NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The music of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys has belonged to the world for decades.
Famously, Paul McCartney even called Wilson's 'God Only Knows' the greatest song ever written. With Wilson's death, there's a middle Tennessee resident with a story closely intertwined.
"I'll have to go alphabetically," said Fred Vail, flipping through the pages of a high school yearbook.
Just looking around the room of his home, you can see Fred has lived one incredible life. There's a gold record on the wall, and pictures of Fred with 40th President Ronald Reagan and 41st President George H.W. Bush.
Fred said all of that starts from one date; Friday, May 24, 1963. We're going to start a bit before that.
At his high school in Sacramento, California, Fred had a title.
"Commissioner of entertainment," he said. "It was my calling for sure."
For an event for the high school, he got together an amazing roster of performers including Smokey Robinson and The Miracles. This event went so well that when Fred was in college he was asked to plan a grad party in 1963. Tickets would be a $1.75. Fred was looking to book this one act; three brothers, a cousin, and a friend who had a few records make it onto the charts. He called the William Morris Agency.
"I remember the woman answering," Fred said. "'William Morris. Beverly Hills!' I said, 'yeah, I'm Fred Vail calling from Sacramento. I want to book The Beach Boys.' 'The Beach Boys?! I haven't heard of the Beach Boys!'"
The show was set. Friday, May 24, 1963. Something key happened. Right around the time of Fred's booking, The Beach Boys released a single and album called 'Surfin' U.S.A.' The group was exploding. Fred picked them up from the airport for the show and told them he was the promoter.
"Carl's next to me, and I'll never forget this," Fred smiled. "He looked at me and said, 'but you're just a kid like us!'"
"They owned the audience," Fred continued. "They were huge. They were great. The girls screamed."
From that important show, Fred became involved in The Beach Boys' life on the road. He was the group's concert promoter.
Fred was who suggested doing a live album, 1964's Beach Boys Concert. It's Fred's voice that introduces them on the album.
In the middle of all of it, Fred was coming to know the genius of group member Brian Wilson.
"I was the first person outside of the musicians to hear [the 1966 album] Pet Sounds," Fred said.
By 1969, Fred was The Beach Boys' manager. He had an interest in the kind of music coming out of Nashville, coming out of the Opry.
"I would have the country station on when I would pick them up at the airport," Fred said. "They didn't want to hear country. They'd switch it to the rock n' roll station. I'd switch it back to the country station. It kinda became a gag, y'know?"
The group heard Fred singing and knew he could do country. That gave Brian an idea.
"'Fred, I want to do a country album,'" Fred remembered Brian telling him. "What?! 'I want to do a country album.'"
With Fred doing the singing, in 1970, he and Brian did a series of country recordings. Those have become known to fans as the Cows in the Pasture album. Fred said Brian lost interest in the project, and it remains unreleased.
"It's become part of Beach Boy folklore," Fred said.
In recent years, Fred got a call from producer Sam Parker. They met at a Starbucks near Fred's home in Franklin, Tennessee.
"Toward the end of the conversation, he asked, 'whatever happened to the Cows in the Pasture album?'" Fred remembered. "I said, 'funny you should ask. I've got the tapes in my garage.' He said, 'what?! You want to finish it?' I said, 'sure!'"
Working with Sam, there's a plan to release some things maybe by next year. They're working to get out a documentary about the album and finish Cows in the Pasture at Fred's Treasure Isle Studio with the help of special guests. A brief tour of the material would get Fred back on stage. Fred's collaboration with Brian would be released after more than 55 years.
"The last time I saw Brian was December at his home," Fred said. "By that time, it was pretty well acknowledged, he was suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. We knew that."
"To the baby boomers of the world, Brian Wilson is the Mozart, the Beethoven, the Bach."
With the death of Brian Wilson, Fred is hoping his friend will get a solo induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
"As a songwriter, as a singer, as an innovator," Fred said. "Every moment of every day, fans all over the world are playing a Beach Boys or Brian Wilson song. He is an institution. They are an institution. May 24, 1963. That first Beach Boy concert. That changed my life."
This is a beautiful story of chosen family, proving a father figure doesn't have to have biology in common to make a difference in a child's life. The story of De'Andre and Alex will remind you that our relationships help determine the course of our lives. And that being supportive of someone - through a meal, a shared experience or even swim lessons can make all the difference.
- Rebecca Schleicher
