The Tragic Life and Death of William Jan Berry (Jan and Dean)

Jan and Dean was an American rock duo consisting of musicians William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence. Together, the pair had several hit songs throughout the 1960s, including “Surf City” and “Dead Man’s Curve”. Both of those songs were co-written by the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, who was a close personal friend of the duo.

▬Contents of this video▬
00:00 - Intro
00:28 - Body
07:12 - Outro

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William and Dean were born a year apart in Los Angeles, California. William was born in 1941, and Dean was born in 1940. The two met each other during middle school, where they both played on the football team. They continued playing on the football team together into high school, where they also began the hobby of harmonizing in the locker room. The two noticed that they had a talent for singing in harmony, and the rest is history!

William and Dean initially enlisted the help of fellow student Arnie Ginsberg in performing their unique brand of doo-wop music. After Dean was conscripted into the United States Army Reserve, William, and Arnie recording their first single without him. By the time that Dean was released, Arnie had decided that being a recording artist wasn’t for him.

It was after Dean’s return from the United States Army Reserve that he and William officially formed the duo of Jan and Dean. The duo found their first hit with the song “Baby Talk”, produced by Lou Adler and Herb Alpert.

After the release of their first single, the duo of Jan and Dean began performing around California. It was during this period that they met the Beach Boys and befriended Brian Wilson. Brian Wilson went on to help pen songs for Jan and Dean, leading to the duo’s most successful period. The duo reached their peak of success in the middle of the 1960s.

The peak of Jan and Dean’s success was cut short by a tragic accident that William suffered… while riding on the very Dead Man’s Curve that had inspired the song. Join Facts Verse as we take a look at the tragic life and death of William Jan Berry.

The Tragic Life and Death of William Jan Berry (Jan and Dean)