Brian Wilson is one of the most famous American artists. Born in 1942, the singer and musician became famous as a leader The Beach Boys. The group, popular in the 1960s, went down in music history, among others. album composed by Wilson “Pet Sounds” (1966). The musician has been professionally active since 1961, and in 2021 he released an album “At My Piano” containing the best songs from his catalog recorded using only a piano.
The artist’s fans have reasons to rejoice, because his legendary, lost country album is scheduled for release in 2025. “Cows In The Pasture” was created in 1970 with the participation of Fred Vail, the long-time manager of The Beach Boys. While working with the band, he loved singing songs in this genre, which intrigued the musicians.
“I asked him, ‘Have you written any of your country songs?’ And he said, ‘Well, no.’ I asked, ‘Do you have any ideas who you’d like to use as musicians?’ He said, ‘Well, no. For the most part, I’ve only worked with Wrecking Crew. You find the songs. You choose the musicians. We’ll go to Wally Heider’s studio. We’ll start working on the album.” – Vail recalled years later in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.
Ultimately, the duo recorded as many as 14 classic songs – including covers of Roy Orbison, Hank Williams and Burt Bacharach. Brian Wilson was going through a lot of personal turmoil at the time, which caused the project to remain in the archives for decades. The pretext for the album’s release is a four-episode documentary series about Vail’s work for The Beach Boys. “Fred always loved country music and was a huge rodeo fan. He’s a hell of a guy, a hell of a promoter and I’m glad his album is coming out,” says Brian Wilson himself.
Let us recall that 81-year-old Brian Wilson became a widower at the end of January this year. So far, it has been the artist’s favorite Melinda Ledbetter she took care of her husband who had been suffering from various diseases for many decades, including: bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder. A few weeks ago, the family revealed that Wilson suffers from dementia and is unable to take care of himself, and documents were submitted to the court to take over guardianship control over the famous musician. They are to become his guardians LeeAnn Hard and Jean Sievers – long-time collaborators and friends of the Wilson family.
As reported by the Daily Mail, such action is caused by “serious neurocognitive disorders (including dementia)”. Today, Brian Wilson is “unable to adequately meet his personal needs for physical health, food, clothing, or shelter.”
It is known that despite the guardianship, little will change in the life of the sick artist – he will remain in his home, and his children and caregiver will live with him. “Brian will be able to enjoy all his family and friends and continue working on current projects, as well as participate in any activities,” summarized a special statement issued by the musician’s spokeswoman.
A decision regarding Brian Wilson’s conservatorship is scheduled for a hearing on April 26, 2024.