Happy Birthday to the Beach Boys' Mike Love, who turns 79 on Sunday (March 15th)!!! Love, who formed the group in 1961 with his first cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, and with friends David Marks and Al Jardine, went on to co-write most of the group's major hits with Brian Wilson. Love holds the license to tour under the band's name, enlisting none of the other three living co-founders, choosing instead to use a side band — along with longtime member Bruce Johnston, for his live dates.
Last month, Mike Love garnered a heap of negative press after Brian Wilson and Al Jardine urged fans to sign a Change.org petition against his Beach Boys touring revue playing at a trophy hunting private event. Love headlined February 5th's Safari Club International Convention in Reno, Nevada, at which Donald Trump Jr. was the keynote speaker. The Change.org petition called on a boycott of the Beach Boys until they cancelled their performance, as well as undertaking public protest at the group's shows.
Love issued a statement to Variety, saying: “We look forward to a night of great music in Reno and, as always, support freedom of thought and expression as a fundamental tenet of our rights as Americans. Peace & Love, Mike Love.”