Brian Wilson was a musician.
Brian Douglas Wilson ( born June 20 , 1942 ) is an American musician , singer , songwriter , and record producer best known for being the multi-tasking leader and co-founder of the rock band the Beach Boys . Wilson is considered a major innovator in the field of music production , the principal originator of the California Sound , one of the first music producer auteurs , and one of the most famous examples of the outsider musician . In lists published by Rolling Stone , Wilson ranked 52 for the `` 100 Greatest Singers of All Time '' in 2008 and 12 for the `` 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time '' in 2015 .