Q 01/05

In which California city were the Beach Boys formed in 1961?

A) Malibu

B) Huntington Beach

C) Santa Monica

D) Hawthorne

Answer · why

D) Hawthorne

The Wilson brothers shared a bedroom in the family home there; Brian was 16 when he got the reel-to-reel recorder that started it all.

Q 02/05

How were the three Wilson brothers related to Mike Love?

A) He was their half-brother

B) He was their cousin

C) He was their next-door neighbour

D) He was their uncle

Answer · why

B) He was their cousin

Family gatherings brought them together; the fifth founder, Al Jardine, was a school friend of Brian's.

Q 03/05

What was the band's original name, a pun on a brand of woollen shirt worn by surfers?

A) The Woolies

B) The Surf Kings

C) The Pendletones

D) Carl and the Passions

Answer · why

C) The Pendletones

When their first single came out, they discovered the label had renamed them the Beach Boys without asking.

Q 04/05

Which member of the band was the only one who actually surfed?

A) Brian Wilson

B) Mike Love

C) Dennis Wilson

D) Al Jardine

Answer · why

C) Dennis Wilson

His brother Carl said so outright; Dennis was also the drummer and the one who later fell in with Charles Manson.

Q 05/05

Who managed the band in its early years?

A) Nick Venet, a Capitol producer

B) Murry Wilson, the boys' father

C) Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son

D) Herb Newman of Candix Records

Answer · why

B) Murry Wilson, the boys' father

They fired him in early 1964 for being overbearing at sessions and shows; he later sold their publishing for $700,000.