Catch a Wave Because the Beach Boys are Still Sitting on Top of the World
On December 31st, 1961, at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium, five young men from Southern California performed their first paying gig; a memorial concert and dance show honoring the late Ritchie Valens. The group, comprised of brothers Carl, Brian and Dennis Wilson, their longtime friend Al Jardin and cousin Mike Love, were being promoted for the first time on radio and in print as The Beach Boys.