Happy Birthday to Beach Boys co-founder Al Jardine, who turns 78 today (September 3rd)!!! Jardine now permanantly tours with Brian Wilson's band, which features fellow Beach Boy Blondie Chaplin. In recent years, Jardine has been receiving raves for his string of acoustic solo dates, dubbed “A Postcard From California – From The Very First Song.” Jardine, who's joined by his son Matt Jardine on vocals and guitarist/keyboardist Jeff Alan Ross, weaves the group's key songs while chatting onstage about the history of the group. In addition to major hits such as “Surfin' Safari,” “I Get Around,” “California Girls,” and “Good Vibrations.” During the shows, Jardine thrilled longtime fans with such deep cuts as “Lookin' At Tomorrow (A Welfare Song),” and the first performance of his 1980 fan favorite “Santa Ana Winds” in nearly 40 years.
Jardine began singing with Brian Wilson while the pair were high school football teammates at Hawthorne High School in Southern, California. Jardine played a major role in securing the session for the group's 1961 debut single “Surfin'” on which he sang and played double bass.
Despite all his accolades over the years, Al Jardine will always be best remembered for singing lead on the Beach Boys' second Number One hit, 1965's “Help Me, Rhonda.” Jardine recalled the recording session for the song: “Oh, I was delighted. I was honored. But the pressure (laughs), the pressure on me was enormous! Everybody in the band — everybody was there listening. But I was honored. I was really thrilled to have that opportunity.”