Jan and Dean

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Jan and Dean

Jan and Dean were a rock and roll

Rock and roll

Rock and roll is a form of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Its roots lay mainly in rhythm and blues, Country music, folk music, gospel music, and jazz....
duo

Duet (music)

A duet is a musical composition or musical piece for two performers. In classical music the term is most often used for a composition for two singers or pianists; with other instruments, the word Wiktionary:duo is also often used....
, popular from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s, consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). Although Jan & Dean pre-dated The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys are an American rock band. Formed in 1961, the group gained popularity for its close harmony and lyrics reflecting a California youth culture of cars and surfing....
, they became most famously associated with the vocal "surf music

Surf music

Surf music is a genre of popular music associated with surf culture, particularly Orange County, California and other areas of Southern California....
" craze inspired by The Beach Boys.

Berry and Dean Torrence, both born in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
, began singing together as a duo

Duet (music)

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Beginnings: 1958-1963

Jan Berry and Dean Torrence, both born in Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Duet (music)

Sound recording and reproduction

Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical or mechanics inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects....
sessions followed soon after, in a makeshift studio

Recording studio

A recording studio is a facility for Sound recording and reproduction. Ideally, the space is specially designed by an acoustics to achieve the desired acoustic properties ....
in Berry's garage

Garage (house)

A residential garage is part of a home, or an associated building, designed or used for storing a vehicle or vehicles. In some places the term is used synonymously with "carport", though that term normally describes a structure that is not completely enclosed....
. They first performed onstage as "The Barons" at a high school dance. With the Barons, Jan Berry was experimenting with multi-part vocal arrangements — five years before he started working professionally with Brian Wilson

Brian Wilson

Brian Douglas Wilson is a Grammy Award-winning United States musician best known as a member of the American rock and roll band, the Beach Boys....
.

Their first commercial success was "Jennie Lee" (1958), which reached #8, and was an ode to a local, Hollywood burlesque

Burlesque

Burlesque is a humorous theatrical entertainment involving parody and sometimes grotesque exaggeration. Prior to Burlesque becoming associated with striptease, it was a form of Parody music in which an opera or piece of classical theatre is adapted in a broad, often risqu? style very different from that for which it was originally known....
performer that Jan Berry recorded with fellow Baron Arnie Ginsburg. "Jan & Arnie" released three singles

Single (music)

In the record industry, a single is a song usually used from a current or upcoming album to promote the album. Singles are distributed through a number of ways; originally, they were packaged as "single" records with one or two other songs and sold before the release of the album....
in all. After Torrence returned from a stint in the army reserves, Jan Berry and Dean Torrence began to make music as "Jan and Dean".

With the help of record producers Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert

Herbert "Herb" Alpert is an United States musician most associated with the group variously known as Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass or as Herb Alpert's Tijuana Brass or just TJB for short....
and Lou Adler

Lou Adler

Lou Adler is an United States record producer, manager, and director.Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in East Los Angeles, Adler grew up in a mixed Jewish/Mexico family....
, Jan and Dean scored a #10 hit with "Baby Talk

Baby talk

Baby talk, motherese, parentese, mommy talk, caretaker speech, infant-directed talk , or child-directed speech is a nonstandard form of speech used by adults in talking to toddlers and infants....
" (1959), and then scored a series of hits over the next couple of years. Playing local venues, they met and performed with the Beach Boys, and discovered the appeal of the latter's "surf sound". By this time, Berry was co-writing

Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
, arranging

Arrangement

In music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet....
, and producing all of Jan and Dean's original material. Berry signed a series of contracts with Screen Gems

Screen Gems

Screen Gems is an United States subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia Pictures that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
to write and produce

Produce

Produce is a generalized term for a group of farm-produced goods, not limited to fruit and vegetables. More specifically, the term "produce" often implies that the products are fresh and generally in the same state as where they were harvested....
music for Jan and Dean, as well as other artists such as Judy & Jill (which included Berry's girlfriend Jill Gibson

Jill Gibson

Jill Gibson is an United States singer, songwriter and artist. She is mostly known for having once briefly been a member of the famous 1960s rock group The Mamas & the Papas....
and Dean Torrence's girlfriend Judy Lovejoy), The Matadors, and Pixie (a young female solo singer).

