Giants of music: Brian Wilson and Sly Stone

The two rock legends died last week

Brian Wilson and Sly Stone were a pair of troubled musical geniuses. They both died last week, leaving lasting legacies.

Wilson led the Beach Boys, but his genius in songwriting and the recording studio made him one of the giants in popular music. He died at age 82.

Stone created a synthesis of soul, rhythm and blues, funk and pop with his band Sly and the Family Stone starting in the 1960s. He died at 82, too.

Brian Wilson (at piano, left) played at the Des Moines Civic Center in 2017. (Photo by John Naughton.)

I had the good fortune to see Brian Wilson play at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake in a 2011 show with a band that included other members of the Beach Boys.

Wilson played a 2017 concert at the Des Moines Civic Center in a tour showcasing the Beach Boys’ “Pet Sounds” 1966 album.

Both were great shows, although Wilson had spent years battling mental health issues.

I never had a chance to see Stone perform, but a band that continues performing the music — now named The Family Stone — has played in Iowa several times, including last year’s Iowa State Fair.

The Family Stone, which performed at the Iowa State Fair in 2024, carries on the legacy of Sly Stone. (Photo by John Naughton.)

The Family Stone includes saxophone player Jerry Martini, an original member of the 1960s band and singer Phunne Stone, the daughter of Sly and former band member Cynthia Robinson.