Brian Wilson reimagines Gershwin - Official Press Release

Music Legend Brian Wilson Completes Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin a New Disney Pearl CD of George and Ira Gershwin Classics Set for Release August 17

HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE TWO NEW SONGS WILSON CRAFTED FROM PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED GEORGE GERSHWIN MUSIC

BURBANK, Calif., June 29 /PRNewswire/ -- It's an unprecedented meeting of two legendary musical minds, separated by 70 years. Pioneering musical genius Brian Wilson, co-founder of the Beach Boys, has teamed up with George Gershwin, in Wilson's Disney Pearl debut CD, Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin. Featuring timeless classics like "Rhapsody in Blue," "I've Got Rhythm" and "Summertime," the album makes history with "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love," two new songs Wilson crafted from never-before-published music by Gershwin. Wilson Reimagines Gershwin arrives at stores and online retailers on August 17, with a special vinyl edition set for release August 24.

Said Wilson, "Along with Irving Berlin, Gershwin basically invented the popular song, but he did something more. He had a gift for melody that nobody has ever equaled, yet his music is timeless and always accessible. This is the most spiritual project I've ever worked on."

Produced by Brian Wilson, mixed by multi-Grammy® winner Al Schmitt and joined by his longtime acclaimed band, the new album features the trademark stacked vocal harmonies and orchestrations that made Wilson a towering and revered figure in popular music. Songs include his Gershwin favorites, such as "Summertime," "I Loves You Porgy," "I Got Plenty of Nothin'" and "It Ain't Necessarily So" (all from the opera "Porgy and Bess"), "S'Wonderful," "I've Got a Crush on You," and "They Can't Take That Away From Me." An a capella version of the groundbreaking 1924 orchestral piece "Rhapsody in Blue," showcasing Wilson's stunning vocal harmonies, opens and closes the album.

Sure to draw passionate interest from music scholars and fans alike are the songs with "The Like in I Love You" and "Nothing But Love." The former is drawn from "Will You Remember Me," a song Gershwin composed in 1924 for the musical "Lady, Be Good!," which never made it into the show. The latter is based on "Say My Say," a 1929 song fragment the Gershwin brothers never completed.

Last year, Warner/Chappell Music and the Gershwin estates made available to Wilson more than 100 piano demos of unfinished or obscure Gershwin songs and melodies untouched since George Gershwin's death in 1937. Wilson narrowed these fragments down to two favorites, then created new music blending both the Wilson and Gershwin styles.

The following is a complete track listing from Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin:
1. "Rhapsody in Blue"/Intro
2. "The Like in I Love You"
3. "Summertime" (from Porgy and Bess)
4. "I Loves You Porgy" (from Porgy and Bess)
5. "I Got Plenty of Nothin" (from Porgy and Bess)
6. "It Ain't Necessarily So" (from Porgy and Bess)
7. "'S Wonderful" (from the Broadway musical "Funny Face," also used in MGM film "An American in Paris")
8. "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (used in the film "Shall We Dance" and nominated for Academy Award)
9. "Our Love is Here to Stay" (from the film "The Goldwyn Follies" and MGM film "An American in Paris")
10. "I've Got a Crush on You" (used in Broadway shows "Treasure Girl" and "Strike Up the Band")
11. "I've Got Rhythm" (from Broadway show "Girl Crazy")
12. "Someone To Watch Over Me" (from Broadway show "Oh Kay!")
13. "Nothing But Love"
14. "Rhapsody in Blue"/Reprise

Like Gershwin, Brian Wilson is one of the great American composers of the last 100 years. The Southern California native, along with his brothers, a cousin and a friend, formed the Beach Boys while still in his teens. With Wilson as chief songwriter and arranger, the band not only enjoyed dozens of hits, but changed music forever thanks to Brian's innovative melodies and harmonies. Songs like "I Get Around," "Help Me, Rhonda," "California Girls," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," and the #1 smash "Good Vibrations" remain indispensable staples in the rock 'n' roll canon. The band's "Pet Sounds" (1966) is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Wilson continued to make great music after the Beach Boys, with 10 solo albums including his breathtaking "Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE," which he began recording in the 1960s and finally completed in 2004 to thunderous critical acclaim and Top 20 chart success (as well as earning a Grammy). A member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, a Kennedy Center honoree and recipient of multiple Gold and Platinum records, Brian Wilson has earned his well-deserved pop music immortality.

Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin will be available nationwide on August 17, 2010 wherever music is sold. For more information on Walt Disney Records' releases, please visit Disney Records.com, become a fan at Facebook.com/disneymusic or follow us at Twitter.com/disneymusic. For more information on Brian Wilson, please visit www.brianwilson.com.

SOURCE Walt Disney Records

Head to brianwilson.com now to hear a track - 'The Like In I Love You'

Brian Wilson signs with Disney Records

BEACH BOYS CO-FOUNDER TO RECORD TWO ALBUMS, INCLUDING COVERS OF GEORGE AND IRA GERSHWIN CLASSICS

WILSON TO CRAFT COLLABORATIVE COMPOSITIONS FROM PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED MUSIC FROM GEORGE GERSHWIN

Burbank, CA – October 8, 2009 - Two giants of popular entertainment have come together as Brian Wilson, the pioneering musical genius who co-founded the Beach Boys and wrote many of the band's greatest hits, has signed with Walt Disney Records.

In the months ahead, Wilson will record two new solo albums for the label's Disney Pearl imprint, including one featuring covers of classic songs by great American songwriters, George and Ira Gershwin. For that recording, the Gershwin estate has given Wilson access to rare, unfinished pieces of music by George Gershwin, with which he will craft collaborative compositions unlike anything the world has seen.

He will follow that with an album of classic Disney songs, which the artist promises to “Brian-ize” with his trademark vocal stacks and unique arrangements. Release dates for each album have yet to be determined.

Said David Agnew, Walt Disney Records president and general manager of the Disney Music Group, “We are honored to be in business with one of the greatest musical artists of all time. It is impossible to overstate the impact Brian has had on contemporary music and culture -- it has been nothing less than profound. We look forward to partnering with Brian on this exciting new voyage in his musical journey.”

“I've always tried to make music that entertained people,” Wilson said. “I also wanted my music to last, to be able to speak to any generation. Thankfully, nearly 50 years since the Beach Boys were born, that seems to have come true. Now, a new musical chapter begins for me, and teaming up with Disney means it's going to be a chapter to remember. I promise.”

Wilson chose to record George and Ira Gershwin songs because he considers the late composers of classics like “Someone to Watch Over Me,” “Rhapsody in Blue” and “Summertime” as a critical influence on him. “I've always loved George Gershwin. The earliest music I remember hearing is 'Rhapsody in Blue,'” says Wilson, referring to Gershwin's groundbreaking 1924 orchestral piece. “Along with Irving Berlin, Gershwin basically invented the popular song, but he did something more. He had a gift for melody that nobody has ever equaled yet his music is timeless and always accessible. This is the most spiritual project I've ever worked on.”

Said Todd Gershwin (George Gershwin estate) and Michael Owen (Ira Gershwin estate): “The Gershwin families are delighted that the legendary musician Brian Wilson has chosen to record a collection of George and Ira Gershwin songs for his next project. In every generation, American music has been pushed forward by visionaries, from the Gershwin brothers to Brian Wilson. This latest interpretation will be a new opportunity to discover the magic of Gershwin music."

Like Gershwin, Brian Wilson is one of the great composers of the last 100 years. The Southern California native, along with his brothers, a cousin and a friend, formed the Beach Boys while still in his teens. With Wilson as chief songwriter and arranger, the band not only enjoyed dozens of hits, but changed music forever thanks to Brian's innovative melodies and harmonies. Songs like “I Get Around,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” “California Girls,” “Wouldn't It Be Nice,” and the #1 smash “Good Vibrations” remain indispensable staples in the rock 'n' roll canon. The band's “Pet Sounds” (1966) is regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time.

Wilson continued to make great music after the Beach Boys, with 10 solo albums including his breathtaking “Brian Wilson Presents SMiLE,” which he began recording in the 1960s and finally completed in 2004 to thunderous critical acclaim and Top 20 chart success (as well as earning a Grammy). A member of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriter's Hall of Fame, a Kennedy Center honoree and recipient of multiple Gold and Platinum records, Brian Wilson has earned his well-deserved pop music immortality.