During this time, Berry co-wrote and/or arranged and produced songs for artists outside of Jan and Dean, including The Angels

The Angels (band)

The Angels were an United States girl group, best-known for their 1963 number 1 hit, "My Boyfriend's Back "....
("I Adore Him", Top 30), the Gents, the Matadors (Sinners), Judy & Jill, Pixie (unreleased), Jill Gibson, Shelley Fabares

Shelley Fabares

Michele Ann Marie "Shelley" Fabares is an United States actress and singer, known primarily for her roles on movies, soap operas and television....
, Deane Hawley, the Rip Chords

Bruce & Terry

Bruce & Terry were Bruce Johnston and Terry Melcher. The pair were instrumental in the development of surf rock, recording under a variety of names and created the band The Rip Chords....
("Three Window Coupe", Top 30), and Johnny Crawford

Johnny Crawford

John Ernest Crawford is an United States actor, singer, and musician....
, among others.

Part-time musicians

Unlike most other rock 'n roll acts of the period, Jan and Dean did not give music their full-time attention. Jan & Dean were college students, maintaining their studies while writing and recording music and making public appearances on the side.

Torrence majored in advertising design in the school of architecture at USC

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park, Los Angeles, California neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, California, United States....
. Berry took science and music classes at UCLA

University of California, Los Angeles

The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, California, United States....
, and entered the California College of Medicine (now the UC Irvine School of Medicine

UC Irvine School of Medicine

The University of California, Irvine School of Medicine is an accredited medical school, located in Irvine, California, that is affiliated with the University of California, Irvine....
) in 1963. By the time of his 1966 auto accident, Berry had completed two years of medical school.

Surf's golden boys: 1963-1964

Jan and Dean reached their commercial peak in 1963 and 1964. The duo scored an impressive sixteen Top 40 hits on the Billboard and Cash Box magazine charts, with a total of twenty-six chart

Record chart

Record chart are a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....
hits over an eight-year period (1958-1966). Jan and Brian Wilson collaborated on roughly a dozen hits and album cuts for Jan and Dean, including the number one national hit "Surf City

Surf City (song)

"Surf City" is a surf rock which, as recorded by Jan and Dean, was a #1 Hit record in July 1963 for two weeks.The first draft of the song, with ...
" in 1963. Subsequent top 10 hits included "Drag City

Drag City (song)

Drag City is a 1963 song by Jan & Dean. It describes the narrator's trip to a drag-racing strip....
" (#10) (1963), "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena

The Little Old Lady from Pasadena

"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" is a song written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian , and recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean....
" (#3) (1964), and the eerily portentous "Dead Man's Curve

Dead Man's Curve (song)

"Dead Man's Curve" is a 1964 hit song by Jan and Dean detailing a teen drag race gone awry. It reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.According to the song, the race starts at Sunset and Vine between a Chevrolet Corvette C2 and an Jaguar E-Type, traveling on W....
" (#8) (1964).

In 1964, at the height of their fame, Jan and Dean hosted and performed at The T.A.M.I. Show
The T.A.M.I. Show

The T.A.M.I. Show is a 1964 in music concert film, released by American International Pictures. It includes performances by numerous popular rock and roll and R&B musicians from the United States and England....
, a historic concert film directed by Steve Binder. The film also featured such acts as The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are an English rock music band formed in 1962 in London when multi-instrumentalist Brian Jones and pianist Ian Stewart were joined by vocalist Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards....
, Chuck Berry

Chuck Berry

Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter.Chuck Berry is an influential figure and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music....
, Gerry & The Pacemakers

Gerry & the Pacemakers

Gerry & the Pacemakers were a United Kingdom rock and roll musical ensemble during the 1960s. In common with The Beatles, they came from Liverpool and were management by Brian Epstein....
, James Brown

James Brown

James Joseph Brown, Jr. was an United States entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing....
, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, Marvin Gaye

Marvin Gaye

Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr., better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye was an United States singer-songwriter and instrumentalist with a three-octave vocal range....
, The Supremes

The Supremes

The Supremes, an American girl group, were one of the signature acts on Motown Records during the 1960s. Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, Michigan in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop music, soul music, Broadway theatre show tunes, psychedelic soul and disco....
, Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore

Lesley Gore is an United States singer-songwriter of the "girl group era". She is perhaps best known for her 1963 pop music hit, "It's My Party ", which she recorded at the age of 16....
, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and the Beach Boys (whose sequence was later cut from the film, due to contract violation issues). Also in 1964, the duo performed the title track for the Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures

Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an United States film production company and distribution company. It was one of the so-called studio system among the eight major film studios of Hollywood Cinema of the United States#Golden Age of Hollywood....
film Ride the Wild Surf, starring Fabian

Fabian (entertainer)

Fabiano Anthony Forte , better known as Fabian, is a former United States teen idol of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He rose to national prominence after performing several times on American Bandstand....
, Tab Hunter

Tab Hunter

Tab Hunter is an United States actor and singer who appeared in more than 40 major feature films....
, Peter Brown

Peter Brown (actor)

Peter Brown is an American television actor known for his role as Deputy Johnny McKay opposite John Russell in the 1958 Warner Bros. western series Lawman ....
, Shelley Fabares, and Barbara Eden

Barbara Eden

Barbara Eden is an American film and television actor and singer who is best known for her starring role in the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie....
. The song, penned by Jan Berry, Brian Wilson, and Roger Christian, was a Top 20 national hit.

