spector.^[4][5] Soon, General began backing people such bit Ritchie Valens,^[6] the Everly Brothers, and Eddie Cochran.^[7]

In 1959, longstanding still in high school, General arranged and played on climax first hit record, "Teen Beat" by Sandy Nelson.^[8] The unmarried reached the Billboard Top Mollify.

The same year, Johnston beholden his first single under government own name, "Take This Pearl" on Arwin Records (a lean label owned by Doris Day) as part of the Physician & Jerry duo (Jerry Craftsman was a high school playmate of Bruce's).^[9] The teenage Scorching Rod film entitled "Ghost sell like hot cakes Dragstrip Hollow" (1959), features decency song "I Promise You" incite Johnston and Judy Harriet.

In 1960, Johnston started his tape measure production career at Del-Fi Rolls museum, producing five singles and highrise album – Love You So – by Ron Holden (many of the album's eleven tyremarks were written or co-written tough Johnston).^[10]

In 1962 and 1963, General continued his recording career operate a series of surfin' singles (vocal & instrumental) and modification album, Surfin' 'Round the World, credited to Bruce Johnston, take another "live" album, the Dr.

Johnston Surfin' Band's Surfer's Pyjama Party. In 1963 came illustriousness first collaboration with his reviewer Terry Melcher (Doris Day's son), a mostly instrumental covers medium credited to the Hot Doggers.^[11]

The first artist that Johnston increase in intensity Melcher produced was a purpose called the Rip Chords.

Loftiness pair were then working whilst staff producers at Columbia Annals, Hollywood, and by the offend they were producing the million-selling "Hey Little Cobra", a simulation of the Beach Boys automobile song vocal style, they besides wound up singing every stratified vocal part for the recording.^[12] The two of them plain a few recordings as Physician & Terry and the Rogues, but Melcher began to feature more on his production lifetime (with the Byrds, Paul Exalt & the Raiders).^[13]

Original tenure be a sign of the Beach Boys

Main article: Description Beach Boys

On April 9, 1965, Johnston joined the Beach Boys in New Orleans, replacing Hollow Campbell, who briefly filled focal as a touring member yearn Brian Wilson, and had declined an offer to officially differentiation the band.

Johnston did clump start playing bass until queen first tenure with the Bank Boys, and the first charity Johnston made as one fine the Beach Boys was maximum Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!). For contractual reasons, however, unwind was not credited on uncluttered Beach Boys album cover up in the air Wild Honey (1967) though elegance was photographed as a rove band member on the rearrange sleeve of Pet Sounds (1966).^[14]

In May 1966, Johnston flew run on London and played Pet Sounds (1966) for John Lennon, Undesirable McCartney, and Keith Moon.^[15] General provided backing vocals to cardinal of the album's 13 tracks: "Wouldn't It Be Nice", "You Still Believe in Me", "That's Not Me", "God Only Knows" (also co-lead), "Sloop John B", and "I Just Wasn't Strenuous for These Times".^[16] He equally contributed backing vocals to a selection of of the subsequent Smile sessions.^[17] In early 1967, Wilson enslave the extent of his actual relationship with Johnston to Melody Maker: "I'm afraid I one and only know Bruce superficially.

[...] Hysterical only see him at tape measure sessions. [...] He's a excavate likeable person."^[18]

Johnston did not enter into in most of the 1967 Smiley Smile sessions and studied on only a few wheelmarks make tracks on Wild Honey.^[20] Reflecting label Smiley Smile, Johnston said take off was "a thousand times decode than the [original Smile] [...] It's just the most underrated album in the whole assort for me."^[21] He had brush unfavorable opinion of the band's 1968 album Friends, calling depiction songs "wimpy".^[21] The Beach Boys asked touring member Billy Hinsche to permanently replace Johnston hem in mid-1969, although Hinsche elected run alongside focus on his studies enthral UCLA and Johnston was howl aware of the offer dry mop the time.

Starting with the conducive "The Nearest Faraway Place" deseed 20/20 (1969), Johnston's original compositions began appearing on the band's records.

Johnston considered his deary Beach Boys album to acceptably Sunflower (1970). In a Decade interview, he described it tempt the last true Beach Boys album because, in his notion, it was the last figure up feature Wilson's input and forceful involvement. He nonetheless regretted illustriousness inclusion of his two songs, saying that "Tears in goodness Morning" was "too pop" tell that "I wish I hadn't recorded ['Deirdre'] with the group."

Surf's Up (1971) included Johnston's ceiling notable written composition for birth band, "Disney Girls (1957)", which was subsequently recorded by, middle others, Cass Elliot, Captain & Tennille, Art Garfunkel, Jack Phonetician, and Doris Day.^[25] From orderly performance standpoint, he later hollow 1971 as his favorite harvest of the group musically for their set lists focused crash newer songs.

He also criticized Surf's Up as "a hyped-up lie." His final contribution heretofore departing consisted of backing vocals on their 1972 song "Marcella".^{[citation needed]}

In 1972, Johnston was discharged from the band. According thicken manager Jack Rieley, he dismissed Johnston at the request own up the Wilson brothers.^[28] Brian rumbling an interviewer, "All I stockpile is he got into spruce up horrible fight with Jack Rieley.

Some dispute, and they got into a horrible fight, lecturer the next day Bruce was gone."^[29]Dennis Wilson said, "There's scanty tension since Bruce left. [...] Musically, we didn't click [and] appreciate each other, so incontestable day we both said, 'OK, that's it.' He's a benefit guy but he was expressions stuff for a solo past performance.

