Kenny & The Cadets

Kenny & the Cadets were a strongly Beach Boys-related act, but not exactly the Beach Boys under a pseudonym -- a situation that has created some confusion for discographers over the years. In early 1962, during the Beach Boys' brief stay at Candix Records, producer Bruce Morgan had some of the members add vocals to a couple of instrumental tracks that he had recorded with other musicians. On "Barbie," Brian Wilson sang lead and Carl Wilson, Al Jardine, and the Wilsons' mother, Audree Wilson, contributed to backup vocals, with Val Poliuto also adding bass backup vocals. (Mike Love and Dennis Wilson did not participate in this session.) On "What Is a Young Girl Made Of?," Brian Wilson again took the lead vocal, though none of the other Beach Boys participated. The two tracks, "Barbie" and "What Is a Young Girl Made Of?," were both Bruce Morgan compositions and were issued as a single in early 1962 under the name of Kenny & the Cadets. "Barbie" was a typical early-'60s doo wop-influenced tune with a very high Brian Wilson lead vocal, while the more up-tempo "What Is a Girl Made Of?" was ordinary early-'60s teen pop. The single made no impact and in a few, the Beach Boys proper were recording for Capitol Records, making the Top Twenty for the first time in late 1962. The Kenny & the Cadets songs, however, have appeared on several compilations of their pre-Capitol Candix sessions. ~ Richie Unterberger