Jan and Dean also filmed two unreleased television pilots: Surf Scene in 1963 and On the Run in 1966. Their feature film Easy Come, Easy Go was canceled when Berry, as well as the film's director and other crew members, were seriously injured in a railroad accident while shooting the movie in August 1965.

Changing times: 1965-1966

After the surf craze, Jan and Dean scored two Top-30 hits in 1965: "You Really Know How to Hurt a Guy" and "I Found a Girl" — the latter from the album Folk 'n Roll. During this period, they also began to experiment with cutting-edge comedy concepts such as the original (unreleased) Filet of Soul and Jan & Dean Meet Batman. The former's album cover shows Berry with his leg in a cast as a result of the accident while filming "Easy Come, Easy Go".

Berry's car wreck and its aftermath: 1966-1968

On April 12, 1966, Berry received severe head injuries in a motor vehicle accident just a short distance from Dead Man's Curve

Dead Man's Curve

Dead Man's Curve is the unofficial but commonly used name given to hazardous curves on Interstate highway and other roads in the United States that have claimed lives due to accidents....
in Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California

California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, two years after the song had become a hit. Berry was on his way to a business meeting when he crashed his Corvette into a parked truck on Whittier Drive in Beverly Hills. Berry had also separated from his girlfriend of seven years, singer-artist Jill Gibson, later a member for a short time of The Mamas and the Papas, who had also co-written several songs with Berry.

Berry traveled a long and difficult road toward recovery from brain damage

Brain damage

Brain damage, or acquired brain injury, is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells....
and partial paralysis

Paralysis

Paralysis is the complete loss of muscle function for one or more muscle groups. Paralysis can cause loss of feeling or loss of mobility in the affected area....
. 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 he refused to give up, and ultimately succeeded. Torrence stood by his partner, maintaining their presence in the music industry, and keeping open the possibility that they would perform together again.

In Berry's absence, Torrence released several singles on the J&D Record Co. label and recorded Save for a Rainy Day in 1966, a concept album

Concept album

In popular music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical". Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being musical improvisation or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing to narrative....
featuring all rain-themed songs. Torrence posed with Berry's brother Ken for the album cover photos. Columbia Records

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label founded in 1888.Columbia is the oldest surviving brand name in pre-recorded sound, being the first record company to produce pre-recorded records as opposed to blank cylinders....
released one single from the project ("Yellow Balloon") as did the song's writer, Gary Zekley

Gary Zekley

Gary Zekley was a West Coast of the United States record producer and songwriter associated with 1960s, 1970s and 1980s bands and songs in the bubblegum, rock and roll, sunshine pop, and surf genres....
, with The Yellow Balloon

The Yellow Balloon

The Yellow Balloon was an United States sunshine pop band , record producer by Gary Zekley. The group is notable for featuring Don Grady of Mouseketeers and My Three Sons fame....
, but with legal wrangles scuttling Torrence's Columbia deal and Berry's disapproval of the project, Save for a Rainy Day remained a self-released album on the J&D Record Co. label.

Besides his studio work, Torrence became a graphic artist while Berry recovered, starting his own company, Kittyhawk Graphics, and designing and creating album covers and logos for other musicians and recording artists, including Harry Nilsson

Harry Nilsson

Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American songwriter, singer, pianist, and guitarist who achieved the height of his fame during the 1960s and 1970s....
, Steve Martin

Steve Martin

Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an Emmy Award-winning United States actor, comedian, writer, playwright, Film producer, musician, and composer....
, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band

The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an United States country music-folk music-rock and roll band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966 in music....
, Dennis Wilson

Dennis Wilson

Dennis Carl Wilson was an United States rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drum kit of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983, though in keeping with recording studio practices of the time un credited session musicians would be used....
, Bruce Johnston

Bruce Johnston

Linda Ronstadt

Maria Linda Ronstadt , known as Linda Ronstadt, is an United States popular music Singing and entertainer whose vocal styles in a variety of genres have resonated with the general public over the course of her four-decade career....
, , Canned Heat

Canned Heat

Canned Heat is a blues-rock/boogie band that formed in Los Angeles in 1965. The group has been noted for its own interpretations of blues material as well as for efforts to promote the interest in this type of music and its original artists....
, The Ventures and many others. Torrence (with Gene Brownell) won a Grammy Award

Grammy Award

The Grammy Awards ?or Grammys?are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States for outstanding achievements in the music industry....
for Album Cover of the Year, for the group Pollution in 1973.

