Musician Jeffrey Foskett, who was a part of the Beach Boys’ touring ensembles for almost 40 years under Brian Wilson and Mike Love, passed away on Monday at the age of 67.
A fan who got to play with their heroes is unusual, but Jeffrey was one of those fans. I was familiar with him from his solo albums like “Sunnys Off” and “Cool and Gone (Gone, Gone)” from 1997; to me, he perfectly vocalized those Beach Boy harmonies better than anyone short of Brian Wilson himself. Shortly after these album releases, he became a member of Wilson’s solo band and remained there until 2014. He rejoined the group in 2015 and remained there until his cancer rendered him disabled in 2019.
Foskett, whom the other members of the Beach Boys dubbed the “vice principal of the Beach Boys,” was one of the unusual musicians who could win over fans of each of the factions that formed within the band during the years. As far as Jeffrey was concerned, his allegiance was with the music and the California sound. Listen to some of the brilliance below in his memory.