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Jan and Dean: Dean Torrence Looks Back at Crash That Ruined Them

Years before the Beach Boys, the Surfaris, Dick Dale & His Del-Tones, and other surf-rock acts of the early 1960s, there was Jan and Dean. The duo of Jan Berry and Dean Torrence formed in 1957 at Emerson Junior High School in Los Angeles, and bonded over their shared love of doo-wop. With help from future industry moguls Lou Adler and Herb Alpert, and support from Dick Clark on American Bandstand, they landed a series of hits on the charts like “Baby Talk” and “Clementine” while still teenagers.