Berry returned to the studio in April 1967, one year to the month after his accident. Working with collaborators, he began writing and producing music again. In December 1967, Jan and Dean signed an agreement with Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records

Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an United States record label that operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. It is also affectionately known as "Warners" and 'the Bunny', based on the Bugs Bunny cartoons released by Warner Bros....
. Warner issued two singles under the name Jan and Dean, but a 1968 Berry-produced album for Warner Bros., the psychedelic

Psychedelic

The word 'psychedelic' is an English term coined from the Greek language words for "soul," ???? , and "manifest," d???? . A psychedelic experience is characterized by the perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly ordinary fetters....
Carnival of Sound, remains unreleased.

Further progress: 1969-1978

Berry began to sing again in the early 1970s, and he arranged and produced a number of singles (both solo and as Jan & Dean) between 1972 and 1978 on the Ode and A&M labels, facilitated by friend and former manager Lou Adler.Berry also toured with his Aloha band, while Dean began performing with a band called .

In 1973, Jan & Dean made an appearance at the Hollywood Palladium

Hollywood Palladium

The Hollywood Palladium is a theater located at 6215 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California. The facility, built in an Art Deco style, includes an 11,200 square foot dance floor with room for up to 4,000 people....
, as part of Jim Pewter's "Surfer's Stomp" reunion. But the duo's first performance after Berry's accident — backed with live musicians — occurred at the Palomino Nightclub in North Hollywood, June 5, 1976 (ten years after the accident). Backing the duo was Dean's band, . The day after that performance there was a very positive review in "Variety" and the phones started ringing. Promoters everywhere wanted to hire Jan & Dean. So in the fall of 1976 a mini-tour of the Pacific Northwest was planned with Jan & Dean backed by . The tour was a rousing success. J & D then hired a manager and agency representation, and between 1977 and 1980, there were 4 nationwide J & D tours with Papa Doo as their opening act and backup band - sell out crowds from coast to coast. Even though a dozen years had passed, Jan was still suffering the effects of his horrific accident, with partial paralysis and aphasia. But Jan's limp and useless right arm, plus his difficulty in speaking were totally overlooked by his adoring fans. Jan Berry was back!

In 1974, attorney Paul Morantz published a landmark article about Jan Berry's recovery in Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
magazine.

Back on the road: 1978-2004

On February 3, 1978, CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American radio network and television network. The name is derived from the initials of Columbia Broadcasting System, its former legal name....
aired a made-for-TV movie

Television movie

A television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a television network....
about the duo titled Deadman's Curve
Deadman's Curve

Deadman's Curve is a 1978 in film made for TV film based on the careers of Jan Berry and Dean Torrence....
. The biopic starred Richard Hatch

Richard Hatch (actor)

Richard Hatch is an American actor. He is best known for his role of Captain Apollo on the original Battlestar Galactica television series, for which he received a Golden Globe Award nomination, and the recurring role of Tom Zarek in the second incarnation of Battlestar Galactica ....
as Jan Berry and Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison

Bruce Davison is an Academy Award-nominated United States actor and filmmaker....
as Dean Torrence, with cameo appearances by Dick Clark, Wolfman Jack

Wolfman Jack

Robert Weston Smith was a gravelly-voiced, United States disc jockey who became world famous in the 1960s and 1970s under the stage name of Wolfman Jack....
, Mike Love

Mike Love

Michael Edward "Mike" Love is an United States singer/songwriter with The Beach Boys. He formed the band along with his cousins Brian Wilson, Carl Wilson, and Dennis Wilson, and their friend Al Jardine....
of the Beach Boys, and Bruce Johnston

Bruce Johnston

Bruce Arthur Johnston is a member of The Beach Boys and a Grammy Award-winning songwriter for composing "I Write the Songs." Johnston was not one of the original members of the band....
(who at that time was temporarily out of the Beach Boys), as well as Berry himself (near the end of the movie, he can be seen sitting in the audience, watching "himself" (Richard Hatch) perform onstage). The part of Jan & Dean's band, , was played by themselves. Johnston and Berry had known each other since high school, and had played music together in Berry's garage in Bel Air — long before Jan & Dean or the Beach Boys were formed. Following the release of the film, the duo made steps toward an official comeback that year, including touring with the Beach Boys.

