David Marks

David Lee Marks (born August 22, 1948) is an American guitarist who was an early member of the Beach Boys. Marks was a neighborhood friend of the original band members while growing up in Hawthorne, California, and was a frequent participant at the Wilson family Sunday night singalongs. Following his initial departure from the group, Marks fronted the Marksmen and performed and recorded as a session musician. Marks joined the Beach Boys in February 1962. Since he did not appear on the 1961 single "Surfin'", the first performance by the band that would become "the Beach Boys", most historians discount him as a true founding member of the group. He performed on the band's first four albums, Surfin' Safari (1962), Surfin' U.S.A. (1963), Surfer Girl (1963), and Little Deuce Coupe (1963). In August 1963, personal issues with manager Murry Wilson caused Marks to leave the group. Afterward, Marks worked with acts including Casey Kasem's Band Without a Name, the Moon, Delaney & Bonnie, Colours and Warren Zevon, and studied jazz and classical guitar at the Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. From 1997 to 1999, Marks returned to the Beach Boys for their live performances. In 2007, he released an autobiography, entitled The Lost Beach Boy. In 2012, he reunited with the group to record That's Why God Made the Radio. Marks also joined the band on its 2012 fiftieth-anniversary tour. Following the tour's completion, Marks continued working with Wilson and Jardine on Wilson's solo performances and 2015 studio album, No Pier Pressure.