Dean of the Surf

Friday, Jan. 3, 2003 | 4:40 a.m.

Jan & Dean are synonymous with the feel-good days of early '60s rock 'n' roll, when the Southern California duo hit it big nationally by singing about surfing, cars and girls.

They will perform with the Surf City Allstars at the Suncoast Jan. 10-12.

Friends since high school in the early '50s, the pair's first major release was "Linda" in 1963 for Liberty Records. The song reached No. 28.

"Linda" was quickly followed that same year by "Surf City" (No. 1), which was written by pal Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys; "Honolulu Lulu" (No. 10) and "Drag City" (No. 10). The following year, "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was No. 3 and "Deadman's Curve" No. 8.

On April 12, 1966, William Jan Berry, at the age of 25, crashed his new Corvette. When he awoke from a coma several weeks later, he was partially paralyzed and Jan & Dean's career seemed to be over.

But after CBS aired a "Movie of the Week" in 1977 based on the story of Jan & Dean (titled "Deadman's Curve"), the team made an official comeback, though Jan still suffers from the effects of the accident.

During a recent telephone interview with the Las Vegas Sun, Dean Torrence, 61, discussed his 62-year-old friend and their lives.

Las Vegas Sun: What drives Jan & Dean to continue performing?

Dean Torrence: We have enthusiasm for food. If the place has a good buffet, we enjoy it. Playing music is a kick. We are very blessed that we can make a living doing something this much fun.

Sun: Do you tour a lot?

DT: Probably the reason we've always enjoyed playing is that we don't do a lot of it. We're certainly not as busy as a lot of people, who do 100 to 150 dates a year. We are comfortable doing maybe 40 -- that seems to be our average. Even back in the '60s we didn't do a lot. Jan and I were full-time students so we never did more than 60 a year.

Sun: Where do you perform the most?

DT: We will go just about anyplace. If they can afford us, we will go.

Sun: What do the two of you do when you aren't performing?

DT: Jan doesn't do much of anything. He likes to write songs, he always has had a recording project going. He has always enjoyed the process of making and producing songs.

I have a graphic design business in Huntington Beach (Calif.). Ten years ago the city leaders realized they needed to start marketing themselves. Their legacy is surfing, for the past 40 or 50 years there has been a whole lot of surfing. So I helped them copyright the name "Surf City" as the official nickname of Huntington Beach, which is used in marketing and merchandising.

Sun: What was it like being at the top in the '60s?

DT: We were living ideal lives. It couldn't have been better. The country was coming off the '50s, a very innocent time. It was pre-drugs. We hadn't a clue about what drugs were about. We didn't have those issues to deal with. It was a great time to be a young person.

Sun: How did you become friends with Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys?

DT: They were just 30 miles from us or so. The first time we worked together we just clicked. They liked us, we liked them. We started recording in 1958, The Beach Boys started in '62 so they had been listening to Jan & Dean songs for a couple of years before we met. We actually were their inspiration.

Sun: Jan is onstage during your concerts. Is he an integral part of the show?

DT: He's a full part of the show, but we don't ask that much of him. Performing takes lot out of him. He sings all the leads of the original songs, so he is an integral part of the show, but (the band and I) probably carry the load.

Sun: Have you ever thought of touring as a single?

DT: I suppose I could, but without the name, Jan & Dean, it's hard to do ticket (sales). Who would want to go and look at one Everly brother? It isn't quite the same. It either should be the original or it shouldn't be at all. But I have been doing a lot of corporate stuff with my band -- corporations aren't selling tickets, they are just trying to be entertained and they are happy with half an act. It gives them some sort of name value, and people get up on the dance floor.

Sun: How much longer will Jan & Dean continue performing?

DT: This will be our last year. Jan's health is in decline. He won't be able to do it much longer. He doesn't have the energy anymore -- it's just the reality of growing older. And, because of brain damage from the accident, he has limited physical abilities, which makes it harder for him to stay healthy. He has limited use of one arm and one leg, and that's been since the accident.

But he's still pretty sharp. He can still sing pretty well. People seem to not particularly care if he's not going to hit every single note. He hits most of them.