View source for Carl Wilson

{{Short description|American musician (1946–1998)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = Carl Wilson 1979.jpg
| caption           = Wilson in 1979
| birth_name        = Carl Dean Wilson
| birth_date        = {{birth date|mf=yes|1946|12|21}}
| birth_place       = [[Hawthorne, California]], U.S.
| death_date        = {{death date and age|mf=yes|1998|2|6|1946|12|21}}
| death_place       = [[Los Angeles]], California, U.S.
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|bass|keyboards}}
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Rock music|Rock]]|[[Pop music|pop]]}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Musician|singer|songwriter|record producer}}
| years_active      = 1961–1998
| past_member_of    = {{hlist|[[The Beach Boys]]|[[Kenny & the Cadets]]|Beckley-Lamm-Wilson}}
| website           = {{URL|carlwilsonfoundation.org}}
}}
'''Carl Dean Wilson''' (December 21, 1946&nbsp;– February 6, 1998) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded [[the Beach Boys]]. He was their lead guitarist, the youngest sibling of bandmates [[Brian Wilson|Brian]] and [[Dennis Wilson|Dennis]], and the group's ''[[de facto]]'' leader in the early to mid-1970s. He was also the band's musical director on stage from 1965 until his death.

Influenced by the guitar playing of [[Chuck Berry]] and [[the Ventures]],<ref name="Hinsche">{{cite journal|last1=Hinsche|first1=Billy|author-link1=Billy Hinsche|title=Carl Wilson Interview|journal=[[Guitar One]]|url=http://www.billyhinsche.com/story4.html|date=November 2001}}</ref> Wilson's initial role in the group was that of lead guitarist and backing singer, but he performed lead vocals on several of their later hits, including "[[God Only Knows]]" (1966), "[[Good Vibrations]]" (1966), "[[Wild Honey (The Beach Boys song)|Wild Honey]]" (1967), "[[Darlin' (The Beach Boys song)|Darlin']]" (1967), "[[I Can Hear Music]]" (1969) and co-lead vocals with his brother Brian on "[[Surf's Up (song)|Surf's Up]]" (1971) which failed to chart as a single but is often regarded as one of the band's best songs.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The 50 Greatest Beach Boys Songs|magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|date=June 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Cash Box|accessdate=2023-04-09|date=December 4, 1971|page=14|title=Cashbox Singles Reviews|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/70s/1971/Cash-Box-1971-12-04.pdf}}</ref> More often than other members of the band, he frequently played alongside the [[session musician]]s employed during the group's critical and commercial peak in the mid-1960s. After Brian's reduced involvement with the group, Carl produced the bulk of their recordings from ''[[20/20 (The Beach Boys album)|20/20]]'' (1969) through ''[[Holland (album)|Holland]]'' (1973). Concurrently, he spent several years challenging his [[conscription|draft status]] as a [[conscientious objector]].

During the 1980s, Wilson launched a solo career, releasing the albums ''[[Carl Wilson (album)|Carl Wilson]]'' (1981) and ''[[Youngblood (Carl Wilson album)|Youngblood]]'' (1983). In the 1990s, he recorded material with [[Gerry Beckley]] and [[Robert Lamm]], later released for the posthumous album ''[[Like a Brother]]'' (2000). He was inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] as a member of the Beach Boys in 1988. Wilson was also a member of the [[Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness]], a [[religious corporation]]. He died on February 6, 1998, at the age of 51, of [[lung cancer]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Carl Wilson, A Beach Boys Founder, 51 |last=Pareles|first=Jon|url= https://www.nytimes.com/1998/02/09/arts/carl-wilson-a-beach-boys-founder-51.html|work= [[The New York Times]] |date= February 9, 1998}}</ref>

