Nearly everyone can sing along to at least one of the dozens of hits written by Mike Love for The Beach Boys.

Whether it’s “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “I Get Around” or “California Girls,” their songs have inspired multiple generations to catch a wave or two.

Their first single, “Surfin’,” hit the airwaves in 1961, nearly five decades ago, but Love continues to lead the group in an average of 150 shows every year.

He hasn’t taken a summer off in 40 years, and when The Beach Boys bring their sunny songs to the Fresno Fair on Oct. 9 he’ll be front and center — but don’t expect to see any other familiar faces.

Brian Wilson, Love’s first cousin and the creative genius behind many of the band’s early hits, left the group in 1964 to deal with psychological and drug problems. The other two founding members, Dennis and Carl Wilson, have died.

But while Love acknowledges it’s not the same band, he believes they’ve stayed true to the sounds of The Beach Boys and knows they’re doing something right when they hear the crowd singing along.

“It’s really kinda amazing when you see kids singing along to ‘409’ which was created in 1962,” he said.

The Beach Boys had a string of chart-topping hits in the early 1960s, but their critically acclaimed album “Pet Sounds” wasn’t released until 1966.

As Love, 68, wrote songs like “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “Help Me Rhonda” with his cousins on the beaches of Southern California, he never expected they’d have such a lasting influence on pop music and generations of fans.

“We were just thinking about making songs involving the lifestyle that we were living,” he said. “The cool cars, the cool girls, the beaches, surfing, beach life and school life like on ‘Be True to Your School.’”

Love was backed by Wilson until 1964 when he was replaced by Glen Campbell, a then-unknown studio musician.

Today, Love is backed by Bruce Johnston, who replaced Campbell and joined the band in 1965 on bass but now plays keyboard and sings.

The Beach Boys’ last big hit, “Kokomo,” was released in 1988 and Love’s son, Christian Love, now plays guitar and sings in the band along with several more recent additions.

Though Love is the only original member of The Beach Boys left in the group, he said that he continues performing to bring joy to his fans.

Over the years he’s had fans tell him what a pivotal role The Beach Boys’ music has played in their lives.

A Vietnam vet once told him that their music was a piece of home that he could take with him when he was serving overseas.

Throughout the years he’s had numerous fans tell him that their music inspired them to move to California and live the lifestyle they sang about.

“Stories like that we hear all the time and it’s pretty special when people have that kind of affection for your music,” he said. “It’s really nice to be able to go out and perform and see that happiness that’s generated by those songs.”

The Beach Boys

Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Fresno Fair

Paul Paul Theater on the Fairgrounds at 1121 S. Chance Ave., Fresno

250 free general admission seats are available with fair entry

Tickets for reserved seating are $15 or $20

To purchase tickets, visit http://www.tickets.fresnofair.com>www.tickets.fresnofair.com or call 888-559-FAIR

The reporter can be reached at 583-2427.