Mike Love
| Mike Love | |
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Mike Love performing in 2006
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Edward Love |
| Born |
March 15, 1941 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Origin | Hawthorne, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1961–present |
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Michael Edward "Mike" Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist who co-founded the Beach Boys. Characterized by his nasal, sometimes baritone singing, Love has been one of the band's vocalists and lyricists for most of their career, contributing to each of their studio albums. He is often regarded as a malign figure in the band's history, a reputation he acknowledges: "For those who believe that Brian [Wilson] walks on water, I will always be the Antichrist."
In the 1960s, Love collaborated with Wilson and was a lyricist on singles including "Fun, Fun, Fun" (1964) and "California Girls" (1965). During this period, his lyrics primarily reflected the youth culture of surfing, cars, and romance, which helped fashion pop culture's perception of the "California Dream". Starting in 1968, Love became a teacher of Transcendental Meditation under Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The experience influenced his lyrics to take on themes of astrology, meditation, politics and ecology. Following this, Love's lyrical direction shifted to attempt to recapture the band's earlier, lighthearted sound. In the late 1970s, Love began working on solo albums, releasing his first and only in 1981: Looking Back with Love. In 1988, he, along with the other founding members of the Beach Boys, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The same year, the song, "Kokomo", co-written by Love, reached number one in the United States and was nominated for a Grammy.
In 1998, following the death of cousin Carl Wilson, Love and longtime Beach Boy Bruce Johnston were given an exclusive license to tour under the name "The Beach Boys". The other surviving Beach Boys, Brian Wilson and Al Jardine, embarked on solo endeavors. In 2011, the group reunited to produce a new album and embark on a tour for their 50th anniversary. Following the 50th anniversary reunion shows, Love resumed touring only with Johnston.
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