Original Beach Boy David Marks is a guitarist, vocalist and recording artist whose distinctive playing helped create the early sound of one of America’s most iconic bands.
And his Beach Boys story literally began across the street.
Growing up in Hawthorne, California, David Marks lived across the street from the Wilson family—Brian, Dennis and Carl, all three of whom would become founding members of The Beach Boys. David learned to play guitar alongside his childhood friend Carl Wilson, and what started as two neighborhood kids playing guitars eventually became something considerably bigger. David joined Brian, Carl, Dennis and their cousin Mike Love as the newly christened Beach Boys signed with Capitol Records and began their rise to national—and soon international—fame.
Marks went on to play guitar and sing on the first four classic Beach Boys albums: Surfin’ Safari, Surfin’ U.S.A., Surfer Girl and Little Deuce Coupe. His guitar work alongside fellow guitarist Carl Wilson provided much of the energetic foundation beneath those unmistakable harmonies—and helped turn surf, cars, girls and the Southern California lifestyle into a soundtrack heard around the world.
These recording sessions produced classic hits, including “Surfin’ Safari,” “409,” “Surfin’ U.S.A.,” “Shut Down,” “Surfer Girl,” “In My Room,” “Be True to Your School,” “Little Deuce Coupe” and the Christmas favorite “Little Saint Nick.” More than six decades later, people are still singing them—which is a pretty good indication that the “boys” were onto something.
After his initial years with The Beach Boys, David continued developing his own musical voice as a guitarist, songwriter and recording artist, exploring rock, surf, blues and roots music. Along the way, he performed and recorded with David Marks & The Marksmen and worked with an impressive range of artists and musicians, including Delaney & Bonnie, Warren Zevon and Jeff Beck.
Decades later, Marks reunited with Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine and Bruce Johnston for The Beach Boys’ 50th Anniversary Reunion World Tour, recording a new studio album and embarking on an international tour that brought the group’s legendary catalog to yet another generation of fans.
Today, David Marks continues doing what he’s been doing since those early days in Hawthorne: playing guitar, making music and performing for audiences around the world.
Whether he’s performing The Beach Boys classics he helped create or drawing from his broader musical catalog, Original Beach Boy David Marks remains directly connected to one of the most recognizable sounds in American popular music—the sound of surf, sunshine, harmony Southern California, and THE BEACH BOYS.
