Why Al Jardine Quit the Beach Boys the First Time
Al Jardine worked a few jobs in addition to being a Beach Boy. Once, he quit the band to go to college “and become a dentist.” Here’s what this musician said about his decision to return to the “God Only Knows” group.
Al Jardine is a founding member of The Beach Boys
Along with brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their cousin Mike Love, Jardine was a founding member of the surf rock group The Beach Boys. Jardine co-wrote Beach Boys hits “Bells of Christmas,” “Lady Lynda,” and “California Calling.” When the Beach Boys were starting out, though, Jardine took a step back from the group.
Al Jardine left the Beach Boys in 1962
Jardine was the only original member of the Beach Boys who was not a member of the Wilson family — or related to the Wilson family. Just when the Beach Boys were starting out, Jardine quit the band to pursue other endeavors.
“I quit the Beach Boys to go back to college and become a dentist — what a goofy deal that was,” Jardine said during an interview with Jeremy Roberts. “Brian was very upset with me and couldn’t figure out why I made that decision.”
“He finally called me one day and said, ‘Will you please come back and help us out?’ Thinking it over, I replied, ‘You know what, I sure will,’” he continued.
The artist explained that Wilson struggled to write, arrange, and tour music with a father who further complicated things by becoming the band’s manager. Murray Wilson complained that his children didn’t know what earning a day’s wages was like.
“I don’t think any of the Wilson children had a real job,” Jardine noted. “I’m probably the only one in the band that did. Mike Love pumped gas for a while, but I wouldn’t call that a real job. I actually worked in a chemist’s lab as a paint chemist as a summer job. We just mixed paint, but I had to go to work every day.”
Al Jardine still sometimes performs with Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys
After the death of Carl and Dennis Wilson, the Beach Boys slowly dissolved as a group, with the remaining members sometimes releasing solo music. That includes Jardine, who debuted “Waves of Love 2.0” and “Jenny Clover” in 2021.
Still, Jardine makes time to perform Beach Boys hits with Brian Wilson. He partnered with Wilson for a live performance of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice” in honor of the Pet Sounds 50th anniversary, now available on YouTube.
“Brian graciously asked me to join his solo band in the aftermath of the Beach Boys’ much too short 50th Anniversary Reunion Tour in 2012, and it’s a blessing to hear his voice every night that we are on stage together,” Jardine said during the same interview.
In 2022, this artist embarked on a North American-based tour with Chicago and Brian Wilson, also making time for a concert with his “Endless Summer Band.”
