Beach Boys’ founder Brian Wilson on the influence of Indianapolis’ The Four Freshmen

June 11, 2025

Listen to a 2017 interview WFYI’s Kyle Long recorded with Brian Wilson, the visionary composer and producer behind the Beach Boys. He died on June 11, 2025, at the age of 82.

The Beach Boys are one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful bands of all time, selling over 100 million records and charting 37 songs in the U.S. Top 40. Much of that success was due to Wilson’s visionary production style. which included unorthodox instrumentation, innovative recording techniques, and most notably the band’s iconic vocal harmonies. Those trademark vocal harmonies were directly inspired by the Indianapolis group The Four Freshmen. The Four Freshmen were formed on the campus of Butler University in 1948. Wilson credited the Four Freshmen as his main influence in crafting the Beach Boys’ sound. Wilson was such a big fan, he even recruited Four Freshmen arranger Dick Reynolds to work on several Beach Boys projects. During his conversation with WFYI, Wilson discussed his deep appreciation for The Four Freshmen.