==Biography==
{{More citations needed section|date=November 2008}}

=== Early years and success ===
[[File:The Beach Boys (1965) (Carl).png|thumb|upright=0.75|Wilson in 1965]]
Carl Dean Wilson was born the youngest of the three Wilson boys in [[Hawthorne, California]], the youngest son of Audree Neva (née Korthof) and [[Murry Wilson|Murry Gage Wilson]]. As young children, he and his brothers suffered frequent verbal and physical abuse at the hands of their father.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kemp |first1=Sam |title=Murry Wilson: father, manager and abuser of The Beach Boys |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/murry-wilson-abuser-of-beach-boys/ |website=Far Out Magazine Music, Film, TV, Art & Pop Culture News |date=February 10, 2023 |access-date=10 February 2025}}</ref> From his pre-teens he practiced harmony vocals under the guidance of his brother Brian, who often sang in the family music room with his mother and brothers. Inspired by country star [[Spade Cooley]], at the age of 12, Carl asked his parents to buy him a guitar, for which he took some lessons.<ref name=AllmusicBio>{{cite web|last1=Ruhlmann|first1=William|title=Carl Wilson: Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/carl-wilson-mn0000107147/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> In 1982, Carl remembered from this time: "The kid across the street, [[David Lee Marks|David Marks]], was taking guitar lessons from [[John Walker (musician)|John Maus]], so I started, too. David and I were about 12 and John was only three years older, but we thought he was a shit-hot guitarist. John and his sister Judy did fraternity gigs together as a duo. Later John moved to England and became one of [[the Walker Brothers]]. ... He showed me some fingerpicking techniques and strumming stuff that I still use. When I play a solo, he's still there."<ref name=Himes1982>{{cite web|last1=Himes|first1=Geoffrey|title=Fun, Fun, Fun: Carl Wilson's Life as a Beach Boy|url=https://www.guitar.com/node/2633|date=1982|access-date=September 12, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001111428/https://www.guitar.com/node/2633|archive-date=October 1, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> While Brian perfected the band's vocal style and keyboard base, Carl's [[Chuck Berry]]-esque guitar became an early Beach Boys trademark. While in high school, Carl also studied saxophone.<ref name=AllmusicBio/>

Turning 15 as the group's first hit, "[[Surfin']]", broke locally in Los Angeles, Carl's father and manager, Murry (who had sold his business to support his sons' band), bought him a [[Fender Jaguar]] guitar. Carl developed as a musician and singer through the band's early recordings, and the early "surf lick" sound heard in "[[Fun, Fun, Fun]]" was recorded in 1964 when Carl was 17. Also in 1964, Carl contributed his first co-writing credit on a Beach Boys single with the guitar riff and solo in "[[Dance, Dance, Dance (The Beach Boys song)|Dance, Dance, Dance]]" co-written with Mike Love and Brian Wilson. By the end of 1964, he was diversifying, favoring the 12-string Rickenbacker that was also notably used by [[Roger McGuinn]] in establishing the sound of [[the Byrds]] and by [[George Harrison]] of [[The Beatles]] during this era. Dave Marsh, in ''The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll'' (1976), stated that [[Pete Townshend]] of [[The Who]] expanded on both R&B and rock "influenced heavily by Beach Boy Carl Wilson".<ref>{{cite book|date=1976|author=March, Dave|title=The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll}}</ref>

Carl's lead vocals in the band's first three years were infrequent. Although all members of the band played on their early recordings, Brian began to employ experienced [[session musician]]s to play on the group's instrumental tracks by 1965 to assist with the complex material, but the band was not eliminated from recording the instrumental tracks and still continued to play on certain songs on each album.{{sfn|Stebbins|2007|p=18}} Unlike the other members of the band, Carl often played alongside session musicians and also recorded his individual guitar leads during the Beach Boys' vocal sessions, with his guitar plugged directly into the [[Mixing console|soundboard]]. His playing can be heard on the introduction to "[[California Girls]]", throughout the 1965 album ''[[The Beach Boys Today!]]'' and on "[[That's Not Me (The Beach Boys song)|That's Not Me]]" from ''[[Pet Sounds]]''.

After Brian's retirement from touring in 1965, Carl became the musical director of the band onstage.<ref name=AllmusicBio/> Contracts at that time stipulated that promoters hire "Carl Wilson plus four other musicians". Following his lead vocal performance on "[[God Only Knows]]" in 1966, Carl was increasingly lead vocalist for the band, a role previously dominated by [[Mike Love]] and Brian. He sang leads on the singles "[[Good Vibrations]]", "[[Darlin' (The Beach Boys song)|Darlin']]", and "[[Wild Honey (Beach Boys song)|Wild Honey]]".<ref name=AllmusicBio/> Starting with the album ''[[Wild Honey (album)|Wild Honey]]'', Brian requested that Carl become more involved in the Beach Boys' records.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=The Beach Boys|magazine=Music Favorites|volume=1|issue=2|date=1976}}</ref>

