Brian Wilson, co-founder of pioneering rock group The Beach Boys, died Wednesday, June 11, 2025. Wilson, who suffered from dementia following the 2024 death of wife Melinda Ledbetter, was just nine days shy of his 83rd birthday. As we honor Brian Wilson’s immeasurable influence on the music industry, we remember the time that Bob Dylan personally serenaded the “Surfer Girl” crooner on his milestone birthday in 2022.
Videos by American Songwriter
On June 20, 2022, Dylan was among a host of A-list musicians who sent personalized birthday greetings to Brian Wilson for the nine-time Grammy winner’s 80th birthday.
The video, which included messages from Elton John, Questlove, and fellow Beach Boy Al Jardine, closes out with Dylan’s performance. The seminal singer-songwriter, 84, accompanies himself on the guitar as he delivers “Happy Birthday” in minor to his longtime friend.
Three years later, the video continued to gain attention on YouTube. “You know you are the s— when Bob Dylan is sending you personalised messages,” one user remarked.
Another added, “Two great gentlemen. One a supreme master of melody and harmony and the other the Shakespeare of song. Unsurpassed masters y’all.”
[RELATED: “‘Til I Die”: Brian Wilson Explains the Meaning Behind His “Most Personal Song”]
The Friendship Between Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson
Despite glaring differences, Bob Dylan and Brian Wilson each helped raise the bar for the music industry during their simultaneous heydays in the ’60s. Dylan contributed his impossibly poetic songwriting, whereas Wilson was the first artist to utilize the recording studio as an instrument.
Two years before the Pet Sounds creator’s death, he shared a story on Facebook about running into Dylan during an emergency room visit. After “talking a little bit about nothing,” Wilson invited the “Blowin’ in the Wind” singer to his home for lunch.
“We just talked and talked about music,” Wilson said. “We talked about old songs we remembered, songs before rock and roll.”
“I was a big fan of his lyrics, of course,” added Wilson, pointing to “Like a Rolling Stone,” “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” as examples of Dylan’s genius. “What a songwriter!”
That admiration went both ways. “That ear,” Dylan once said of Wilson, according to the New York Times. “I mean, Jesus, he’s got to will that to the Smithsonian.”
Featured image by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
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