A Good Day for Music

Spring of 1966, a song that became a hit record after it was adapted by one of the musical geniuses of the day.

Beach Boys

Sloop John B

Its rare when a song gets a second chance at being a hit record. Such is the case with this song that has quite the backstory.

The song first started out as a traditional West Indies tune about a sunken boat and was familiar with the local residents. It saw a resurgence in popularity in 1951 when it was revived by Lee Hayes for The Weavers. It was Al Jardine, the Beach Boys’ music buff, who turned bandmate Brian Wilson onto the Kingston Trio’s version. Brian updated the song with elaborate vocals and a 12-string guitar part with a slight song title change to ‘Sloop John B.'

‘Sloop John B’ was the biggest hit single from The Beach Boys landmark album ‘Pet Sounds.’

There is an interesting side story to the album which was, of course, the brainchild of Brian Wilson. Brian didn’t have a good idea on what to name his masterpiece. Not until Mike Love made a comment that dogs were going to be the only creatures of the planet that would like it. Brian called it ‘Pet Sounds.’