Right from the start, Brian Wilson's relationship with Hawai'i showcased an unpredictable personality. But at the same time, the Islands seemed a place where the founder of the Beach Boys felt comfortable enough to shed the burdens of fame.

The Beach Boys first performed in Hawai'i in June 1963 at a concert promoted by Tom Moffatt. Dee Dee Sharp was the headliner for the "Show of Stars," with general admission a whopping $2.20.

Wilson was a no-show. "We were kind of upset," Moffatt said. "He wasn't known as the composer or the musical genius then. He was the sexiest guy of the group."

The California native was the driving force behind the Beach Boys, which originally featured his brothers Carl and Dennis, his cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine. Much of the group's inspiration came from Wilson, who served as lead songwriter, bassist, singer, producer, composer and arranger.

They had a sound that sent their music to the top of the charts and a feel that resonated with young fans. "Surfin' U.S.A.," "Good Vibrations," "Help Me, Rhonda" and "Little Deuce Coupe" seemed to define the early 1960s.

Fans of Wilson and his Beach Boys loved their shows and kept them coming back to an array of Hawai'i venues that included the old Civic Auditorium, the Blaisdell Arena, Aloha Stadium and inside Diamond Head crater.

When they came to Hawai'i in 1967, it marked Wilson's first appearance with the Beach Boys in three years. At the time, the young falsetto had stopped touring to focus instead on writing and recording. But the show at the Honolulu International Center was to be part of a live album called "Lei'd in Hawaii."

"I'm actually nervous — afraid," he said before the concert. "Why Hawai'i? It's a good place. We wanted to do another live album where the mood's good. And it's great here."

Although the album was never released, bootleg copies have circulated for years. Some say the version of "Surfer Girl" recorded then was the best the group ever produced.

The dark side of Wilson's life — bouts with drug abuse, emotional breakdowns, bizarre behavior and obesity — also had a Hawai'i connection.

A few months after the Beach Boys fired him in late 1982, the group came to Hawai'i for a show in Honolulu and one on Maui. At the time, Wilson was in a Kona rehab program with behavioral therapist Eugene Landy.

At the urging of his managers, Wilson gave a rare press conference just before the shows in February 1983, and then joined the band for a performance, said Tom Brislin, a longtime Beach Boys aficionado and former Advertiser editor, who wrote about it.

"He made an amazing recovery," said Brislin, who calls Wilson "a survivor."

Wilson only performed the Honolulu show, said Brislin, who attended both shows. But Brislin remembers it as an accomplished performance before a receptive, full house.

"It was soaring," he said. "He took the lead vocals on a couple of songs. He was in his recovery and he was focused and wasn't ga-ga the way he had been before. It energized the group."

In recent years, as Wilson's solo career took off in venues largely outside of the United States, he has come back to Hawai'i for private gigs and extended vacations, said Jeffrey Foskett, a good friend who performed with Wilson when he was with the Beach Boys and many times during his solo career.

Wilson spent a month on Maui last summer and a week this summer in Kona after performing for a private party.

"When he is in Hawai'i, honestly, he is more relaxed than he is anywhere else in the world, maybe with the exception of Sydney, Australia," said Foskett, a guitarist and singer who talks to Wilson several times every day on the phone — if he isn't with him.

"That's Brian's absolute favorite spot in the entire world," he said.

For Wilson, the man who made going to the beach a bona fide lifestyle choice in the 1960s, Hawai'i's appeal is found in its beaches, Foskett said.

"There is something about the Islands," Foskett said. "I can't tell you what it is, but I do know the ocean is a big part of it. He rarely goes into the ocean, but in Hawai'i, he will freely go into the water."

The Honolulu Advertiser and other select Gannett newspapers have teamed up with Capitol Records to stream the new album by rock legend Brian Wilson.

All tracks from "That Lucky Old Sun" are available to play in their entirety, today through the music's release for sale on Sept. 2.

Go online for an audio player, more information on Wilson and his new music and an opportunity to comment.

The audio player will include a link for users to pre-purchase the album on Amazon.