Brian Wilson to Finish Incomplete Gershwin Material

Songs by legendary composer George Gershwin that were left unfinished at the time of his death in 1937, will get a chance to be completed. Due to the decision made by the Gershwin estate, several dozen song fragments will be passed on to Former Beach Boy BrIan Wilson. Wilson will finish the pieces and include them in a Gershwin compilation album that he is working on for Walt Disney Records. Details of the release will be announced at a later date.

In a statement, the Gershwin estate wrote, "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."

BrIan Wilson was the primary songwriter in the popular Beach Boys, also functioning as the band's main producer, composer, and arranger. In 1988, Wilson and his bandmates were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which refers to Wilson on its website as "One of the few undisputed geniuses in popular music." In 2008, Rolling Stone magazine published a list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time, and Wilson was ranked at #52. On December 2, 2007, the Kennedy Center Honors committee recognized Brian for a lifetime of contributions to American culture through the performing arts in music.