Surf City: The Jan and Dean Story

by Dean Torrence, Mike Love (Foreword by)

Overview

The Jan and Dean Story is a personal story of the iconic musician and entrepreneur Dean Torrence. As a memoir The Jan and Dean Story has elements of humor, tragedy and redemption. It tells their story from the early high school friendship struck up between Jan Berry and Dean Torrence and their ascent to the dizzying heights of stardom riding the crest of the “surf” craze. The Jan and Dean Story is as much about the culture of the 1960s as it is about music. Dean has lived an incredible life and continues to promote a lifestyle and surf culture that is now universally admired and followed throughout the world.
The story also recounts Jan’s tragic car accident and his ability to recover enough to continue to perform will be inspiring to many readers even those not familiar with surf music. For pop culture addicts and music buffs alike this book is indispensable. As early teen icons, Jan and Dean left an indelible mark on the music of the 60’s and the American psyche.
Dean Torrence is still touring and creating music and often appears with the Beach Boys and other groups from the heyday of surf music.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781590793954
Publisher:	SelectBooks
Publication date:	09/27/2016
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Dean Ormsby Torrence is the cofounder of the rock-and-roll duo Jan & Dean. Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Torrence helped pioneer both the California Sound and the styles of Southern California surf culture during the sixties with top ten hits like “Surf City,” “Little Old Lady from Pasadena,” and “Dead Man’s Curve.” At the height of their career Jan & Dean had sixteen Top 40 hits, a total of twenty-six chart records, and they hosted and performed at the historic T.A.M.I. Show. Their story was featured in the 1978 film Deadman’s Curve.

With six gold records to his name, one Grammy plus numerous nominations, and a successful graphic design studio, Dean Torrence is a rock legend. Torrence lives in Huntington Beach, “Surf City,” and continues to tour with his band, The Surf City Allstars.

Table of Contents

Foreword vii

1 The Four-Car Garage Band 1

2 "Baby Talk" 35

3 The Beach Boys 61

4 Elvis Sighting 87

5 SoCal Car Culture 97

6 Going Big Time 103

7 The Great Train Wreck 111

8 Jan & Dean vs. The Monkees 119

9 Dead Man's Curve 127

10 My Solo Flight: Kittyhawk Graphics 133

11 A Manson Encounter 147

12 Deadman's Curve: The Movie 153

13 Back to Kittyhawk 167

14 Kick One Through the Uprights Summer Tour 175

15 Apocalypse Now Summer Tour 185

16 Mike and Dean: This Bud's for You 193

17 Reuniting? 203

Postscript 209

About the Author 215

Editorial Reviews

"Over the years, we have had so much fun, fun, fun and so many memorable interactions. Whether it was onstage in Hawaii at the KPOI Million Dollar Party in July 1964, or on the T.A.M.I. Show in October 1964 that Jan & Dean hosted, we [The Beach Boys] enjoyed a healthy rivalry as well as friendship...I’m certain you, the reader, will have a great time reading this story that Dean shares with us of his life experience, his Surf City Saga."—From the foreword by Mike Love, The Beach Boys



"Some of the happiest times of my life have been in the company of Dean Torrence, and if there was one thing better than being onstage with him all those summer nights, it was getting to hear him tell his wonderful stories in the dressing rooms, all-night diners and back-road taverns after the shows. Now you're lucky enough to hear those stories, in a beautiful voice you've loved for years."—Bob Greene, author of When We Get to Surf City: A Journey Through America in Pursuit of Rock and Roll, Friendship, and Dreams





"Dean Torrence was there for the birth of Surf Music and played a massive role in both performing and defining it. If there was such a thing as Surf Music royalty, then Dean Torrence is it. And, of course, whenever I have the opportunity to play that cool music with Dean, I always keep some extra reverb on hand just for him...!"—Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Doobie Brothers



"...and we had a good time doing it...didn't we..."—Lou Adler, Ode Records

From the Publisher