Editing Brian Wilson (section)

===Early influences===
[[File:George Gershwin 1937.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|[[George Gershwin]] was one of Wilson's main formative influences.]]

Wilson's chordal vocabulary derived primarily from [[rock and roll]], [[doo-wop]], and vocal [[jazz]].{{sfn|Lambert|2016|p=65}} At age two, he heard [[Glenn Miller]]'s 1943 rendition of Gershwin's ''[[Rhapsody in Blue]]'', an experience that left a lasting emotional impact{{sfn|Carlin|2006|p=10}}{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=20}}—later saying, "It sort of became a general life theme".{{sfn|Leaf|1978|p=17}} As a child, his favorite artists included [[Roy Rogers]], [[Carl Perkins]], [[Bill Haley]], [[Elvis Presley]], [[Henry Mancini]], and [[Rosemary Clooney]].{{sfn|Granata|2003|p=23}} He recalled Haley's "[[Rock Around the Clock]]" (1954) as the first music he felt compelled to learn and sing.<ref name="B&N01" /> His education in music composition and [[jazz harmony]] largely came from deconstructing the vocal harmonies of the Four Freshmen, whose repertoire included works by Gershwin, [[Jerome Kern]], and [[Cole Porter]].{{sfn|Lambert|2007|pp=5–6}}{{refn|group=nb|Lambert noted that if Four Freshmen singer [[Bob Flanigan (singer)|Bob Flanigan]] "helped teach Brian how to sing, then Gershwin, Kern, Porter, and the other members of this pantheon helped him learn how to craft a song."{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=6}} Tony Asher recalled that Wilson had minimal familiarity with [[Tin Pan Alley]] songs beyond the Four Freshmens' repertoire during the creation of ''Pet Sounds''.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=93}}}}

Wilson credited his mother with introducing him to the Four Freshmen,{{sfn|Murphy|2015|p=59}} attributing his love for harmonies and the human voice to their "groovy sectional sound".<ref name="PopGenius">{{cite magazine|title=Brian Pop Genius!|magazine=Melody Maker|date=May 21, 1966|url=http://i1218.photobucket.com/albums/dd420/kwan_dk/MMMay211966.jpg}}</ref> Their 1956 album ''Freshmen Favorites'' was the first pop album that Wilson listened to in its entirety{{sfn|White|1996|p=93}} and he regarded ''[[Voices in Love]]'' (1958) as "probably the greatest single vocal album I've ever heard".{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=5}} He greatly admired the group's arrangers, [[Pete Rugolo]] and [[Dick Reynolds (musician)|Dick Reynolds]],{{sfn|Love|2016|p=55}} the latter's services he later employed for the Beach Boys' Christmas album and ''Adult/Child''.{{sfn|Lambert|2007|pp=8, 148, 314}} It is likely that Wilson learned nearly the entirety of the Four Freshmen's recorded repertoire through 1961, after which his obsession with the group diminished.{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=6}} In addition to the Four Freshmen, Mike Love recalled Wilson "playing and studying a lot of [[Ricky Nelson]], [[the Four Preps]], and [[the Hi-Los]]".{{sfn|Love|2016|p=55}}{{refn|group=nb|The Four Preps' influence has been "largely underappreciated" by journalists and historians, according to Murphy.{{sfn|Murphy|2015|p=20}}}}

Inquired for his music tastes in 1961, Wilson replied, "[[top 40|top 10]]".{{sfn|Lambert|2007|p=11}} Particular favorites included [[Chuck Berry]], [[the Coasters]], and [[the Everly Brothers]].{{sfn|Lambert|2007|pp=11–13}} He particularly admired Berry's "rhythm and lyrical thoughts".<ref name="Sharp09"/> Carl said that he and his brother "were total Chuck Berry freaks" and together sang Coasters songs with Four Freshmen-style arrangements before the Beach Boys formed.{{sfn|Lambert|2007|pp=11–12}}

Wilson disliked surf music. In the estimation of biographer [[Timothy White (writer)|Timothy White]], he instead sought a "new plateau midway between Gershwin and the best Four Freshmen material" when forming his band.{{sfn|White|1996|p=162}} Gershwin's influence became more pronounced later in his career, particularl after the 1970s when he dedicated himself to learning the violin parts from ''Rhapsody in Blue''.{{sfn|Dillon|2012|p=290}} In 1994, he recorded a choral version of the piece with Van Dyke Parks.{{sfn|White|1996|p=357}}