Beach Boys co-founder Brian Wilson was a musical force of nature, and the entire industry is feeling the void. Since Wilson died on June 11, 2025, at age 82, tributes have begun pouring in from every corner. Recently, singer-songwriter Marcus King became the latest to pay homage to the “Surfin’ USA” crooner with a musical tribute.
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Watch Marcus King Pay His Respects to Brian Wilson
Taking the main stage Thursday (June 12) at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, the 29-year-old South Carolina native delivered a soulful rendition of The Beach Boys’ timeless hit “God Only Knows.”
Off their 11th studio album, 1966’s Pet Sounds, the tune is widely hailed as one of the greatest songs of all time. And Marcus King needed only his raspy vocals to do Brian Wilson justice as he sang, I may not always love you / But as long as there are stars above you / You never need to doubt it / I’ll make you so sure about it.
“MARCUS KING PLAYED GOD ONLY KNOWS I AM DISTRAUGHT,” wrote one astounded fan on X/Twitter.
King joins artists like Sting and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong in honoring Wilson with song. Armstrong shared a full-length cover of the Beach Boys’ 1964 hit “I Get Around” to his Instagram page.
“Thank you Brian Wilson,” wrote the “Brain Stew” singer, 53. “I recorded a cover of ‘I Get Around’ a few years ago.. never got to share it. One of my all time favorite songs ever.”
Like King, Sting paid tribute to his “hero” with a cover of “God Only Knows” during a show in Germany.
The Marcus King Band Releases New Song
After dedicating the last several years to his solo career, Marcus King has hinted that his southern rock/blues outfit, The Marcus King Band, will release its first new album since 2018’s Carolina Confessions. Their latest song, “Carolina Honey,” dropped this Thursday, June 12.
The song tells the story of the night King met his wife, Briley Hussey, after a show in Raleigh, North Carolina. The pair tied the knot in 2023.
“I woke up still hurting from the night before – still feeling I didn’t have much to live for,” said the “Mood Swings” crooner. “I’d given up on any thought that I could ever be ‘happy.’ All that changed when Little Bird walked into my life.”
He continued, “After my set, Briley came backstage to say hello – she started playing Linda Ronstadt and singing and for the first time I saw something or someone in front me that gave me ‘hope.’ Someone I wanted to be my BEST self for – Someone I wanted to grow old with, someone that made me want to grow old ‘at all.’ “
Featured image by Daniel DeSlover/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
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