Brian Wilson

As leader of the Beach Boys, Brian Wilson was largely responsible for their revered 1966 album, PET SOUNDS. His subsequent two-decade-long submersion in drugs, mental problems, and controversial psychotherapy has become the stuff of legend, but he cleaned up and returned to recording in 1988 with a steady stream of albums that combined his flawless melodic sensibility with a restlessly experimental vibe. In 2004 he finally released the legendary album SMILE, whose initial production fell apart in 1967, as Wilson's excesses and mental illness took their toll. Since then he's been performing live regularly--often with daughter Carnie Wilson on backing vocals--and has assumed his rightful place as one of the grand old masters of pure pop perfection.

• rock
• pop