<\/p>\n
\n\tEarly this year, Chris Cron \u2014 a Nashville-based vocalist who performs in the Beach Boys<\/a> tribute group Pet Sounds Live<\/a> \u2014 received a phone call from Beach Boys musical director Brian Eichenberger that left him almost too stunned for words. \u201cHe said, \u2018Bruce is retiring,’\u201d says Cron, referring to Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, <\/a>who joined the group in 1965, and has played more than 6,000 shows with them over the past 61 years. \u201c\u2018And we need someone to fill his spot. Are you interested?\u2019 The offer didn\u2019t even make sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor Eichenberger and the rest of the current Beach Boys touring band, led by founding member Mike Love, the offer made a lot of sense. Cron\u2019s Instagra<\/a>m<\/a> feed<\/a> is packed with viral videos where he re-creates vintage Beach Boys harmonies with stunning precision, mimicking the unique vocal styles of every single member. Pet Sounds<\/a> Live brings that same commitment to historical perfection to concert stages across the country, and Cron proved himself to be an asset to the current Beach Boys lineup late last year when he briefly subbed for Christian Love on vocals and guitar.<\/p>\n \n\tBut he never expected to be anything more than a brief fill-in, let alone the full-time replacement for a classic-era member who sang on \u201cCalifornia Girls\u201d and Pet Sounds<\/em>. \u201cPeople say, \u2018You\u2019re in the Beach Boys!\u2019 says Cron. \u201cAnd I\u2019m like, \u2018Well, I\u2019m a touring member of the current thing right now, so I guess so.\u2019\u00a0 But it\u2019s just weird to be like \u2026 I don\u2019t know what to think. It\u2019s just fun. This was never on my bingo card.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe road to this moment started four decades back in Orange County, California, where Cron grew up in a household that revered the Beatles, Elton John, and Steely Dan. \u201cWhen Windows 95 came out, it came with a grainy music video for Weezer\u2019s \u2018Buddy Holly,’\u201d he says. \u201cAnd The Blue Album came out when I was 12. It\u2019s the first album I remember loving that was completely my own. Then I had a youth pastor who turned me on to British second-wave ska. I got really into that stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n