In the early 1980s, Papa Doo Run Run left the duo to explore other performance and recording ventures. Berry struggled to overcome drug

Drug

A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function....
addiction

Addiction

The term "addiction" is used in many contexts to describe an obsession, compulsion, or excessive physical dependence or psychological dependence, such as: drug addiction, video game addiction, crime, alcoholism, compulsive overeating, problem gambling, computer addiction, pornography addiction, etc....
, so Torrence toured briefly as "Mike & Dean", with Mike Love of the Beach Boys. Once Berry got sober, beating the odds once again, the duo reunited for good. In "Phase II" of their career, Dean Torrence led the touring operation. 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.

Jan and Dean continued to tour on their own throughout the 1980s, 1990s, and into the new millennium — with 1960s nostalgia providing them with a ready audience. Sundazed Records

Sundazed Records

Sundazed Records is a record label based in Coxsackie, in the Catskills of New York. It specializes in obscure and rare recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s....
reissued Save for a Rainy Day in 1996, and the album drew critical praise.

Between the 1970s and 1990s, Torrence issued a number of re-recordings of classic Jan and Dean hits. An album titled One Summer Night / Live was issued by Rhino Records in 1982, and Dean collaborated with Berry on Port to Paradise, released on J&D Records in 1986. In 1997, after many years of hard work, Berry released a solo album called Second Wave on One Way Records. On August 31, 1991, Berry married Gertie Filip at The Stardust Convention Centre in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, Nevada, and an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and entertainment....
. Torrence was Berry's best man at the wedding.

Jan and Dean ended with Jan Berry's death on March 26, 2004, at the age of 62. Berry was an organ donor, and his body was cremated. On April 18, 2004, a "Celebration of Life" was held in Berry's memory at The Roxy Theatre

The Roxy Theatre

The Roxy Theatre is a famous nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California.It was opened on September 23, 1973 by Elmer Valentine and Lou Adler along with original partners David Geffen, Elliot Roberts and Peter Asher and PushPlay....
on the Sunset Strip

Sunset Strip

The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile and a half strip of land of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood, Los Angeles, California at Crescent Heights Boulevard, to its western border with Beverly Hills, California at Doheny Drive....
in West Hollywood, California

West Hollywood, California

West Hollywood, a city in Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984. The lastest residential population estimate was 34,675....
. Celebrities attending the event included Dean Torrence, Lou Adler, Jill Gibson, and Nancy Sinatra

Nancy Sinatra

Nancy Sandra Sinatra is an United States singer and actor. She is the daughter of singer/actor Frank Sinatra from his first wife, Nancy Barbato, and remains known for her 1966 signature song "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'"....
. Also present were many family members, friends, and musicians associated with Jan and Dean and the Beach Boys including the original 1970's version of .

Torrence now tours occasionally with The Surf City Allstars. He serves as a spokesman for the City of Huntington Beach California, which, thanks in part to his efforts, is nationally recognized as "Surf City USA". He officially endorses the Official Jan & Dean Fan Site.

Dean Torrence lives in Huntington Beach, California with his wife and two daughters. Katie Torrence, his oldest daughter, is reportedly recording an album.

Jan and Dean's place in rock history

According to rock critic Dave Marsh

Dave Marsh

Dave Marsh is an United States music critic who briefly attended Wayne State University, became a co-founder of Creem magazine, wrote for various publications such as Newsday, The Village Voice, and Rolling Stone , and also edited Rock and Roll Confidential, a newsletter about rock music and social issues....
, the attitude and public persona of punk rock

Punk rock

Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed the perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock....
can be traced to Jan and Dean. Moreover, both Jan Berry and Dean Torrence's anti-establishment

Anti-establishment

An anti-establishment view or belief is one which stands in opposition to the conventional social, political, and economic principles of a society....
attitude toward the music industry is well documented. Their music has been covered by numerous Punk and alternative bands since the 1970s.

Along with Phil Spector

Phil Spector

Harvey Philip Spector is an United Statesn record producer and songwriter.The originator of the "Wall of Sound" production technique, Spector was a pioneer of the 1960s' girl group sound and clocked in over twenty-five Top 40 hits between 1960 and 1965....
, Brian Wilson, and Lee Hazlewood

Lee Hazlewood

Lee Hazlewood was an United States country music and pop singer, songwriter, and record producer, most widely known for his work with guitarist Duane Eddy during the late fifties and singer Nancy Sinatra in the sixties....
, Berry 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.

