The Beach Boys
The surf-rock kings were one of the defining acts of the 1960s. The group was managed by Murry Wilson, father of members Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson. Murry had a very tense relationship with his sons due to years of physical and emotional abuse, and by the late 60s, the band was looking to replace him as their manager. Paranoid and dejected, Murry sold the publishing rights to their catalog behind their backs. Because the Beach Boys weren’t selling as they had been earlier in their career, he sold the rights for only $750,000—believing he’d gotten more than the songs were worth. The catalog would later be worth an estimated $40 million.