===Production efforts===
{{Listen
|pos=right
|filename=Feel Flows.ogg
|title="Feel Flows" from ''Surf's Up'' (1971)
|description="[[Feel Flows]]" was written by Carl Wilson with band manager [[Jack Rieley]].
}}

In 1969, the Beach Boys' rendition of "[[I Can Hear Music]]" was the first track produced solely by Carl Wilson. By then, he had effectively become the band's in-studio leader, producing the bulk of the albums during the early 1970s.<ref name=AllmusicBio/> Though Carl had written surf instrumentals for the band in the early days,<ref name=AllmusicBio/> he was not featured as a songwriter until the 1971 album ''[[Surf's Up (album)|Surf's Up]]'', for which he composed "[[Long Promised Road]]" and "[[Feel Flows]]", with lyrics by the band's then-manager [[Jack Rieley]]. Carl considered "Long Promised Road" his first real song. After producing the majority of  ''[[Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"]]'' (1972) and ''[[Holland (album)|Holland]]'' (1973),<ref name=AllmusicBio/> Carl's leadership role diminished somewhat, due to Brian's brief public reemergence and because of Carl's own substance abuse problems.

[[File:Backstage Photo with Bruce Johnston & Carl Wilson with Roy Orbison 1979.jpg|thumb|left|Wilson (left) with [[Bruce Johnston]] and [[Roy Orbison]] in 1979]]

For ''[[L.A. (Light Album)]]'' (1979), Carl contributed four songs, among them "[[Good Timin' (The Beach Boys song)|Good Timin']]", co-written with Brian five years earlier, which became a Top 40 American hit. Carl's main writing partner in the late 1970s was Geoffrey Cushing-Murray, but for ''[[Keepin' the Summer Alive]]'' (1980) he wrote with [[Randy Bachman]] of the band [[Bachman-Turner Overdrive]]. Carl told [[Michael Feeney Callan]], writer-director of the [[RTÉ]] 1993 documentary ''The Beach Boys Today'' (a celebration of the Beach Boys' 30th anniversary), that Bachman was his favorite writing partner, accordingly: "Basically because he rocked, and I love to rock".

As a producer and vocalist, Carl's work was not confined to the Beach Boys. During the 1970s, he also produced records for other artists, such as [[Ricci Martin]] (son of [[Dean Martin]]) and South African group [[the Flames]], two members of which later temporarily joined the Beach Boys' line-up. He lent backing vocals to many works, including [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]]'s hits "[[Baby, What a Big Surprise]]" and "[[Wishing You Were Here]]" (with [[Al Jardine]] and brother Dennis), [[Elton John]]'s "[[Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me]]" (with [[Bruce Johnston]]), [[David Lee Roth]]'s hit cover of "[[California Girls]]", [[Warren Zevon]]'s "[[Desperados Under the Eaves]]", and the Carnie/Wendy Wilson holiday track "[[Hey Santa!]]"  Carl also recorded a duet with Olivia Newton-John, titled "You Were Great, How Was I?", for her studio album, "[[Soul Kiss]]" (1985). It was not released as a single.

===Solo career===
[[File:Carl Wilson 1983.png|thumb|upright|Wilson in 1983]]

By the early 1980s, the Beach Boys were in disarray; the band had split into camps. Frustrated with the band's sluggishness to record new material and reluctance to rehearse, Wilson took a leave of absence in 1981. He quickly recorded and released a solo album, ''[[Carl Wilson (album)|Carl Wilson]]'', composed largely of rock n' roll songs co-written with Myrna Smith-Schilling, a former backing vocalist for [[Elvis Presley]] and [[Aretha Franklin]], and wife of Wilson's then-manager [[Jerry Schilling]]. The album briefly charted, and its second single, "Heaven", reached the top 20 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Adult Contemporary chart. Wilson also undertook a solo tour to promote the album, becoming the first member of the Beach Boys to break ranks. Initially, Wilson and his band played clubs like The Bottom Line in New York City and the Roxy in Los Angeles. Thereafter, he joined the [[Doobie Brothers]] as the opening act for their 1981 summer tour.

