Al Jardine

Al Jardine

Al Jardine is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter from Lima, Ohio. He is a founding member of The Beach Boys and is also one of the group’s occasional lead vocalists.

Early life and entry into The Beach Boys

Jardine moves from Ohio to Hawthorne, California, to attend high school, where he meets Brian Wilson. He plays stand-up bass on The Beach Boys’ first recording, “Surfin’,” in 1961. He leaves soon after the single’s release to attend college, and David Marks replaces him.

He returns to the band in 1963, first as a touring replacement for Brian Wilson and as a session bassist, then as a full member after Marks leaves later that year.

Role in the band

Jardine is one of the band’s guitarists, and his falsetto is often used in place of Brian Wilson’s voice in the studio and in concert. He sings lead on “Help Me, Rhonda,” “Vegetables,” “Then I Kissed Her” and “Transcendental Meditation,” and shares lead vocals on tracks including “Break Away” and “I Know There’s an Answer.”

Songwriting and production

From the Friends album onwards, Jardine writes or co-writes a number of Beach Boys songs. His best-known contribution is “California Saga: California” from the Holland album, which charts in early 1973. He also suggests that the band record “Sloop John B.” during the Pet Sounds sessions.

Jardine writes “Lady Lynda,” a rewrite of “Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring,” which becomes one of the band’s biggest hits outside the United States. He also produces “Lady Lynda,” “Come Go with Me,” and his 1969 rewrite of Leadbelly’s “Cottonfields,” which sells well in the UK but reaches number 103 in the US. He shares production credits with Ron Altbach on the 1978 album M.I.U. Album.

Later activity

Jardine leaves the touring version of The Beach Boys in 1998 after Carl Wilson dies of lung cancer. He remains a member of the Beach Boys corporation Brother Records and tours with his Endless Summer Band, which includes several musicians who have toured with The Beach Boys, among them Billy Hinsche, Ed Carter and Jardine’s son Matt Jardine. In 2006, he joins Brian Wilson’s band for a short tour marking the 40th anniversary of Pet Sounds.