A LifeMinute with Legendary Beach Boy Al Jardine
Episode 248, May 18, 2022, 01:15 PM
Legendary musician and founding member of The Beach Boys Al Jardine's accomplishments throughout his 60 years in the music business are simply staggering.
He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy in 2001, and inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame, Class of 2019, after he spent several years of his childhood in Rochester, NY, before his family moved to Hawthorne, CA.
Even though Jardine was the only member of The Beach Boys who was not directly related to the Wilson brothers and their cousin Mike Love, music has always been a family affair for him, especially during his post-Beach Boys years.
As he approaches his 80th birthday later this year, Jardine is currently on the road with his son, vocalist Matt Jardine, and Brian Wilson's daughters, Carnie and Wendy Wilson, of Wilson Phillips fame. Their tour, appropriately titled Al Jardine Family & Friends Tour, will be performing through the end of October, and it features hits from both The Beach Boys and Wilson Phillips.
It includes stories from his lengthy career and songs from his solo album, A Postcard from California, released in 2010 (re-released in 2012 with two extra tracks.) The record includes guest appearances from many of Jardine's famous friends, including Neil Young, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Steve Miller, Gerry Beckley & Dewey Bunnell (America), Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Alec Baldwin, and the late Glen Campbell. For those longing for a Beach Boys reunion, all of its remaining members, including the late Carl Wilson, appear on this album.
If that isn't enough for this soon-to-be octogenarian, between his solo tour dates, he will also be playing a series of shows this summer with Brian Wilson’s band, headlining with fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band Chicago.
In 2018, Jardine's album A Postcard from California was released on limited-edition translucent blue vinyl at select record stores on Record Store Day Black Friday. It sold out almost immediately. After all these years of singing about surf, sun, girls, and hot rods, it goes to show that this amazing artist is still an in-demand performer who is not to be missed.