Wilson recorded a second solo album, ''[[Youngblood (Carl Wilson album)|Youngblood]]'', in a similar vein, but by the time of its release in 1983 he had rejoined the Beach Boys. Although ''Youngblood'' did not chart, a single, the [[John Hall (New York politician)|John Hall]]-penned "What You Do To Me", peaked at number 72, making Wilson the second Beach Boy to land a solo single on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Additionally, the song cracked the top 20 on ''Billboard''{{'}}s Adult Contemporary chart.<ref name=AllMusicAwards>{{cite web|title=Carl Wilson: Awards|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/carl-wilson-mn0000107147/awards|website=[[Allmusic]]|access-date=May 11, 2015}}</ref> Wilson frequently performed that song and "Rockin' All Over the World" (from the same album), as well as "Heaven" from the 1981 album, at Beach Boys' concerts in the 1980s. "Heaven" was always announced as a tribute to brother [[Dennis Wilson|Dennis]], who drowned in December 1983.

===Later years===

The Beach Boys' [[The Beach Boys (album)|1985 eponymous album]] prominently featured Wilson's lead vocals and songwriting, including on recordings such as "[[It's Gettin' Late]]" and "Where I Belong".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Beach Boys (1985 Album) |url=https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Music/TheBeachBoys1985Album |website=TV Tropes |access-date=4 July 2025}}</ref> In 1988, the Beach Boys scored their biggest chart success in more than 20 years with the US Number 1 song "[[Kokomo (song)|Kokomo]]", co-written by [[Mike Love]], [[John Phillips (musician)|John Phillips]], [[Scott McKenzie]], and [[Terry Melcher]], on which Carl sang lead in the chorus. After this, Love increasingly dominated the band's recorded output and became the driving force behind the album ''[[Summer in Paradise]]'' (1992), the first and only Beach Boys album with no input from Brian in any form. In 1992, Carl told [[Michael Feeney Callan]] his hope was to record new material by Brian. "Speaking for myself", he told Callan, "I only want to record inspired music".

Carl continued recording through the 1990s and participated in the [[Don Was]]-led recordings of Brian's "Soul Searchin{{'"}} and "You're Still a Mystery", songs conceived as the basis of a [[Andy Paley sessions|canceled Brian Wilson/Beach Boys album]]. He also recorded the album ''[[Like a Brother]]'' with [[Robert Lamm]] and [[Gerry Beckley]], while continuing to tour with the Beach Boys until the last months of his life.

==Personal life and beliefs==
Wilson declared himself a [[conscientious objector]] and refused the draft to join the American military during the [[Vietnam War]]. By 1988, Wilson had become an ordained minister in the [[Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness]].<ref>{{cite news|title=John-Roger: The Story Behind His Remarkable journey From Rosemead Teacher to Spiritual Leader of a New Age Empire|author1=Sipchen, Bob|author2=Johnston, David |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-08-14-vw-882-story.html|date=August 14, 1988|work=Los Angeles Times |page=F1}}</ref>

[[File:Carl Wilson with wife Annie Hinsche.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Wilson with first wife Annie Hinsche in 1966.]]
Wilson was married twice: first to Annie Hinsche, sister of frequent Beach Boys sideman [[Billy Hinsche]], then in 1987 to [[Dean Martin]]'s daughter Gina (born December 20, 1956).<ref>{{cite book |last= Martin|first= Ricci|date= 2004|title= That's Amore: A Son Remembers Dean Martin |publisher= Taylor Trade Publications|page= 223|isbn=1589791401}}</ref> With Annie, he had two sons. It was during the breakup of his and Annie's marriage that Carl wrote "Angel Come Home", which, according to co-writer Geoffrey Cushing-Murray, was about Wilson's grief over separating from his wife due to the Beach Boys' incessant touring. Gina accompanied him during all subsequent tours and the marriage lasted until his death.

