Murry Wilson

Early years

Murry Gage Wilson was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, the son of Edith Sophia (née Sthole) and William Coral Wilson. His mother was of Swedish descent. His family moved west to Los Angeles when he was five. The family was initially so impoverished that they camped in a tent on the beach when they arrived. He met his future wife, Audree Neva Korthof, while attending Washington High School; they were married on March 26, 1938.

Wilson had a blue-collar background. As a young man, he worked at Southern California Gas Company until the birth of his first son Brian, after which he took a job as a foreman at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber factory, where he lost an eye in an industrial accident. During this period he began writing songs. His biggest success came later with a dance song, "Two-Step Side-Step", which was featured by Lawrence Welk on his radio program in 1952 and covered on record by RCA Victor Western Swing artist Johnnie Lee Wills, as well as country music singer Bonnie Lou. He also wrote "I'll Hide My Tears", recorded in the early 1950s by doo-wop group the Jets, a reconfiguration of the Hollywood Flames.

Brian stated in 2005 that people often misapprehend Murry as an untalented songwriter, but "[he] had talent, he sure did. He was a talented man. He had some music in him ... My favorite song of his was one called 'His Little Darling and You'. It was a ballad."

Wilson later founded a machining business, but maintained an active interest in music, which he passed along to his sons, encouraging them to learn to sing and play instruments. The Wilson brothers had a problematic relationship with their father. Many stories of abuse have surfaced, including a supposed incident where Murry hit Brian in the head with a 2×4, resulting in the permanent loss of hearing in his right ear. In 1964, his wife Audree left him and they separated. The marriage ended in divorce in 1966.

The Beach Boys

After the Beach Boys' formation, Murry became the group's business manager, co-producer, and publisher in the early part of their career. Known as a domineering and manipulative man, Murry was a tough negotiator on the band's behalf, organizing a contract signing with Capitol Records.

Wilson accompanied the group on their first Australasian tour in January 1964, and required that the band not fraternize with women, use profanity, or drink alcoholic beverages. During his early years, Wilson charged the group $100 for breaking these requirements, but for this tour, he raised the fine to $1,000, which would subtract from the touring proceeds. At the time, Wilson's influence on the Beach Boys ignited tensions within the group.

Dismissal and post-Beach Boys life

In early April 1964, following incidents involving the recording sessions of the singles "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "I Get Around", Brian relieved his father of his managerial duties. Even after Murry's formal business relationship with the Beach Boys ended, he remained in close contact with the group, letting Brian know his thoughts about the band's decisions. In 1966, Brian reflected, "We love the family thing – y'know: three brothers, a cousin and a friend is a really beautiful way to have a group – but the extra generation can become a hang-up." For the Beach Boys' album Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!) (1965), Brian wrote a novelty song inspired by his father: "I'm Bugged at My Ol' Man".

After being dismissed, Murry produced and managed the Sunrays, a group comprising five students who attended Hollywood Professional High School. The Sunrays earned some media attention and a bit of airplay for their initial singles, but they never broke into the national Top 40. Their two best-known singles, "I Live for the Sun" and "Andrea", were regional hits in California.

Murry released one album of his own, The Many Moods of Murry Wilson (1967). With Brian, he co-wrote the song "Break Away" (1969), and was credited under the pseudonym "Reggie Dunbar" on the record, which was released without much commercial success. (#63 on Billboard).

In 1969, Murry sold the Beach Boys' publishing company, Sea of Tunes, over the band's objections for the insubstantial amount of $700,000 (equivalent to $4,570,000 in 2016). In 1991, the catalog was estimated to be worth $20 million ($35,170,000 today). Brian suggested that his signature was forged by his father on several related business documents, making the sale illegal.

Death and legacy

On June 4, 1973, Wilson died at his home in Whittier, California after suffering a heart attack at the age of 55. In a 2004 interview with the UK newspaper, The Independent, Brian recalled his father: "He was the one who got us going. He didn't make us better artists or musicians, but he gave us ambition. I'm pleased he pushed us, because it was such a relief to know there was someone as strong as my dad to keep things going. He used to spank us, and it hurt too, but I loved him because he was a great musician."

Engineer Chuck Britz said of Murry: "I was one of the few people who liked Murry. I always did. I admired him for the way he got the kids mad at him that made them also conscious of what they were trying to achieve. I realize that maybe he did it the wrong way, but at the same time, he did make them work as a team which was the way it should be."

Murry was portrayed in two television movies: in 1990's Summer Dreams: The Story of the Beach Boys, by Arlen Dean Snyder, and in 2000's The Beach Boys: An American Family, by Kevin Dunn. In the 2014 biopic Love & Mercy, Murry is portrayed by Bill Camp.

Murry was buried in an unmarked grave in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.

Discography