Wilson Phillips is an American vocal group consisting of Carnie and Wendy Wilson and Chynna Phillips. Their 1990 self-titled debut album scored four Grammy Award nominations, two American Music Award nominations and a Billboard Music Award. The group is also known for being the offspring of prominent musicians; the Wilsons are the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, while Phillips' parents are John Phillips and Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas.
The Wilson sisters and Phillips grew up together in southern California in the 1970s and 1980s. The three shared a love of music and songwriting, and developed their own style of vocal harmonies. In 1989, the trio signed with SBK Records.
Their debut single, "Hold On", hit #1 (1 week) on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, bumping Madonna's "Vogue" out of the weekly #1 slot and became the surprise 1990 year-end #1. Follow-up singles, "Release Me" (2 weeks) and "You're in Love" (1 week) also reached #1. The singles "Impulsive" and "The Dream Is Still Alive'", peaked at #4 and #12, respectively, on the Hot 100. The album sold over 5 million copies in the US alone and peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
In June 1992, Wilson Phillips released their second album, Shadows and Light. The album was deeply personal and adopted a more serious tone, with tracks exploring issues such as child abuse ("Where Are You") and their estrangement from their fathers ("Flesh and Blood", "All the Way From New York"). Although the album received good reviews, it failed to generate the same success as the group's debut album. The first single, "You Won't See Me Cry,'" peaked at #12. Follow-up singles, "Give It Up" and "Flesh and Blood," failed to crack the top 20. The album sold over one million copies in the US and peaked at #4 on the Billboard 200.
Shortly after the release of Shadows and Light, Chynna Phillips announced plans for a solo career, and the group decided to split up.
During the next decade, the group went their separate ways. In 1993, Wendy and Carnie Wilson released the Christmas holiday themed album, Hey, Santa!, a collection of classic holiday themes with an original song (the title track). In 1995, Chynna Phillips released a solo album, Naked and Sacred. The same year, Carnie went on to host her own short-lived syndicated television talk show entitled, Carnie!. In 1997, Carnie and Wendy, along with their father, Brian Wilson released The Wilsons and the single, "Monday Without You".
A Greatest Hits album was released in 2000, although the group did not officially reunite for the release. On March 29, 2001, they reunited to perform the Beach Boys' song "You're So Good to Me" at a tribute show to Brian Wilson held at New York's Radio City Music Hall. Chynna Phillips dedicated the performance to her own father John Phillips who had died a few days earlier.
Wilson Phillips reunited in 2004 to release California, an album of cover songs. A single, "Go Your Own Way," a song originally recorded by Fleetwood Mac, peaked at #13 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The album debuted at #35 on the charts with 31,000 copies sold.
In New Zealand, the album was a surprise hit, reaching the top 10 and amassing gold sales after "Go Your Own Way" topped the country's adult contemporary radio chart for several weeks.
Carnie and Wendy Wilson have announced that they will once again tour as The Wilsons. They have created a new website containing both tour dates and information about their return to the music scene.