Wilson had an [[Irish Setter]] named Shannon, whose death inspired the emotional 1976 hit song "[[Shannon (song)|Shannon]]" by [[Henry Gross]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.palmbeachpost.com/story/entertainment/music/2016/01/08/co-founder-sha-na-na/6904713007/|title=Co-founder of Sha Na Na, Henry Gross, playing at CityPlace|author=Streeter, Leslie Gray|website=PalmBeachPost.com|publisher=Palm Beach Post|date=7 January 2016 |access-date=21 October 2024}}</ref>

==Death and posthumous releases==
[[File:Carl Wilson headstone.jpg|thumb|Wilson's headstone over his grave]]

Wilson became ill at his vacation home in Hawaii in early 1997. He was diagnosed with [[lung cancer]], and was started on chemotherapy. He had been smoking cigarettes since his early teens.<ref>{{cite news|work=The Guardian|date=July 4, 2013|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2013/jul/04/beach-boys-mike-love-interview|title=Beach Boys Mike Love Interview}}</ref> Despite his illness and treatments, he continued to play and sing with the Beach Boys throughout their entire summer tour until its completion in the autumn of 1997.

Wilson died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, surrounded by his family, on February 6, 1998.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1998/02/08/beach-boy-carl-wilson-dies-at-51/f1fae929-82f4-496c-adac-32b267cc0f98/|title=BEACH BOY CARL WILSON DIES AT 51|newspaper=Washington Post|date=February 8, 1998}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-feb-08-mn-16912-story.html|title=Beach Boy Carl Wilson Dies of Cancer at 51|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=February 8, 1998}}</ref> His death occurred just two months after the death of his mother, Audree Wilson. He was interred at [[Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery]] in Los Angeles.

The Beckley–Lamm–Wilson album, ''[[Like a Brother]]'', was finally released in 2000, and Carl's late recordings continue to appear. Brian's album ''[[Gettin' in Over My Head]]'' (2004) features Carl's vocal from the unreleased Beach Boys song "Soul Searchin'", with new backing vocals recorded by Brian. The original Beach Boys version, sourced from a canceled attempt at a new Beach Boys album in late 1995, was eventually released in the ''[[Made in California]]'' (2013) box set, along with another 1995 track titled "You're Still a Mystery", which features Carl in the vocal blend. In 2010, bandmate [[Al Jardine]] released his first solo album, ''[[A Postcard From California]]'', which includes a similarly reconstructed track, "[[Don't Fight The Sea]]". Carl can also be heard on the continual stream of Beach Boys archival releases, most notably as a central voice in the November 2011 release of ''[[The Smile Sessions]]''.

It was announced that Wilson's voice would be on a track from the reunited Beach Boys, on the album ''[[That's Why God Made the Radio]]'' (2012), but this never materialized. Instead, the scheduled song, "Waves of Love", featured on the 2012 re-release of Jardine's ''A Postcard from California''.  It features one of the last vocals Carl recorded before his death.  During [[The Beach Boys 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour]], a segment of the show was dedicated to the memories of Dennis and Carl. The band harmonized with isolated vocal tracks of Carl performing "God Only Knows" and of Dennis singing "Forever", as the band's crew projected images of the individual Wilson brothers on a large screen behind the band onstage.

==Equipment==
[[File:1967 Rickenbacker 360-12 12 string electric guitar owned and photographed by Greg Field.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|right|A [[Rickenbacker 360/12]] identical to the 12-string guitar used by Carl in the early to mid-1960s]]

Information per [[Jon Stebbins]].{{sfn|Stebbins|2011|p=289}}

'''Guitars'''
*Kay single cutaway acoustic – with pickup added
*[[Fender Stratocaster]] – Sunburst
*[[Fender Jaguar]] – Olympic white
*[[Rickenbacker 360/12]] old style – Fireglo
*Rickenbacker 360/12 new style – Fireglo
*[[Fender Electric XII]] – Olympic white
*Guild Starfire VI
*[[Fender Telecaster]] – Natural with Bigsby Tremolo
*[[Gibson ES-335]] Custom – Blonde with Bigsby Tremolo
*Fender Stratocaster – Olympic white
*Epiphone Riviera 12-string – Tobacco Sunburst with Gibson neck

'''Bass'''
*Hofner copy

'''Amplifiers'''
*Fender Dual Showman – blonde with Outboard Spring Reverb Unit
*Fender Dual Showman – black
*[[Fender Bandmaster]]
*[[Fender Bassman]]
*[[Fender Twin Reverb]]

