In 1961, in Hawthorne, California, the Pendletones were formed by brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. The quintet began as a garage band, with Brian as the lead writer, and the trio's father, Murry, as the manager. After many years of writing songs and playing in juvenile sets in high school, the group finally 'hit big'. On September 15, 1961, The Pendletones recorded "Surfin'" with Hite Morgan, and were brought to Candix Records and Era Records, who signed the group to their recording studio. The studio had renamed their band The Beach Boys, and the boys found out when they saw their song on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart at number 3. 

The impact of The Beach Boys is unlike that of any other band. The group had influence on music, fashion, and protests. 

When the group was first founded, they were called the Pendletones because of their constant Pendleton attire. They were commonly photographed wearing blue-and-grey Pendleton flannel shirts, paired with white jeans. This was to showcase their Californian boyhood innocence. However, after being renamed The Beach Boys, their attire shifted to showcase more earth tones, leather, fur, and suede- an Eurocentric influence from The Beatles. However, as their music and society shifted into a psychedelic influence, so did their wardrobe yet again. The band began growing out their hair, wearing looser-fitting attire and spring-toned clothing, and was known for their bell-bottom pants. However, once the 70s arrived, as did the band's shift to rock. The boys were then seen wearing t-shirts and jeans with chin-length hair. However, as the 80s came, so did their age. Rocking balding hair, mismatched clothing, and general chaotic dad attire, the group was infamous for their ability to still be heartthrobs. The fashion choices of this band have been so deeply studied, as they were closely correlated with society in each era. 

In 1971, the group released their Surf's Up album. This album was filled with songs relating to police brutality and pollution. During this year, The Beach Boys performed at the May Day Protests in Washington to protest the war in Vietnam; this concert led to the largest mass arrest in US history. In 1974, the band performed at "An Evening with Salvador Allende", a campaign concert for the socialist president of Chile.