Rolling Stones and Beach Boys Ties Remain for Blondie Chaplin

Blondie Chaplin is suddenly very busy again, years after he rose to stateside notice during long associations with the Rolling Stones and and Beach Boys.

He’s featured vocalist on a new album by the New York City-based Tasty Kings with players boasting connections to the Stones, Bob Dylan and the Faces. Chaplin is also headlining a charity Beach Boys tribute show in Los Angeles set for July 3, 2025, at the Canyon in Agoura.

A former child star in his native South Africa, Chaplin rose to local fame with the Flames before appearing on a trio of Beach Boys recordings in the early ’70s, Carl and the Passions – So Tough, Holland and The Beach Boys in Concert. So, he says he wasn’t intimidated. “Obviously, you know, it’s the Beach Boys and they have their baggage and fame and everything like that,” Chaplin tells UCR, “but you know, I’ve been singing since I was 12 in South Africa, right?”

READ MORE: Beach Boys’ Best Post-‘Pet Sounds’ Songs

He took part in Brian Wilson‘s solo tours with other Beach Boys alumni from 2013 until Wilson left the road in 2022, stopping for a memorable studio collaboration on 2015’s No Pier Pressure. In between, Chaplin toured and recorded with the Rolling Stones for 15 years, appearing on 1997’s Bridges to Babylon and 2005’s A Bigger Bang, and then on Keith Richards‘ 2015 solo album Crosseyed Heart.

The Los Angeles tribute concert will include the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award to Stephen Kalinich, who co-wrote Beach Boys songs on 1968’s Friends and 1969’s 20/20. Other performers include Brian Wilson’s daughters, Carnie and Wendy Wilson of Wilson Phillips, and Wilson’s granddaughter, American Idol contestant Lola Bonfiglio. Proceeds go to the Get Together Foundation, which raises money to aid the homeless, victims of fire and others.

The Tasty Kings record, helmed by singer-songwriter Andrew Morse, was recorded over many years and includes contributions by Chaplin’s long-time Stones touring mate Darryl Jones on bass. Native Tongue also features Keith Richards’ drummer Charley Drayton and Dylan collaborators Charlie Sexton and Tony Garnier. Two tracks were completed with turns by the late keyboardist Ian McLagan of the Small Faces and Faces.

A narrative through line is provided by Chaplin’s still-resonant vocals, with “Maybe I’m a Queen” as an album highlight. “Hearing Blondie sing it really opened it up, gave it more depth,” Morse said in an official statement. “For someone who played midnight gigs at the age of 12 in 1963 South Africa, you’d think Blondie could be jaded. But his eyes are clear, his voice is raw, and he conducts this song in a sacred tone.”

In this interview, Chaplin discusses the differences between working with the Rolling Stones and Beach Boys, the long-awaited critical reassessment of Holland, and how he got involved with Andrew Morse and the Tasty Kings’ Native Tongue:

It’s a treat to hear you singing and singing so well again. The Native Tongue album took about 10 years to complete, but you got involved more recently. What attracted you to Andrew Morse’s songs?

I was brought in just to sing some of the songs and make it more palatable as far as, you know, he’s got some good words and stuff like that but I think he needed somebody to kind of make the words come alive a little bit. I was happy to take part in it and kind of bend the words a little bit and have some fun. I came in to try and just see how it fit for a couple of songs, but I ended up doing the whole album.

Did you record in the studio with Morse or were these songs completed through file sharing?

No, it was in the studio. I had to go up to Austin, Texas, and meet him and then try a few songs and then I ended up going there for a few weekends in a row and kind of getting involved, finishing it and playing a little guitar.

Watch Blondie Chaplin in Tasty Kings’ ‘Maybe I’m a Queen’ Video

It doesn’t surprise me. There’s such an emotional quality to the performances that it very much felt like an in-person recording.

Yeah, that’s pretty much what it was, you know, just go up there and it’s a nice little studio, hang out, and I hadn’t worked in Austin before so I got a chance to kind of look around and get a vibe for the city, you know what I mean?

What’s your favorite song on ‘Native Tongue’? Which one meant the most to you?

I like “Maybe I’m a Queen,” not because they’re pushing it, but it was nice to sing it. It was very easy to sing and I kind of felt the words a whole lot more. There are others, but that one was good. “Done and Dusted” was good, as well. “George Floyd” was always pretty emotional, you know what I mean?

The album has several other connections with the Rolling Stones, which I found interesting. ‘Native Tongue’ often took me back to the period when you were with the band. I wondered how your experience with the Stones was different than when you worked with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.

Oh, those are two different worlds, Nick. The Stones are nice to record with because, you know, they do things but it’s very easy. So it’s not like everything is set in one direction or the other. They always had a lot of freedom to bend things, you know what I mean? With the Beach Boys, things were kind of pretty much set from Brian and what have you. There were just different ways of working. The Beach Boys thing was kind of set and the Stones much more looser – and you can hear it in the music. It’s not that the Beach Boys weren’t fun, but it’s a whole lot more fun with the Stones. Yeah, very loose.

