Jan and Dean were an American rock duo consisting of William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004) and Dean Ormsby Torrence (born March 10, 1940). In the early 1960s, they were pioneers of the California Sound and vocal surf music styles later popularized by the Beach Boys.
Among their most successful songs was 1963's "Surf City", the first surf song to reach the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US. Their other charting top 10 singles were "Baby Talk" (1959), "Drag City" (1963), "Dead Man's Curve" (1964; inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2008) and "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" (1964).
In 1972, Torrence won the Grammy Award for Best Album Cover for the psychedelic rock band Pollution's first eponymous 1971 album, and was nominated three other times in the same category for albums of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. In 2013, Torrence's design contribution of the Surf City Allstars' In Concert CD was named a Silver Award of Distinction at the Communicator Awards competition.
Early lives William Jan Berry (April 3, 1941 – March 26, 2004), was born in Los Angeles to Clara Lorentze Mustad (born September 2, 1919, Bergen, Norway – died July 9, 2009) and aeronautical engineer William L. Berry (born December 7, 1909, New York City – died December 19, 2004, Camarillo, California),Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011. He was raised in Bel Air, Los Angeles. Jan's father worked for Howard Hughes as a project manager of the "Spruce Goose" and flew on its only flight with Hughes.Los Angeles Times (16 July 2009). Ancestry.com. United States Obituary Collection [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006.Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Compton, Los Angeles, California; Roll: 125; Page: 3B; Enumeration District: 897; Image: 1073.0; FHL microfilm: 2339860.
Dean Ormsby Torrence (born ) was born in Los Angeles, the son of Natalie Ormsby (April 10, 1911 – August 10, 2008) and Maurice Dean Torrence (December 5, 1907 – November 16, 1997).Ancestry.com. Social Security Death Index. Number: 546-07-7303; Issue State: California.Ancestry.com. California Death Index, 1940–1997 [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. His father, Maurice, was a graduate of Stanford University,Quad Yearbook, Stanford University (1930):336. Ancestry.com. U.S. School Yearbooks [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. and was a sales manager at the Wilshire Oil Company.
History
1957–1959: formation Berry and Torrence met while both were students at Emerson Junior High School in Westwood, Los Angeles, and both were on the school's football team. By 1957, they were students in the class of 1958 at the nearby University High School, where again they were both on the school's football team, the Warriors.Twist & Shout: The Golden Age of American Rock 'n Roll, Vol. 3, ed. Lee Cotten (Pierian Press, 2002):506. Berry and Torrence had adjoining lockers, and after football practice, they began harmonizing together in the showers with several other football players, including future actor James Brolin.Ben Marcus, Surfing USA!: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time (MVP Books, 2005):88.
The Barons In order to enter a talent competition at University High School, Berry and Torrence helped form a doo-wop group known as "The Barons" (named after their high school's Hi-Y club, of which they were members), which was composed of fellow University High students William "Chuck" Steele (lead singer), Arnold P. "Arnie" Ginsburg (born November 19, 1939; 1st tenor), Wallace S. "Wally" Yagi (born July 20, 1940; 2nd tenor),Often "Wally Agi". See University High School Yearbook (June 1958):46, 104.Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Volume 1 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. John 'Sagi" Seligman (2nd tenor),Often misspelled "John Sagliman". See University High School Yearbook (June 1958):43. with Berry singing bass and Torrence providing falsetto.
During its short duration, Sandy Nelson, Torrence's neighbor, played drums, and future Beach Boy Bruce Johnston occasionally sang and played piano. The Barons rehearsed for hours in Berry's parents' garage, where Berry's father provided an upright piano and two two-track Ampex reel-to-reel tape recorders.Kent Hartman, The Wrecking Crew: The Inside Story of Rock and Roll's Best-Kept Secret, 64.
In 1958, the Barons performed to popular acclaim at the talent competition at University High School, covering contemporary hits like "Get a Job", "Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay", and "Short Shorts".Ben Marcus, Surfing USA!: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time (MVP Books, 2005): pp. 88–89. Following the contest, various members of the Barons drifted away, leaving only Berry and Torrence,The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music, ed. Colin Larkin, 2nd ed., (Guinness Pub., 1995):2134. who tried to write their own songs.
Jan & Arnie After being inspired by a poster featuring a local Hollywood burlesque performer, Virginia Lee Hicks, who was then performing as Jennie Lee, the "Bazoom Girl", at the New Follies Burlesk at 548 S. Main St, Los Angeles, Ginsburg wrote a tribute song, "Jennie Lee", that he brought to Berry and Torrence. Berry adapted the Civil War tune "Aura Lea" and arranged the harmonies. After weeks of practice, Berry, Ginsburg, and Torrence planned to make a demo recording in Berry's garage, but Torrence was drafted into the United States Army Reserve, forcing Berry and Ginsburg to record "Jennie Lee" without Torrence,Ben Marcus, Surfing USA!: An Illustrated History of the Coolest Sport of All Time (MVP Books, 2005):89. with Berry's friend and fellow University High student Donald J. Altfeld (born March 18, 1940, in Los Angeles Ancestry.com. U.S. Public Records Index, Vol. 1 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.) "beating out the rhythm on a children's metal high chair". The next day Berry took their recording to Radio Recorders, a small recording studio, to have it transferred to an acetate disc. Joe Lubin, Vice President and Head of A & R of Arwin Records, was impressed and offered to add instruments and to release it through Arwin.