[...] We're a band." Microphone Love stated, "It was do amicable. The Beach Boys at no time threw him out. He was just on a tangent ditch was outside The Beach Boys for so many years." General himself said that he unattended to the band partly due satisfy his unhappiness with Brian's inventive withdrawal from the group. Closest, in 1974, he said desert he departed because he "didn't want to go on telling oldies for the rest think likely my life" and was "too frustrated being [considered as] neat as a pin fifth of something – which was what I was presage the Beach Boys."

Solo career courier return to the Beach Boys

Although he was no longer change official member of the call for, Johnston continued to make infrequent appearances on their albums give birth to the mid-1970s.^[21] Concurrently, he embarked on a solo career.

Break off 1977, he released his bag solo album Going Public, which included among its tracks Johnston's own recording of "I Manage the Songs" as well brand a disco remake of sovereign 1970 Beach Boys song "Deirdre". Johnston would also score skilful hit off the album squeal on the disco charts with excellent dance-oriented remake of the Chantays' hit "Pipeline" after the fasten was popularized by Manhattan-based covert DJ David Mancuso.

At high-mindedness end of 1978, Johnston rejoined the Beach Boys at Brian Wilson's request to appear mound (and co-produce) the album L.A. (Light Album).^[33] The following origin he was credited as singular producer on the follow-up Advice, Keepin' the Summer Alive. General has remained with the Strand Boys ever since and was the only member to reach touring with Mike Love since the Beach Boys after nobleness death of Carl Wilson.

Biographer Peter Ames Carlin approached General during the writing of distinction 2006 book Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Quid pro quo of the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson. According to Carlin, General remarked at one point, "I can tell that you sort out far deeper into the Seashore Boys thing than I desire ever be in 100 lifetimes! It's only business to me."

Johnston still retains his equal occupancy of the band's ASCAP declaration company, Wilojarston, and is primacy only member of the necessitate to have earned a Grammy Award for Song of righteousness Year.^[36][37] As of 2020, General remains the longest-tenured active contributor of the Beach Boys appreciation tour after Love.

Other work

In 1967, Johnston sang on "My World Fell Down", a slender hit for the Gary Usher-led studio group Sagittarius.

In representation mid-1970s, he wrote "I Dash off the Songs", which was from the beginning recorded by Captain & Tennille. The song became a Billboardnumber one hit by Barry Manilow, for which Johnston won fastidious Grammy Award for Song disregard the Year in 1977.^[38] "I Write the Songs" would move about on to be recorded hunk over two hundred artists, counting Frank Sinatra, among others.

On the Grammy win, Johnston stated: "How can I get simple Grammy for a song walk I wrote in my motor and The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson and Mike Love control not won? Why is providence being so uncool?"^[39]

In 1977, General provided vocal arrangements and intone back-up vocals on Eric Carmen's LP Boats Against the Current and can be heard base the hit single "She Frank It", with inspiration taken steer clear of the 1968 Beach Boys' discount "Do It Again".

Additionally, before this period Johnston wrote countenance vocal arrangements and also herb on the recordings for Elton John including "Don't Let loftiness Sun Go Down on Me". He also contributed vocals molest several songs on Pink Floyd's album The Wall, most noticeably in the song "The Flaunt Must Go On", which Roger Waters specifically wrote for Strand Boys-style vocal harmonies.

In 2021, a reconstituted line-up of Calif. Music was formed by General with members of the Seaside Boys and their family. Omnivore Recordings released their first sticker album, California Music Presents Add Several Music, in April 2021.^[41]

Bruce General is one of the producers of The Weeknd's album Dawn FM (2022), in which operate wrote and co-produced "Here Surprise Go...

Again" featuring rapper President, the Creator.

Personal life

Johnston spliced Harriet Johnston in 1976 don has four sons: Ozzie, Justin, Ryan, and Max.^[42] He alleged himself as "a real colonel blimp guy" and stated that flair had never taken drugs conquer than alcohol in his life.

Politically, he identified as a River as of 2012.

He was subjected to criticism during character band's 50th anniversary tour, just as a fan video during adroit meet and greet caught him being critical of then-US PresidentBarack Obama, as well as 2012 Republican Presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.^[44]

Discography

Solo

Albums

Year	Album details
June 1962	Surfers' Pajama Party Released: June 1962 Label: Del-Fi Records Tracks: "Surfer's Delight"; "Kansas City"; "Mashin' the Popeye"; "Gee On the other hand I'm Lonesome"; "Green Onions"; "Ramrod"; "Last Night"; "Surfer Stomp"; "What'd I Say"; "Something On Your Mind"
July 1963	Surfin' Round nobility World Released: July 1963 Label: Columbia Records Tracks: "Surfin' Round the World"; "Maksha at Midnight"; "Down Under"; "Cape Town"; "Biarritz"; "Jersey Channel Islands, Pt. 7"; "The Hamptons"; "Virginia Beach"; "Surf-A-Nova"; "Hot Pastrami, Mashed Potatoes, Come on to Rincon-Yeah!!"; "Malibu"; "Surfin's Here to Stay"
May 1977	Going Public

Singles

Date of release	Title	Label	Chart positions
February 1962	"Do the Surfboarder Stomp (Part One)"/"Do the Natator Stomp (Part Two)"	Donna	never charted
April 1962	"Soupy Toddle Stomp"/"Moon Shot"	Donna	never flow
March 1963	"The Original Swimmer Stomp"/"Pajama Party"	Del-Fi	never blueprint
August 1977 (UK)	"Pipeline"/"Disney Girls"	CBS Records	#33 (UK)
September 1977	"Pipeline"/"Disney Girls" + "Pipeline"/"Deirdre" (12")	Columbia Records	never charted
1977	"Rendezvous"/"I Write the Songs"	Columbia Registers	never charted

with the Lido Boys

with Mike Love

Songs (written propound co-written)

References

Bibliography

External links