The story of Jan & Dean is one that truly goes full circle. What I mean is that you have to understand their early beginnings and then their resurgence in order to fully appreciate their music and contributions to Rock & Roll. I forgot about Dean's birthday on March 10 and the anniversary of Jan's passing was a couple weeks ago in 2004, so now's as good a time as any to gush about J & D.
Jan and Dean's music has given me an abundant amount of joy. I could spend a lifetime talking about them (much like my Beach Boys). The harmonies, the falsettos, the surfing/California attitude - Jan & Dean had it all. 26 chart-topping songs and influential in the later punk scene. And they were funny. Many feel the record industry never took them serious because both guys were attending college at the same time they were performing and that's why they're still not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Acclaimed rock critic Dave Marsh, stated that the attitude and public persona of punk rock can be traced to directly to Jan & Dean. I've seen them perform many times and have met them both on several occasions and found them quite endearing.
I could go on and on ad nauseum about J & D but I'll let you do the work - check the end of this post for a couple websites of note. Well, OK - I'll give you the Cliff's Notes version...
Known as the "Clown Princes of Rock and Roll", Jan Berry and Dean Torrance carved out their niche in the surf genre of R&R during the late 50's through the mid 60's - they actually pre-dated The Beach Boys by a couple years. Both were born in LA and met and hung out in high school, singing in the showers after football practice. Billboard hits include "Jenny Lee" (1958), "Baby Talk" (1959), "Surf City" (1963), "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena" (1964) - Berry was co-writing, arranging, and producing all of Jan and Dean's original material - twenty-six chart hits over an eight-year period (1958-1966). Jan and Brian Wilson collaborated on roughly a dozen hits and album cuts for Jan & Dean, including the number one national hit "Surf City". Jan called the shots - writing, producing, orchestrating. Dean went along for the ride.
Oh come on...don't stop reading now. There's not that much more. Click on READ MORE.
Oddly enough Jan & Dean were writing, producing, performing and making
appearances part-time while attending college - Dean majored in advertising design in the school of architecture at
USC and Jan took science and music classes and was
pre-med at UCLA.
Jan and girlfriend Jill Gibson in the early 60's. Jill and Jan dated around seven years. She helped foster his creative juices by co-writing and performing in a number of songs of Jan's. She was the unofficial photographer for the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967 and sang with the Mama's and the Papa's for a year, filling in for Michelle Phillips when she was temporarily booted from the group. She has an art studio in Oakland (that link can be found at the end of this post). We've emailed back and forth a bit. To me she was one of the quintessential 60's hotties.
By end of 1964, Jan & Dean recordings were ranked at number six among the top selling singles that year. Jan & Dean's sales were bested only by the Beatles, Four Seasons, Beach Boys, and Elvis Presley. After placing 28 hit records on the music charts, Jan & Dean coasted to a pinnacle of success on all fronts in early 1966.
In 1966, Berry received severe head injuries in a motor vehicle accident, ironically just a short distance from Dead Man's Curve in Los Angeles, two years after the song had become a hit. Jan was on his way to a business meeting when he crashed his Corvette into a parked truck on Whittier Drive in Beverly Hills. It was pretty much the consensus he wouldn't survive, but Berry traveled a long and difficult road toward recovery from brain damage and partial paralysis - seven years. He had minimal use of his right arm, and had to learn to write with his left hand. Doctors said he would never walk again; but with a persistent refusal to give up, Jan made it through. Torrence stood by his partner, maintaining their presence in the music industry, and keeping open the possibility that they would perform together again.
For the full story on Dead Man's Curve, read here.
Torrence, minus his best friend and colleague, turned to other pursuits. He established a graphics design firm, called Kitty Hawk Graphics, and for more than a decade, stayed occupied in designing items such as album covers, logos, and souvenir concert books for popular show business acts. In 1970 he received his first Grammy Award nomination from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for the best album cover of the year for the design of Uncle Charlie and His Dog Teddy, by the
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band; more nominations followed. Among the familiar logos designed by Torrence are the
modern Beach Boys logo and the
American Music Awards design.
Their music has been covered by numerous Punk and alternative bands since the 1970s. Along with Phil
Spector, Brian Wilson, and Lee
Hazlewood, Jan enjoyed a reputation as one of the best record producers on the West Coast. Brian Wilson has cited Berry as having a direct impact on his own growth as a record producer.
In 1978, CBS aired a made-for-TV movie about the duo titled
"Deadman's Curve". The biopic starred Richard Hatch as Jan Berry and Bruce
Davison as Dean Torrence, which introduced - and reintroduced Jan & Dean to the public, and their popularity swelled.
This is the start of PHASE 2 of their career - a phase that Dean was in charge of.
In 1986, Berry helped establish the Jan Berry Center for the Brain Injured in
Downey, California. Dean Torrence participated in the promotional campaign for this endeavor. Though Berry only made a partial recovery, he persevered and remained a high-profile example for patients with traumatic brain injury (
TBI).
Jan passed away on March 26, 2004, at the age of 62 of a seizure. There was huge
"Celebration of Life" party for him at The Roxy in West Hollywood a month later where all of Jan's friends turned out to say goodbye - and honor him.
Dean and Jill Gibson in 2004 at Jan's Celebration of Life party at The Roxy. Dean still tours with his
Surf All-Stars Band. But Jan & Dean live in the hearts of those who continue to love their music.
Below are several YouTube sites where you can listen to some of Jan & Dean's music, along with a few informative websites to fill-in-the-blanks of this incredible story.
Produced by Cameron Michael Parkes and Mark A. Moore. Featuring seven tracks from 1968's "Carnival of Sound" album that was never released, plus 14 more songs highlighting Jan's career as a writer, arranger, and producer.
Brian Wilson talks about Jan. Includes the promotional trailer for the forthcoming Jan Berry/ Jan & Dean
Tribute Album. The album will feature seven tracks from 1968's
"Carnival of Sound" (Warner Bros.) plus 14 more songs highlighting Jan Berry's career as a writer, arranger, and producer.
Easy as 1, 2, 3 - Jan & Dean interviewed (toward end of video), movie
Deadman's, Lisa
Mychols sings . . . and Dean remembers. This upcoming album will feature seven tracks from 1968's
"Carnival of Sound" (Warner Bros.) plus 14 more songs highlighting Jan Berry's career as a writer, arranger, and producer.
1971 – 14
When my turn came, I nervously stepped up to the small circular platform and looked up into the face of Brian Wilson, gazing down at me. I felt like a rowboat peering up at an ocean liner. Suddenly, I was struck with the notion that this was my chance to say whatever I wanted to a man who has been such an inspiration to me. So, after I introduced myself, I drew a deep breath and proceeded to thank him for his willingness to share his gifts with the world. Brian’s head lowered, and the audience swelled into applause, as if to say, “and that goes for us too!” 
Part of my five mile walk (the section between the MIA/POW flag and the NPR sign in the above post) takes me by the local skatepark. This time I went in - armed with my camera - and got some great shots.
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