Dean Torrence believes the group should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: "We have the scoreboard if you just want to compare number of hits and musical projects done. We beat 75 percent of the people in there. So what else is it? I've got to think that we were pretty irreverent when it came to the music industry. They kind of always held that against us. That's OK with me."

Discography

SINGLES - with Billboard (BB) and Cashbox (CB) chart peak positions (Top 10 positions in bold)

1958 (Jan & Arnie)

01. "Jennie Lee" b/w "Gotta Get a Date" (Arwin 108) - BB #8, CB #3 - (JL)

02. "Gas Money" b/w "Bonnie Lou" (Arwin 111) - BB #81 - (JL)

03. "The Beat That Can't Be Beat" b/w "I Love Linda" (Arwin 113) - (JL)

1959 (Jan & Dean)

04. "Baby Talk" b/w "Jeanette Get Your Hair Done" (Dore 522) - BB #10, CB #7 - (AA)

First pressings erroneously shown as "Jan & Arnie"

05. "There's a Girl" b/w "My Heart Sings" (Dore 531) - BB #97, CB #80 - (AA)

1960

06. "Clementine

Oh My Darling, Clementine

Oh My Darling, Clementine is an United States Western music usually credited to Percy Montrose , though sometimes to Barker Bradford. The song is believed to have been based on another called s:Down by the River Liv'd a Maiden by H....
" b/w "You're On My Mind" (Dore 539) - BB #65, CB #88 - (AA)

07. "White Tennis Sneakers" b/w "Cindy" (Dore 548) - (AA)

08. "We Go Together" b/w "Rosie Lane" (Dore 555) - BB #53, CB #39 - (AA)

Original pressings show B-side as "Rosilane"

09. "Gee" b/w "Such a Good Nights Dreaming" (Dore 576) - BB #81 - (AA)

1961

10. "Baggy Pants" b/w "Judy's an Angel" (Dore 583) - (AA)

11. "Tomorrow's Teardrops" b/w "My Midsummer Nights Dream" (Ripple 6101) - (LA)

Jan Berry solo release, misspelled as Jan Barry on label

12. "Heart and Soul

Heart and Soul (song)

"Heart and Soul" is a popular music song, with music by Hoagy Carmichael and lyrics by Frank Loesser, published in 1938 in music. The original 1938 version was performed by Larry Clinton & his Orchestra featuring Bea Wain....
" b/w "Midsummer Nights Dream" (Challenge 9111) - BB #25, CB #16 - (LA) (AJB)

13. "Don't Fly Away" b/w "Julie" (Dore 610) - (LA)

14. "Wanted One Girl" b/w "Something a Little Bit Different" (Challenge 9120) - BB #104 - (LA)

15. "A Sunday Kind of Love" b/w "Poor Little Puppet" (Liberty 55397) - BB #95 - (LA) (AJB)

1962

16. "Tennessee" b/w "You're Heart Has Changed Its Mind" (Liberty 55454) - BB #69, CB #83 - (SG) (LA)

17. "Who Put the Bomp

Who Put the Bomp (song)

"Who Put the Bomp " is a Doo-wop style hit song from 1961 co-written and recorded by Barry Mann. He was backed up by The Halos, who had previously backed up Curtis Lee on the song "Pretty Little Angel Eyes"....
" b/w "My Favorite Dream" (Liberty 55496) - (LA)

18. "Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman

File:Frosty the Snowman GB.JPG"Frosty the Snowman" is a popular song written by Walter Rollins and Steve Nelson, and first recorded by Gene Autry and the Cass County Boys in 1950 in music....
" b/w "She's Still Talking Baby Talk" (Liberty 55522) - (LA)

1963

19. "Linda" b/w "When I Learn How to Cry" (Liberty 55531) - BB #28, CB #26 - (JB)

20. "Surf City

Surf City (song)

"Surf City" is a surf rock which, as recorded by Jan and Dean, was a #1 Hit record in July 1963 for two weeks.The first draft of the song, with ...
" b/w "She's My Summer Girl" (Liberty 55580) - BB #1, CB #1 - (JB)

21. "Honolulu Lulu" b/w "Someday (You'll Go Walking By)" (Liberty 55613) - BB #11, CB #10 - (JB)

22. "Drag City

Drag City (song)

Drag City is a 1963 song by Jan & Dean. It describes the narrator's trip to a drag-racing strip....
" b/w "Schlock Rod Part 1" (Liberty 55641) - BB #10, CB #10 - (JB)

1964

23. "Dead Man's Curve

Dead Man's Curve (song)

