Al Jardine

Al Jardine

Jardine performing in 2009
Background information
Birth name Alan Charles Jardine
Born (1942-09-03) September 3, 1942
Lima, Ohio, U.S.
Origin Hawthorne, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active 1961–present
Labels
Associated acts The Beach Boys
Website aljardine.com

Alan Charles "Al" Jardine (born September 3, 1942) is an American musician, singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best known as the band's rhythm guitarist, and for occasionally singing lead vocals on singles such as "Help Me, Rhonda" (1965), "Then I Kissed Her" (1965) and "Come Go with Me" (1978). In 2010, Jardine released his debut solo studio album, A Postcard from California.

In 1988, Jardine was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Beach Boys. [1]

Early life

Alan Charles Jardine was born in Lima, Ohio, but his family moved to San Francisco and later to Hawthorne, California.[2] At Hawthorne High School, he befriended fellow football player Brian Wilson and watched Brian and brother Carl Wilson singing at a school assembly. After attending Ferris State University during the 1960-1961 academic year, Jardine registered as a student at El Camino College in 1961; there, he was reunited with Brian and first posited the idea of forming a band as the two worked through harmony ideas together in the college's music room. Jardine's primary musical interest was folk, and he learned banjo and guitar specifically to play folk music. When the Beach Boys formed at Wilson's home, Jardine first tried to push the band toward folk, but was overruled in favor of rock 'n' roll.

An all-rounder on string instruments, Jardine played stand-up bass on the Beach Boys' first recording, the song "Surfin'" (1961). Following his brief departure from the band in early 1962, he dabbled with a career in the air industry in Los Angeles. Jardine fully rejoined the Beach Boys in the summer of 1963 at Brian Wilson's request and worked alongside guitarist David Marks with the band until October 1963, when Marks quit the Beach Boys after an altercation with the band's manager, Murry Wilson.

Career

1960s–80s
"Help Me, Rhonda" (1965)
Jardine sings lead vocal on the Beach Boys' number one charting single "Help Me, Rhonda".
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Al Jardine played bass on the Beach Boys' first (and only) record for Candix Records. Although he left in 1961 to pursue a career in dentistry, Jardine filled in on bass for Brian during concerts and returned full-time in 1963 following David Marks departure after an argument with Murry Wilson. Jardine is the band's rhythm guitarist and middle-range harmony vocalist. He first sang lead on "Christmas Day," on 1964's The Beach Boys' Christmas Album and followed shortly after with the Number 1 hit "Help Me, Rhonda." Thereafter he regularly sang leads on tracks.

Beginning with his contributions to the Friends album, Jardine wrote or co-wrote a number of songs for the Beach Boys. "California Saga: California" from the Holland album, charted in early 1973. Jardine's song for his first wife, "Lady Lynda" (1978), scored a Top Ten chart entry in the UK. Increasingly from the time of the Surf's Up album, Al became involved alongside Carl Wilson in production duties for the Beach Boys. He shared production credits with Ron Altbach on M.I.U. Album (1978) and was a significant architect (with Mike Love) of the album's concept and content. As with "Lady Lynda" and his 1969 rewrite of Lead Belly's "Cotton Fields," "Come Go with Me" and "Peggy Sue" on the M.I.U. Album were Jardine productions, the first being a measurable hit in the UK.

Jardine instigated the Beach Boys' recording of a cover of the Mamas and the Papas' song "California Dreamin'", reaching No. 8 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart in 1986. The associated music video featured in heavy rotation on MTV and secured extensive international airplay. The video featured all the surviving Beach Boys and two of the three surviving members of the Mamas and the Papas, John Phillips and Michelle Phillips (Denny Doherty was on the East coast and declined), along with former Byrds guitarist Roger McGuinn.

1990s–present

Performing with the Beach Boys during their 2012 reunion tour

Following Carl Wilson's death in 1998, Jardine left the touring version of The Beach Boys, leaving Love as the only original member in the group playing live concerts. Jardine continued to tour and recorded with his Endless Summer Band, in a line-up that comprised several musicians who toured with the Beach Boys, including Billy Hinsche of Dino, Desi and Billy; Ed Carter; Bobby Figueroa; and Jardine's sons, Matt and Adam. In 2001, Jardine's band released Live in Las Vegas. In late 2006, Jardine joined Brian Wilson's band for a short tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds.