My understanding with “Sail On, Sailor,” your signature Beach Boys song, was that it was initially going to be sung by Dennis Wilson, but he decided to go surfing instead.

Yeah, well, he was there with his new – I think he had a new truck and his board was in the back and [producer] Carl [Wilson] wanted him to try it. And he was like, “Oh, man, Carl, the surf’s up and I got my new board and the truck’s looking good. And I don’t know, maybe I’ll go and do some surfing.” He tried maybe a verse and said, “This is not my timbre.” Then Carl tried it, which was more like what it was going to be but he didn’t like his timbre either. So there’s only me that was left standing around – so there we go. I tried and sang it a couple of times, and that was the result of what people hear.

Watch the Beach Boys’ ‘Sail On, Sailor’ Video

It’s amazing that “Sail On, Sailor” came together so quickly, because it seems like there would be a real challenge in taking over on that song – just because there are so many words.

Hey, talk about tongue-twisting! It’s not easy when you have so many words. I made it sound easy but it’s probably just because – I don’t know, I just had to bend into it and I was young enough to make it sound okay.

You started working with the Beach Boys after they caught a performance by the Flames in Kensington and came away impressed. What was your first session like?

The first song I sang with Brian and them was “He Come Down” [from 1972’s Carl and the Passions – So Tough], a gospel-y kind of thing that Brian wanted me to sing, to sing a part of that. Obviously, you know, it’s the Beach Boys and they have their baggage and fame and everything like that but you know, I’ve been singing since I was 12 in South Africa, right? When I started with a band called Flames, I was 14. So, I was used to singing in different situations or, you know, making things work as far as the voice is concerned. So, it didn’t intimidate me too much. I just relied on what I’ve always done. It was good to see and meet Brian for the first time and, you know, we’re still in touch.

Brian Wilson wasn’t always around, but he made some notable contributions to “Funky Pretty” from the Holland sessions. What was it like to be up close as he was constructing and arranging songs?

That was great. I think it was “Funky Pretty” that I best remember – because, you know, he didn’t like to fly. So, they got him on a plane and he came to Holland and “Funky Pretty” was a really nice, special treat to watch him work and throw voices around – and, you know, everybody had a voice to do something. People got around the microphone and started doing their part in singing. It was like magic. All of a sudden, everything made sense. Everything was going left, right, center, counter this, counter that. So that was a special feeling to watch him work and see him lift a song, just by directing each person to do a voice. Then just having it come together was quite fantastic.

Listen to the Beach Boys’ ‘Funky Pretty’

You reunited with Brian Wilson for several tours and the song “Sail Away” on ‘No Peer Pressure’ from a few years back – I guess 10, now.

Wow, that many years, huh? That’s pretty amazing.

Yeah, 2015. Did you guys just simply pick up where you left off?

Because he hadn’t heard me sing for a while, he wanted to hear the sound and timbre of my voice. So he brought me into the studio to do some singing – and, you know, we hit it off alright. Brian likes the voice. He loves me playing guitar as well, but he’s a voice guy. So he was very pleased to hear me sound, I’ll just say, halfway decent after all those years. He was very happy about that. So, he was behind the controls, directing, you know, making sure my pitch was good and everything like that. It was a nice meeting after all those years.

You co-wrote two songs that were on ‘Carl and the Passions’ and, of course, the great “Leaving This Town” on ‘Holland.’ I wondered what made you think those songs would work for the Beach Boys?

I didn’t know. Carl was the one that got us going to write a few things and encouraged us. At that time, he wanted to just open it up a bit for us – [fellow Flames alum] Ricky Fataar and myself – and just get us more involved, because he loved us from the Flames. He just wanted us to get more involved and encouraged us to do some writing. He was involved in helping us write those, especially “Leaving This Town.” [Holland bonus track] “We Got Love” is another one. So, I’ll blame him for helping us get it going, you know? It was such an interesting time.

This era was due for a reappraisal that finally came with the six-disc box set ‘Sail On Sailor: 1972′ in 2022.

You know what’s funny, Nick? I mean, that was how long ago now, right? That was ’72, ’73? I would have never thought – I mean, it has legs. “Sail On, Sailor,” the whole Holland album, it stands out and stands up as one of the better ones. At the time, I mean, it sounded pretty good but I would never have thought now, like 50 years later, everybody talks about how pivotal it was in their catalog. So, I’m quite flattered with that. But I would have never thought it had legs.

“Sailor” was the one that kicked it open, because the album wouldn’t have even been out if we didn’t go back and do that song. Nobody wanted to put out the Holland album because there weren’t any turntable songs, so to speak, to play on the radio or anything like that. Even then, it didn’t go so high in the charts but, after 50 years, it seems like everybody knows that song or has heard it somewhere. So, I’m quite happy to be associated with that.

Watch Blondie Chaplin Perform ‘Sail Away’ With Brian Wilson