24. "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena

The Little Old Lady from Pasadena

"The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" is a song written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian , and recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean....
" b/w "My Mighty G.T.O" (Liberty 55704) - BB #3, CB #5 - (JB)

25. "Ride The Wild Surf" b/w "The Anaheim, Azusa & Cucamonga Sewing Circle, Book Review And Timing Association" (Liberty 55724) - BB #16, CB #23 / BB #77, CB #50 - (JB)

26. "Sidewalk Surfin'

Catch a Wave

"Catch a Wave" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love for the united states singing group, The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1963 album Surfer Girl....
" b/w "When It's Over" (Liberty 55727) - BB #25, CB #28 - (JB)

1965

27. "(Here They Come) From All Over the World" b/w "Freeway Flyer" (Liberty 55766) - BB #56, CB #50 - (JB)

28. "Summertime Summertime" b/w "Theme From Leons Garage" (Brer Bird 001) (Dean Torrence, Released as "Our Gang") - (GZ-DT)

29. "You Really Know How to Hurt a Guy" b/w "It's as Easy As 1,2,3" (Liberty 55792) - BB #27, CB #42 - (JB)

Despite being an official Jan & Dean song, Dean Torrence does not appear on the A-side

30. "It's a Shame to Say Goodbye" b/w "Submarine Races" (Liberty 55816) (Cancelled) - (JB)

31. "I Found A Girl" b/w "It's a Shame to Say Goodbye" (Liberty 55833) - BB #30, CB #39 - (JB)

32. "The Universal Coward

Universal Soldier (song)

"Universal Soldier" is a song written and recorded by Canadian singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie. The song was originally released on Sainte-Marie's debut album It's My Way! in 1964....
" b/w "I Can't Wait to Love You" (Liberty 55845) - (JB)

33. "A Beginning From an End" b/w "Folk City" (Liberty 55849) - BB #109 - (JB)

1966

34. "Norwegian Wood" b/w "I Can't Wait To Love You" (Liberty 55856) (Cancelled) - (JB)

35. "Batman!

Batman! (Jan and Dean song)

"Batman!" is a song released in January 1966 by Jan and Dean. Both songs of the single were covered by The Who.The song, heavily inspired by Neal Hefti's 1966 "Batman Theme" was from a Batman tribute album called Jan and Dean meet Batman....
" b/w "Bucket "T"" (Liberty 55860) - BB #66, CB #60 - (JB)

Last single released before Jan's car accident

36. "Popsicle" b/w "Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

"Norwegian Wood " is a song by The Beatles which first appeared on the 1965 album Rubber Soul. While credited to Lennon/McCartney, it was primarily written by John Lennon, though Paul McCartney contributed to the middle eight section....
" (Liberty 55886) - BB #21, CB #24 - (JB)

37. "Fiddle Around" b/w "A Surfer's Dream" (Liberty 55905) - BB #93, CB #73 - (LA) / (JB)

38. "School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)

School Days (song)

"School Days" is a rock and roll song written by Chuck Berry and recorded by him in 1957 in music. It is one of his best known songs and is often considered a rock and roll anthem....
" b/w "The New Girl In School" (Liberty 55923) - (JB)

39. "Summertime Summertime" b/w "California Lullaby" (Magic Lamp 401) - (DT)

Also released on J&D 001

40. "Like a Summer Rain" b/w "Louisiana Man" (J&D Record Co. 402) - (DT) / (JB)

1967

41. "Yellow Balloon b/w "Taste of Rain" (Columbia 44036) #111 - (DT)

42. "Hawaii" b/w "Tijuana" (Jan & Dean Label 10) - (JB)

43. "Fan Tan" b/w "Love & Hate" (Jan & Dean Label 11) - (JB)

44. "Only a Boy" b/w "Love & Hate" (Warner Bros. 7151) - (JB)

45. "Vegetables

Vegetables (song)

"Vegetables" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks for the united states pop music band The Beach Boys. It was released on their 1967 album Smiley Smile with Al Jardine and Brian Wilson on lead vocals....
" b/w "Snowflakes On Laughing Gravy's Whiskers" (White Whale 261) - (LG)

Released as by "Laughing Gravy"

1968
46. "I Know My Mind" b/w "Laurel & Hardy" (Warner Bros. 7219) - (JB)
47. "Girl You're Blowing My Mind" b/w "In the Still of the Night
In the Still of the Night (1954 song)

"In The Still of The Night" is a song written by Fred Parris and recorded by his The Five Satins. The song was recorded in the Saint Bernadette Catholic School basement....
" (Warner Bros. 7240) - (JB)
Promo copies known to exist, commercial copies unconfirmed

