The sounds of the 1960s have endured.Mike Love, one of the founders of the Beach Boys, sees
that night after night in the reaction of fans.And it’s not only the Beach Boys. The music of Motown and the
Beatles continues to resonate with the fans who grew up with those sounds, and their children, and their
grandchildren.The music drew from a long line of predecessors, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers, Chuck
Berry, among others. New artists drew inspiration from those sounds, and created their own music."Then
all hell broke loose," Love said in a recent telephone interview.Even on the Beatles’ home turf, the
Beach Boys held their own, being named top pop group in England in 1966.And unlike the Beatles, who famously
flamed out, The Beach Boys have persisted despite troubles and tragedy.The band’s musical guru Brian Wilson
famously stepped away from touring because of mental health issues. Two of the founding members, Brian
Wilson’s brothers and Love’s cousins, Carl and Dennis Wilson, have died.The band has fractured, reformed,
been shuffled off the charts by succeeding pop styles, many of which bore the imprint of their influence.
But in one form or another the band still tours, regularly.The Beach Boys, featuring Love and long-time
member Bruce Johnston, a Grammy-winning songwriter in his own right, will perform the grandstand concert at
the Wood County Fair Saturday at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 to $40. Call (419) 352-0441.They are joined by
Christian Love (Mike Love’s son), Randell Kirsch, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill, formerly of The Cowsills, and
Scott Totten.Love said the band works hard to stay true to its hits."I go out every night and do my
best to replicate those songs," Love said. "Those songs have some pretty intricate and complex
four-part harmonies. They’re challenging to do. You have to be on your toes to be able to replicate those
songs with authenticity in the same keys with the same arrangements. We’re obsessed with that."They
work hard at it keeping their voices in shape "so every night you can recreate those songs." When
they sing "California Girls," their oldest fans will "be able to close their eyes and it’ll
be 1965 again."How those fans of all ages react brings the spontaneity to the performance, he said.
It’s the way they listen intently to the ballads, or dance to rocking numbers."It’s pretty incredible
the degree that people enjoy those songs," Love said. "A miracle really."Love was singing
with his cousins before the seminal pop band was formed. He remembered attending youth sessions at the
Presbyterian church his family attended. Brian Wilson would come along for the singing. After intoning
hymns, they would walk home singing doo-wop and Everly Brothers tunes. In harmony, always in harmony.From
the rich musical environment of the 1950s, Love said, "we gravitated more to the groups, the
harmonies."Those influences included the tight, four-part jazz voicings of the Four Freshmen, a group
that was inspired by the sound of Stan Kenton’s trombone section. The Beach Boys can still whip out its
version of the Freshmen hit "Their Hearts Were Full of Spring."And "The Sloop John B,"
which they adapted from The Kingston Trio, still has a place in their shows,Then there was Chuck Berry who
inspired them with "his guitar licks and clever lyrics."They blended that rich American tradition
into a distinctive, sunny sound that the world first heard on "Surfin’ Safari" in 1961, followed
by "Surfin’ USA" in 1962."It’s amazing how our original fans still come out to see us,"
Love said. "We’re are a perfect act for a fair because the children and grandchildren of our original
fans all love the music of The Beach Boys."At the root was a love of singing together, Love said.
"We’re just blessed people," he said, "to have a hobby that we loved to do just casually and
have that become a profession and a long lasting one at that, and one that people still appreciate to this
day. It’s a real blessing."