== Discography ==
{{See also|The Beach Boys discography}}
===Solo albums===
{|class="wikitable"
!rowspan="2" | Year
!rowspan="2" | Album details
!colspan="1"| Chart positions
|-
!style="width:2em;font-size:75%"| [[Billboard 200|US]]
|-
| 1981
| align="left"| '''''[[Carl Wilson (album)|Carl Wilson]]'''''
*Label: [[Caribou Records]]
|align="center"|185
|-
| 1983
| align="left"| '''''[[Youngblood (Carl Wilson album)|Youngblood]]'''''
*Label: [[Caribou Records]]
|align="center"|—
|-
| 2000
| align="left"| '''''[[Like a Brother]]''''' (with Gerry Beckley and Robert Lamm)
*Label: Transparent Music
|align="center"|—
|-
| 2010
| align="left"| '''''[[A Postcard from California]]''''' (with [[Al Jardine]]. Wilson appears posthumously, via archival recordings, on two songs)
*Label: Fontana
|align="center"|—
|-
|}

===Solo singles===
{|class="wikitable"
!rowspan="2" | Date
!rowspan="2" | Title
!rowspan="2" | Album
!colspan="2"| Chart positions
|-
| US
| [[Kent Music Report|AUS]]<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=340}}</ref>
|-
|March 1981
|"Hold Me" / "Hurry Love"
| rowspan="2" |''[[Carl Wilson (album)|Carl Wilson]]''
|align="center"| — || -
|-
|June 1981
|"Heaven" / "Hurry Love"
|align="center"| 107 || -
|-
|March 1983
|"What You Do To Me" / "Time"
|rowspan="2"|''[[Youngblood (Carl Wilson album)|Youngblood]]''
|align="center"| 72 || 98
|-
|July 1983
|"Givin' You Up" / "It's Too Early to Tell"

|align="center"| — || -
|-
|September 2015
|"This Is Elvis"
|non album song
|align="center"|— || -
|-
|}

