The Surf City All-Star Band aka Jan & Dean

Whitey and I were able to take advantage of tickets from Teri to see Jan & Dean (sans Jan) last night, and spent it under a starry sky listening to:

Such hits as “Surf City," “Little Old Lady From Pasadena," “Dead Man's Curve," “Drag City," “Ride the Wild Surf," “Batman" and “Popsicle," "Barbara Ann" , etc.

The duo flourished well into the mid-Sixties, weathering even the British Invasion. But on April 12, 1966, Berry's Stingray slammed into a parked gardener's truck (not at the site mentioned in "Dead Man's Curve," despite legend), and he was barely alive when paramedics came on the scene. It took him years to recover, and entered a decade-long nightmare of physical recovery, drug abuse, and depression. Jan brought the same fierce determination to his recovery as he'd previously poured into his music. By the mid-70's, amazingly, Berry could perform almost at normal, and the duo began an amazing comeback that lasted well into the mid-80's. Berry passed away in 2004. He recorded some solo albums and singles and performed with Dean to the best of his capabilities. On March 26, 2004, Jan died from a seizure.

Contributions to music:

• Along with the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson, Jan Berry helped develop the sound of vocal "surf" and "hot rod" music
• Berry was a major influence on Wilson's production
• Bridged the vocal era of doo-wop and the Southern California sound
• Employed the famous "Wrecking Crew" of L.A. session musicians
• One of the first rock groups to incorporate classical arrangements
• Torrance became one of rock's great graphic artists
• Jan Berry's comeback after a near-fatal crash is one of pop music's most inspiring achievements

I forgot Whitey grew up in a house thinking Eddie Arnold, George Jones, and Patsy Cline were singers - and she would much rather have been attending an Alan Jackson, or Tim McGraw concert. We did have alot of fun 'people watching' tho.

Thanks Teri, for inviting us to use your tickets. It was great entertainment!