Brian Wilson

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/brian-wilson-dead-beach-boys-1236428336/

 

I can’t argue with William Ruhlmann’s biography on Allmusic, which posits that Wilson is “arguably the greatest American composer of popular music in the rock era.” His songwriting “captured the arc of innocence and turmoil that played out for those coming of age in the 1960s, quickly moving from the carefree fun of his early songs about cars, surfing, and teenage love to the complex self-inspection and vulnerability exhibited on his 1966 masterpiece Pet Sounds,” as he “combined the rock urgency of Chuck Berry with the harmonies of the Four Freshmen.”

 

I posted a writeup on the Beach Boys several years ago, which contains my list of 20 favorite songs.

Sly Stone

https://variety.com/2025/music/news/sly-stone-dead-funk-rock-pioneer-family-stone-1236423831/

 

Jason Ankeny’s biography on Allmusic.com provides an excellent summary of his contributions:

 

James Brown may have invented funk, but Sly Stone perfected it; his alchemical fusion of soul, rock, gospel, and psychedelia rejected stylistic boundaries as much as his explosive backing band the Family Stone ignored racial and gender restrictions, creating a series of euphoric yet politically charged records that proved a massive influence on artists of all musical and cultural backgrounds.

 

Unfortunately, drugs and disillusionment wound up wrecking both the band – the Variety obit notes that “In the year 1970, the Family Stone cancelled 26 of their 80 concert dates” – and his life. That sad decline, however, in no way detracts from his enormous musical and cultural contributions.

 

Favorite songs:

I Want To Take You Higher

Everyday People

Hot Fun In the Summertime

Family Affair

Dance to the Music

Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)

Sing a Simple Song

Stand!

M'Lady

Everybody Is a Star