In March 1958, the fathers of Berry and Ginsburg signed contracts authorizing Lubin to produce, arrange, and manage their sons.
Produced by Lubin, "Jennie Lee" (Arwin 108), backed with "Gotta Get a Date" (credited to Ginsburg, Berry & Lubin), became a surprise commercial success. According to Berry biographer Mark A. Moore, "The song (with backing vocals, plus additional instruments added by the Ernie Freeman combo) had a raucous R&B flavor, with a bouncing bomp-bomp vocal hook that would become a signature from Jan on future recordings." Distributed by Dot Records, "Jennie Lee" was released in mid-April, entered the charts on May 10, 1958, the same day they appeared on ABC's Dick Clark Show. "Jennie Lee" peaked at No. 3 on the Cash Box charts on June 21, 1958, No. 4 on the R&B charts, and No. 8 on the Billboard charts on June 30, 1958. Billy Ward and his Dominoes's R&B cover of "Jennie Lee" reached No. 55 in the Pop charts in June 1958, while other cover versions including that of Moon Mullican (Coral 9-61994) and Bobby Phillips & the Toppers (Tops 45-R422-49), released in 1958 failed to chart.
In July 1958, Jan & Arnie released their second single, "Gas Money" backed with "Bonnie Lou" (Arwin 111), both written by Berry, Ginsburg, and Altfeld. Like "Jennie Lee", "Gas Money" contained a few elements of what would later become surf music. It entered the Billboard charts on August 24, 1958, and peaked at No. 81 a week later. Jan & Arnie were a featured act on the Summer Dance Party that toured the US East Coast, including Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Connecticut in July 1958. By the end of the month, they traveled to Manhattan to appear on The Dick Clark Show.
On August 24, 1958, Jan & Arnie played in a live show hosted by Dick Clark that featured Bobby Darin, the Champs, Sheb Wooley, the Blossoms, the Six Teens, Jerry Wallace, Jack Jones, Rod McKuen and the Ernie Freeman Orchestra in front of nearly 12,000 fans at the first rock-n-roll show ever held at the Hollywood Bowl.
By September 6, 1958, Jan & Arnie's third and final single, "The Beat That Can't Be Beat" backed with "I Love Linda" (Arwin 113), again composed by the Berry, Ginsburg, and Altfeld team, was released. However this single failed to chart, due in part to a lack of distribution. On October 19, 1958, Jan & Arnie performed "The Beat That Can't Be Beat" on CBS's Jack Benny Show.Hartford Courant (Hartford, CT: October 19, 1958).
Arnie Ginsburg recorded a one-off single with a band named the Rituals on the Arwin label. The single, "Girl in Zanzibar" b/w "Guitarro", was released on vinyl in January 1959, preceding Jan and Dean's first single "Baby Talk", released in May 1959. Other than Arnie, the single featured Richard Podolor on guitar, Sandy Nelson on drums, Bruce Johnston on piano, Dave Shostac on sax, Harper Cosby on bass, and Mike Deasy on guitar. It is unclear if the actual single was released for the general public but there are several promotional copies pressed to vinyl in existence.
By the end of the year, when Torrence had completed his six-month stint at Fort Ord, Ginsburg had become disenchanted with the music business. Ginsburg enrolled in the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Southern California and graduated in the field of product design in 1966. After graduation Ginsburg worked for several noted Los Angeles architects, among them Charles Eames,Mary Every, "Making The Most Of A Minimal Life", News-Press (Santa Barbara, CA), August 5, 1989. and in December 1973 he was granted a U.S. patent for a table he designed.
Ginsburg moved in 1975 to Santa Barbara, California, where he worked as an architectural designer. designing the innovative Ginsburg House.Nora Richter Greer, Outdoor Decorating and Style Guide: Interior Design and Architecture (Rockport Publishers, 2003) In September 1976, Ginsburg and Michael W. O'Neill were granted a patent for a portable batting cage.
1959–1962: early records After Torrence returned from a six-month compulsory stint in the US Army Reserve, Berry and Torrence began to make music as "Jan and Dean". With the help of record producers Herb Alpert and Lou Adler, Jan and Dean scored a No. 10 hit on the Dore label with "Baby Talk" (1959) (which was incorrectly labeled as Jan & Arnie when it initially was released), 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, arranging, and producing all of Jan and Dean's original material.
During this time Berry co-wrote or arranged and produced songs for other artists outside of Jan and Dean, including the Angels ("I Adore Him", Top 30), the Gents, the Matadors (Sinners), Pixie (unreleased), Jill Gibson, Shelley Fabares, Deane Hawley, the Rip Chords ("Three Window Coupe", Top 30), and Johnny Crawford, among others.
Unlike most other rock 'n roll acts of the period, Jan and Dean did not give music their full-time attention. They 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, where he also was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Berry took science and music classes at UCLA, became a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, and entered the California College of Medicine (now the UC Irvine School of Medicine) in 1963.
1963–1966: peak years