Dean Torrence, the iconic half of the legendary 1960s "surf music" duo Jan & Dean, enjoyed a remarkable career with chart-topping hits like "Surf City", "Little Old Lady from Pasadena", "Popsicle", "Dead Man's Curve", "Drag City", and "Ride the Wild Surf". Torrence's musical journey began when he met his future singing partner Jan Berry at University High School in West Los Angeles, and they formed various musical groups, primarily performing "doo wop" style tunes with limited success.
However, their fortunes changed in early 1963 when they were booked to play several shows with The Beach Boys, and Berry struck up a friendship with songwriter Brian Wilson. Wilson passed across an unfinished tune titled "Surf City" to Berry, which Jan & Dean completed and recorded, resulting in their first number one single. This success led Jan & Dean to shift their musical focus solely to "surf music", and their album sales flourished over the next three years.
Tragedy struck on April 12th, 1966, when Jan Berry was critically injured in a motor vehicle accident in Los Angeles, crashing his Corvette into a parked truck. Berry was initially thought dead at the scene, and after being taken to hospital, it took him many years to recover and learn how to walk and talk again. The accident effectively brought an end to the duo's soaring career, and it wasn't until the late 1980s that they did some minor touring dependent on Jan's health.
After being plagued by ill health for over 38 years since the car accident, Jan Berry passed away from a stroke on March 26th, 2004, at the age of 62. Meanwhile, Torrence had leveraged his artistic flair to become a successful graphic designer, and Jan & Dean are now celebrated for their vibrant and unique contributions to 1960s popular music.
