Theater News

Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson Authorized to Complete George Gershwin Song Fragments

Brian Wilson
(© Brian Wilson Productions)
Brian Wilson
(© Brian Wilson Productions)

Former Beach Boy Brian Wilson has been authorized by the estate of George Gershwin to complete songs Gershwin left unfinished at the time of his death in 1937. Wilson plans to finish and record at least two of the pieces on an album of Gershwin music he anticipates releasing next year.

Wilson’s source material is a collection of several dozen song fragments from Gershwin. Wilson has said many of them aren’t easy to evaluate and that he’s working to decipher how Gershwin may have intended for the pieces to work in the context of a song.

The Gershwin recording is one of two that Wilson is working on for Walt Disney Records. The second will be an album of classic Disney songs, which the artist promises to embellish with trademark vocal stacks and unique arrangements. Release dates for each album have yet to be determined.

For further information, visit www.brianwilson.com.