===Songwriting credits===

{{div col}}
* ''[[Surfin' U.S.A. (album)|Surfin' U.S.A.]]'' (1963)
** "Surf Jam"
* ''[[Shut Down Volume 2]]'' (1964)
** "Shut Down, Part II"
* ''[[All Summer Long (album)|All Summer Long]]'' (1964)
** "Carl's Big Chance" (with [[Brian Wilson]])
* ''[[The Beach Boys Today!]]'' (1965)
** "[[Dance, Dance, Dance (The Beach Boys song)|Dance, Dance, Dance]]" (with Brian, [[Mike Love]])
* [[Wild Honey (album)|''Wild Honey'']] (1967)
** "How She Boogalooed It" (with Mike, [[Bruce Johnston]], [[Al Jardine]])
* ''[[Friends (Beach Boys album)|Friends]]'' (1968)
** "[[Friends (Beach Boys song)|Friends]]" (with Brian, [[Dennis Wilson]], Jardine)
** "Be Here in the Mornin'" (with Brian, Dennis, Jardine, Mike)
** "When a Man Needs a Woman" (with Brian, Dennis, Jardine, Steve Korthof, Jon Parks)
*''[[20/20 (Beach Boys album)|20/20]]'' (1969)
**"I Went to Sleep" (with Brian)
*''[[Sunflower (Beach Boys album)|Sunflower]]'' (1970)
**[[It's About Time (The Beach Boys song)|"It's About Time"]] (with Dennis, Jardine, Bob Burchman)
**"Our Sweet Love" (with Brian, Jardine)
*''[[Surf's Up (album)|Surf's Up]]'' (1971)
**"[[Feel Flows]]" (with [[Jack Rieley]])
**"[[Long Promised Road]]" (with Rieley)
*''[[Carl and the Passions – "So Tough"]]'' (1972)
**"[[All This Is That]]" (with Mike, Jardine)
*''[[Holland (The Beach Boys album)|Holland]]'' (1973)
**"The Trader" (with Rieley)
**"Leaving This Town" (with Mike, [[Ricky Fataar]], [[Blondie Chaplin]])
*''[[Pacific Ocean Blue]]'' (1977)
**"[[River Song (Dennis Wilson song)|River Song]]" (with Dennis)
**"Rainbows" (with Dennis, [[Stephen Kalinich|Steve Kalinich]])
*''[[L.A. (Light Album)]]'' (1979)
**"[[Good Timin' (The Beach Boys song)|Good Timin']]" (with Brian)
**"Full Sail" (with [[Geoffrey Cushing-Murray]])
**"Angel Come Home" (with Cushing-Murray)
**"Goin' South" (with Cushing-Murray)
*''[[Keepin' the Summer Alive]]'' (1980)
**"Keepin' the Summer Alive" (with [[Randy Bachman]])
**"[[Livin' with a Heartache]]" (with Bachman)
*''[[Carl Wilson (album)|Carl Wilson]]'' (1981)
**"Hold Me" (with [[Myrna Smith]])
**"Bright Lights" (with Myrna)
**"What You Gonna Do About Me?" (with Myrna)
**"The Right Lane" (with Myrna)
**"Hurry Love" (with Myrna)
**"Heaven" (with Myrna, Michael Sun)
**"The Grammy" (with Myrna)
**"Seems So Long Ago" (with Myrna)
*''[[Peter Cetera (album)|Peter Cetera]]'' (1981)
**"I Can Feel It" (with [[Peter Cetera]], [[Ricky Fataar]])
*''[[Youngblood (Carl Wilson album)|Youngblood]]'' (1983)
**"What More Can I Say" (with Myrna)
**"She's Mine" (with Myrna)
**"Givin' You Up" (with Myrna, [[Jerry Schilling]])
**"Of the Times" (with [[Myrna Smith]])
**"Too Early to Tell" (with [[Myrna Smith]], [[John Daly (musician)|John Daly]])
**"If I Could Talk to Love" (with [[Myrna Smith]])
**"Time" (with [[Myrna Smith]])
*''[[The Beach Boys (album)|The Beach Boys]]'' (1985)
**"[[It's Gettin' Late]]" (with Myrna, [[Robert White Johnson]])
**"Maybe I Don't Know" (with Myrna, [[Steve Levine]], [[Julian Stewart Lindsay]])
**"Where I Belong" (with White Johnson)
*''[[Lost & Found (1961–62)]]'' (1991)
**"Beach Boy Stomp (A.K.A. Karate)"
*''[[Good Vibrations: Thirty Years of The Beach Boys]]'' (1993)
**"Our Team" (with Brian, Dennis, Jardine, Mike)
*''[[Like a Brother]]'' (2000)
**"I Wish For You" (with Robert White Johnson, Phil Galdston)
**"Run Don't Walk" (with Phil Galdston)
**"They're Only Words" (with Phil Galdston)
**"Like A Brother" (with Phil Galdston)
*''[[The Smile Sessions]]''
**"Tune X"
*''[[I Can Hear Music: The 20/20 Sessions]]'' (2018)
**"[[Loop de Loop (Flip Flop Flyin' in an Aeroplane)|Sail Plane Song]]" (with Brian)
*''[[Feel Flows (album)]]'' (2021)
**"[[Loop de Loop (Flip Flop Flyin' in an Aeroplane)|Loop de Loop]]" (with Brian, Jardine)
*''Misc Tracks 1971'' (2021)
**"Telephone Backgrounds (On A Clear Day)"
*''1972 Release'' (2022)
**"City Jim"
*''1974 release'' (2024)
**"Happy Birthday Roger McGuinn"
*Non-album songs
**"This Is Elvis" (recorded 1980, released 2015)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Sources==
* {{cite book |last1=Stebbins |first1=Jon |title=The Lost Beach Boy |date=2007 |publisher=Virgin Books |isbn=978-1-85227-391-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bnQIAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA18 |language=en}}
* {{cite book|last=Stebbins|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Stebbins|title=The Beach Boys FAQ: All That's Left to Know About America's Band|date=2011|isbn=9781458429148|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8T3ivyKmSQwC|publisher=Backbeat Books}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|last1=Crowley|first1=Kent|title=Long Promised Road: Carl Wilson, Soul of the Beach Boys – The Biography|date=2015|publisher=Jawbone Press|isbn=978-1908279842}}

==External links==
* [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/carl-wilson Carl Wilson Interview] at [[NAMM Oral History Program|NAMM Oral History Collection]] (1984)

{{The Beach Boys}}
{{Beach Boys family}}
{{1988 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Carl}}
[[Category:Carl Wilson| ]]
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