Murry Wilson
| Murry Wilson | |
|---|---|
Wilson in the 1960s
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| Born |
Murry Gage Wilson July 2, 1917 Hutchinson, Kansas, United States |
| Died | June 4, 1973 (aged 55) Whittier, California, United States |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Resting place | Inglewood Park Cemetery |
| Occupation | Machine business owner, manager |
| Organization | Sea of Tunes (1962–69) |
| Spouse(s) | Audree Neva Korthof (m. 1938; div. 1966) |
| Children | |
| Relatives |
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| Musical career | |
| Genres | Pop, doo wop |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, record producer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Years active | 1952–1969 |
| Labels | Capitol |
| Associated acts | The Beach Boys, the Hollywood Flames, the Sunrays |
Murry Gage Wilson (July 2, 1917 – June 4, 1973) was an American musician, record producer, and businessman who acted as the first manager of the Beach Boys, a rock band formed by his sons Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, his nephew Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. For most of the 1960s, Murry also worked as a music publisher for the band.
After the Beach Boys dismissed Murry as their manager in 1964, he produced the sound-alike group the Sunrays, and recorded a single solo album: The Many Moods of Murry Wilson (1967). In 1969, without any of the Beach Boys' knowledge or consent, Wilson sold off their publishing company Sea of Tunes for $700,000 (equivalent to $4,570,000 in 2016), then considered a paltry sum. In 1973, he died aged 55 of a heart attack.
Murry Gage Wilson was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, the son of Edith Sophia (née Sthole) and William Coral Wilson. His mother was of Swedish descent. His family moved west to Los Angeles when he was five. The family was initially so impoverished that they camped in a tent on the beach when they arrived. He met his future wife, Audree Neva Korthof, while attending Washington High School; they were married on March 26, 1938.
Wilson had a blue-collar background. As a young man, he worked at Southern California Gas Company until the birth of his first son Brian, after which he took a job as a foreman at a Goodyear Tire & Rubber factory, where he lost an eye in an industrial accident. During this period he began writing songs. His biggest success came later with a dance song, "Two-Step Side-Step", which was featured by Lawrence Welk on his radio program in 1952 and covered on record by RCA Victor Western Swing artist Johnnie Lee Wills, as well as country music singer Bonnie Lou. He also wrote "I'll Hide My Tears", recorded in the early 1950s by doo-wop group the Jets, a reconfiguration of the Hollywood Flames. Brian stated in 2005 that people often misapprehend Murry as an untalented songwriter, but "[he] had talent, he sure did. He was a talented man. He had some music in him ... My favorite song of his was one called 'His Little Darling and You'. It was a ballad."
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