Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and
songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. Characterized by his nasal
tenor and occasionally baritone singing, Love has been one of the
band's vocalists and lyricists for their entire career, contributing
to each of their studio albums and serving as their frontman for live
performances. He is the cousin of bandmates Brian, Carl, and Dennis
Wilson, and is often regarded as a maligned figure in the group's
history, a reputation he acknowledges: "For those who believe that
Brian walks on water, I will always be the Antichrist."Love was one of
Wilson's collaborators during the Beach Boys' peak in the 1960s. Among
the band's US Top 10 hits were the Wilsonâ€"Love songs "Fun, Fun, Fun"
(1964), "California Girls" (1965), and "Good Vibrations" (1966).
Love's lyrics primarily reflected the youth culture of surfing, cars,
and romance, which helped fashion pop culture's perception of the
"California Dream". Starting in 1968, Love was a student of
Transcendental Meditation (TM) under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and became
a TM teacher in 1971. The experience influenced his lyrics to take on
themes of astrology, meditation, politics and ecology. In the late
1970s, Love began working on solo albums, releasing his first in 1981:
Looking Back with Love. He also fronted Celebration, a short-lived
band that consisted of Beach Boys touring musicians.In 1988, Love was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beach
Boys. Many of his contributions to the group's hits were not
officially recognized until the 1990s, when he sued Brian for writing
credits on 35 songs. Love remains uncredited for another 44 Beach Boys
songs he alleged to have co-written. In 1998, following the death of
Carl Wilson, Love was given an exclusive license to tour as the Beach
Boys. He has not performed with Brian since their 2012 reunion tour.
songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. Characterized by his nasal
tenor and occasionally baritone singing, Love has been one of the
band's vocalists and lyricists for their entire career, contributing
to each of their studio albums and serving as their frontman for live
performances. He is the cousin of bandmates Brian, Carl, and Dennis
Wilson, and is often regarded as a maligned figure in the group's
history, a reputation he acknowledges: "For those who believe that
Brian walks on water, I will always be the Antichrist."Love was one of
Wilson's collaborators during the Beach Boys' peak in the 1960s. Among
the band's US Top 10 hits were the Wilsonâ€"Love songs "Fun, Fun, Fun"
(1964), "California Girls" (1965), and "Good Vibrations" (1966).
Love's lyrics primarily reflected the youth culture of surfing, cars,
and romance, which helped fashion pop culture's perception of the
"California Dream". Starting in 1968, Love was a student of
Transcendental Meditation (TM) under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and became
a TM teacher in 1971. The experience influenced his lyrics to take on
themes of astrology, meditation, politics and ecology. In the late
1970s, Love began working on solo albums, releasing his first in 1981:
Looking Back with Love. He also fronted Celebration, a short-lived
band that consisted of Beach Boys touring musicians.In 1988, Love was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beach
Boys. Many of his contributions to the group's hits were not
officially recognized until the 1990s, when he sued Brian for writing
credits on 35 songs. Love remains uncredited for another 44 Beach Boys
songs he alleged to have co-written. In 1998, following the death of
Carl Wilson, Love was given an exclusive license to tour as the Beach
Boys. He has not performed with Brian since their 2012 reunion tour.
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