ALBUMS - with Billboard
Billboard

Billboard is a weekly United States magazine devoted to the music industry. It maintains several internationally recognized Record chart that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis....
and Cashbox chart peak positions

1960
1. Jan & Dean (Dore LP-101) - (AA)
Issued in mono only, includes bonus photo. Original copies feature blue record labels, 70's reissues feature black labels

1962
2. Jan & Dean's Golden Hits (Liberty LRP-3248 (Mono)/LST-7248 (Stereo)) - (LA)

1963
3. Jan & Dean Take Linda Surfin' (Liberty LRP-3294/LST-7294) - BB #71 - (JB)
4. Surf City & Other Swingin Cities (Liberty LRP-3314/LST-7314) - BB #32, CB Mono chart #21 - (JB)
5. Drag City (Liberty LRP-3339/LST-7339) - BB #22, CB Mono chart #17 - (JB)

1964
6. Dead Man's Curve / The New Girl in School (Liberty LRP-3361/LST-7361) - BB #80, CB Mono chart #42 - (JB)
Original album covers are black and white with pink tint, later replaced with full-color covers of the same photo
7. Ride the Wild Surf (Liberty LRP-3368/LST-7368) - BB #66, CB Mono chart #26 - (JB)
8. The Little Old Lady From Pasadena (Liberty LRP-3377/LST-7377) - BB #40, CB Mono chart #40 - (JB)

1965 (Note: Mono and Stereo Cashbox album charts were merged by this time)
9. Command Performance (Liberty LRP-3403/LST-7403) - BB #33, CB #42 - (JB)
Featuring their performance from "The T.A.M.I. Show"

10. Pop Symphony No. 1 (Liberty LRP-3414/LST-7414) - (JB-GT)

Instrumental interpretations of Jan & Dean's hits by The Bel-Aire Pops Orchestra, conducted by Jan Berry & George Tipton

12. Golden Hits Vol. 2 (Liberty LRP-3417/LST-7417) - BB #107, CB #71 - (JB)

13. Folk 'n Roll (Liberty LRP-3431/LST-7431) - BB #145, CB #87 - (JB-GT)

1966

14. Jan & Dean Meet Batman (Liberty LRP-3444/LST-7444) - (JB)

Last album released before Jan's car accident

15. Filet of Soul (Liberty LRP-3441/LST-7441) - BB #127 - (JB)

16. Popsicle (Liberty LRP-3458/LST-7458) - (JB) (SG)

17. Golden Hits Vol. 3 (Liberty LRP-3460/LST-7460) - (JB)

18. Save for a Rainy Day (J&D Record Co. 101) - (DT)

Private pressings by Dean Torrence

1967

19. Save for a Rainy Day (Columbia CL 2661 (Mono)/CS 9461 (Stereo)) (Cancelled) - (DT)

Acetate of stereo version confirmed to exist

1968

20. Carnival of Sound (Warner Bros.

Warner Bros.

Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. is one of the world's largest film producer of film and television.It is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank, California and New York City....
) (Unreleased) - (JB)

1971

21. Jan & Dean Anthology Album (United Artists UAS-9961)

1974

22. Gotta Take That One Last Ride (United Artists UA-LA341-H2)

1975

23. The Very Best of Jan & Dean (United Artists UA-LA443-E)

24. The Very Best of Jan & Dean, Volume 2 (United Artists UA-LA515-E)

1982

25. One Summer Night/Live (Rhino RNDA 1498)

1985

26. Silver Summer/25th Anniversary Album (Silver Eagle)

1986

27. Port To Paradise (J&D)

1996

28. Save For A Rainy Day (Sundazed LP 5022)

First commercial release; 2-record set featuring original mono tracks plus bonus tracks of unreleased songs and alternate mixes

29. Jan & Dean (The Dore Album) (Sundazed LP 5040)

Reissue of original Dore LP with bonus tracks and posted, pressed on color vinyl

(JL) = Produced by Joe Lubin
(AA) = Produced by Lou Adler & Herb Alpert
(LA) = Produced by Lou Adler
(SG) = Produced by Snuff Garrett
(AJB) = Arranged by Jan Berry
(JB) = Arranged & Produced by Jan Berry
(JB-GT) = Arranged & Produced by Jan Berry and George Tipton
(GZ-DT) = Arranged & Produced by Gary Zekley & Dean Torrence
(DT) = Produced by Dean Torrence
(LG) = A Laughing Gravy Production

Footnotes

External links

at Allmusic
at Discogs
Discogs

Discogs, short for discography, is a website and database of information about music recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and Bootleg recording or off-label releases....