BEACH BOY WEDDING

by Ann Moses on December 21, 2024

From the Tiger Beat Archives, November 1966:

A Beach Boy weds. But there is no huge ceremony. In fact, there are only a few people who even know about it. This is the way it has to be when you’re young, and love and the celebrity determined to take the chill rushes of opposition.

Carl Wilson and Annie Hinsche were married last February, but only their parents and Annie’s brother, Billy, attended the ceremony in Los Angeles. Because Annie is only 16 and Carl is only 19, they felt it was important to keep the wedding strictly in the family.

Why the Secret?

Carl says, “Where we live, there are so many old people and they just don’t understand. We felt it would be better to keep it a very small wedding, because you know how people talk. They seem to think there’s something strange about young people getting married, something not quite right. It’s weird because it seems a very natural sort of happening–the only logical thing to do when you’re in love.”

And it was not an easy task to keep such a marriage secret. “It was terribly hard,” says Carl. “We wanted so much to tell everyone because we were so happy. But we hesitated because of the group and because of what people would say. We didn’t want anything to harm our happiness.”

Carl first met Annie in September of last year. The Beach Boys had done a string of concerts with Dino, Desi and Billy and one night when Annie went to pick up Billy Hinsche at the airport, she was introduced to Carl.

Annie remembers, “We got to know each other that night and the next night Carl asked me to one of the Beach Boys recording sessions. Then we started dating and spent a lot of time together. We did everything together. Carl took me to shows and out to dinner. It was wonderful.

“Then he left on tour, but he called every night. The first time he called me was from Portland, Oregon and we talked on the phone for 4 hours!”

Two months passed. The Beach Boys were in New York on tour. Carl had not been his laughing and joking self the past several weeks–there was something missing. Something missing was Annie. He called her from New York and proposed over the telephone. The distance made little difference!

Annie says, “I was very surprised. I really didn’t expect it. But there were no doubts in my mind, I said ‘yes’ immediately! For a couple of hours after Carl hung up, I just kept thinking about what we had said. It just kept running through my mind!”

PARENTS WERE HAPPY

When they told their parents Carl recalls, “They were so shaken because they weren’t expecting it. But they thought it was great. They were happy because we were happy. The other guys in the group thought it was great too.”

Billy was another one who is very happy to hear of Carl and Annie’s engagement. After they were married, Billy kept up the close ties he had with his sister. Annie relates, “He comes over all the time when he’s not traveling. He’s over here nearly every day.”

There he most often finds a barrage of other Beach Boys and their friends gathered together for an impromptu swim or a snack before going onto the next stop. Brian is there often, because he has no pool, though he is having an indoor pool built for his home. And they are all crazy about Annie’s cooking. “I’m learning to make some great Polynesian dishes from my mother. I’m not a quarter as good a cook as she is, but whenever I drop by to see her she’s got a new recipe to teach me.”

Annie travels everywhere with Carl. She’s been to Canada, New York and all through the South on tour with Carl and his brothers–27,000 miles already. Carl mentioned that Annie’s presence makes one night stands much more pleasant. “Having a girl in our dressing room raises the whole level of the atmosphere. Backstage conversations are such a bore. But when Annie is there, it’s always nicer.”

How will Carl and Annie’s marriage work when so many “teenage marriages” fail? Carl says, “First of all we are very, very much in love. Also, were already settled down and comfortable.”

ANNIE MAKES IT NICER

Both agree that married life is more wonderful than they believed anything could be. Says Carl, “When I was single I didn’t know there was an emptiness. It’s impossible to describe how you feel, but all I can say is life is emptiness without it.”

The young couple live in Coldwater Canyon, that gorgeous part of Beverly Hills, in a modern house with a swimming pool. The living room is a massive white carpeted room with floor-to-ceiling windows facing the backyard. Floor length drapes are pulled to one side in both the living room and the bedrooms. The dining room is done in olive green and gold.

But it’s more than just a house. It’s a home. It’s Carl and Annie’s home.

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