Rolling Stone<\/a>. \u201cI can write songs forever and wait until you hear what\u2019s coming!!! As my major talent beyond singing is songwriting, now is the time to get serious again.\u201d<\/p>\nThe 82-year-old musician said the next phase of his career will lean heavily into songwriting and a new venture \u2014 speaking engagements.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn addition, I\u2019m currently working on developing a speaking-engagement chapter of my career \u2014 inspired in part by Cary Grant, who long ago made a similar move after his movie career,\u201d Johnston explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith a ton of help designing what I speak about from\u00a0John Stamos, I\u2019ll be doing appearances and events of my own. I might even sing \u2018Disney Girls\u2019 and \u2018I Write the Songs!!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnston emphasized that he will still maintain ties with the group that helped define the\u00a0California sound.<\/p>\n
The Beach Boys\u2019 Bruce Johnston performs during Riot Fest at Douglass Park on Sept. 20, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cI am excited to join the Beach Boys for performances on special occasions and will see everyone at The Hollywood Bowl as we celebrate our Nation\u2019s 250th Birthday!!\u201d he continued. \u201cThis isn\u2019t goodbye, it\u2019s see you soon. I am forever grateful to be a part of the Beach Boys musical legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnston marked the end of an era that spanned roughly 6,000 concerts and generations of fans. He joined the band in 1965 when\u00a0Brian Wilson stepped away\u00a0from the road to focus on studio work.<\/p>\n
For nearly three decades \u2014 with the exception of the band\u2019s 2012 reunion tour \u2014 Johnston had been the only original-era member regularly touring alongside Mike Love. His contributions extend far beyond the stage. Johnston penned several Beach Boys songs, including \u201cDisney Girls,\u201d \u201cDeirdre\u201d and \u201cTears in the Morning.\u201d<\/p>\n
Johnston in London in 1966 early on in his long career with The Beach Boys. Getty Images<\/p>\n
During a brief departure from the group in 1972, Johnston wrote the smash hit \u201cI Write the Songs,\u201d famously recorded by Barry Manilow.<\/p>\n
Johnston returned to the Beach Boys in 1978 and remained in the touring lineup until his final show in January.<\/p>\n
Mike Love praised Johnston\u2019s decades of contributions to the iconic band.<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce Johnston is one of the greatest songwriters, vocalists and keyboardists of our time,\u201d Love said in a statement to Rolling Stone. \u201cWe\u2019ve had the honor of his performance and participation for many, many years with the Beach Boys. Change is always promised in life, today, we find ourselves in a chapter of change, but not an end.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Back left to right) Mike Love, Brian Wilson, and Dennis Wilson (front left to right), Bruce Johnston, Carl Wilson, and Al Jardine. Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cBruce shifts his focus on what he does so well, which is songwriting and recording,\u201d Love added. \u201cI personally look forward to collaborating in the studio with Bruce in the very near future. I am very supportive of Bruce and I have every confidence that he will produce great music.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, a new voice is stepping into the touring lineup.<\/p>\n
Chris Cron \u2014 frontman of the Beach Boys tribute act Pet Sounds Live \u2014 has begun performing with the band after sitting in on shows beginning in late February.<\/p>\n
The Beach Boys originally formed in the early 1960s with brothers Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, alongside cousin Love and friend Al Jardine. Over the decades, the band became one of the most successful acts in music history, selling more than 100 million records worldwide and leaving an enduring imprint on American pop and rock.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After six decades with the\u00a0Beach Boys, Bruce Johnston is taking a step back from the band. However, Johnston…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":507365,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[50268,88,216,1253,1666,38810],"class_list":["post-507364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-beach-boys","tag-entertainment","tag-music","tag-musicians","tag-retirement","tag-the-beach-boys"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=507364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/507364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/507365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=507364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=507364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=507364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}