In March 2008, Jardine settled a lawsuit brought against him by Love and the estate of Carl Wilson regarding use of the "Beach Boys" name. Love had leased the Beach Boys' name, and it was deemed that Jardine's newly formed band, called the Beach Boys Family & Friends (featuring sons Matt and Adam Jardine, Carnie and Wendy Wilson, Daryl Dragon, Billy Hinsche and others), was a breach of title use.[3]

In 2009, Jardine's lead vocal on "Big Sur Christmas" was released on MP3 download, produced by longtime Red Barn Studios engineer Stevie Heger under Heger's band's name, Hey Stevie. The track also was released on the Hey Stevie album, Eloquence.

Jardine released A Postcard from California, his solo debut, in June 2010 (re-released with two extra tracks on April 3, 2012). The album features contributions from Beach Boys Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson (a posthumous track), Bruce Johnston, David Marks and Mike Love. There are also guest appearances from Glen Campbell, Neil Young, Steve Miller, Scott Mathews, Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell (members of America) and Flea. A spoken intermission written by Stephen Kalinich, called "Tidepool Interlude", features actor Alec Baldwin.[4]

Jardine made his first appearance with the Beach Boys in more than 10 years in 2011 at a tribute concert for Ronald Reagan's 100th birthday, where he sang "Help Me, Rhonda" and "Sloop John B". In December 2011, it was announced that Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston and David Marks would reunite for a new Beach Boys album and The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour in 2012.[5] In September 2012, it was announced that Jardine, Wilson and Marks would no longer tour with the band. Love returned the lineup to its pre-Anniversary Tour configuration, with Love as the only original member (Bruce Johnston joined in 1965) As a result, it was announced that Jardine would appear with Marks and Wilson, along with Wilson's band, for a short summer tour in 2013, featuring the three. For 2015, Jardine and Marks added vocals to Wilson's solo album (released in April 2015), and both were part of Wilson's summer tour.[6]

In July 2016, Jardine appeared in an episode of the Adult Swim series Decker: Unclassified, playing the role of the President's "science advisor".

Book

Jardine has authored one book, Sloop John B: A Pirate's Tale (2005), illustrated by Jimmy Pickering. The book is a children's story about a boy's Caribbean adventure with his grandfather, reworded from the original folk lyric of the song "Sloop John B". It also includes a free CD with singalong acoustic recording by Jardine.[7]

Discography

Year Album details
2001 Live in Las Vegas
  • Released: 2001
  • Tracks: Dance, Dance, Dance; Do You Wanna Dance; Catch a Wave; Hawaii; Do It Again; Darlin'; Wild Honey; Come Go With Me; Surfer Girl; Don't Worry, Baby; Shut Down; Little Deuce Coupe; I Get Around; In My Room; Girl Don't Tell Me; Break Away; Sail On Sailor; God Only Knows; Sloop John B; Wouldn't It Be Nice; Good Vibrations; Heroes & Villains; Help Me, Rhonda; Surfin' USA; Barbara Ann; Fun, Fun, Fun; California Energy Blues
2010 A Postcard from California
  • Released digitally and in hard copy on demand: June 29, 2010
  • Tracks: A Postcard from California; California Feelin'; Looking Down the Coast; Don't Fight the Sea; Tide Pool Interlude; Campfire Scene; A California Saga; Help Me, Rhonda; San Simeon; Drivin': Honkin' Down the Highway; And I Always Will

Singles

Date of release Title Label Chart positions
December 2002 "PT Cruiser"/"PT Cruiser" (a cappella)/"PT Cruiser" (track) CQ never charted
April 16, 2011 "Don't Fight The Sea"/"Friends" (a cappella) Capitol never charted

References

  1. ↑ "The Beach Boys, inducted in 1988". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
  2. ↑ Selvin, Joel (May 31, 2005). "For the Beach Boys, fun, fun, fun began in humble Hawthorne". SF Gate. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "Beach Boys – Wouldn't It Be Nice to Settle Lawsuit". TMZ.com. March 20, 2008. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  4. ↑ "Mike Ragogna: A Postcard From California: A Conversation with The Beach Boys' Al Jardine". Huffingtonpost.com. August 27, 2010. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
  5. ↑ Sterdan, Darryl (December 16, 2011). "Beach Boys gear up for reunion". Sun Media. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  6. ↑ Flint, Hanna (September 26, 2012). "You're fired! Three Beach Boys founding members dumped by the band's frontman Mike Love... via PUBLIC statement". Daily Mail. London.
  7. ↑ Jardine, Al & Pickering, Jimmy (Illustrator) (2005). Sloop John B: A Pirate's Tale. Milk & Cookies Press.
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