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Summary: A HIT MUSICAL DUO'S OFF-STAGE STORY....
Review: The hit musical duo Jan & Dean, known for their surfing tunes in the '50s, '60s and beyond, are still recognized as two superstars of their time. However, many people don't know their inspiring off-stage story. Author Mark Thomas Passmore tells Jan Berry and Dean Torrence's complete story, including their discovery as teenagers, their numerous hits and the devastating car crash that left Jan (the creative arm of the group) near death in DEAD MAN'S CURVE AND BACK: THE JAN & DEAN STORY.Jan and Dean rocketed to super stardom after they were discovered in the late 1950s. Their California good looks brought a new image to the industry, and their consistent hits won the hearts of thousands of fans. With early hits such as "Baby Talk," "Heart and Soul," "We Go Together" and "Linda", they quickly gained celebrity status. Jan's songwriting abilities and his talent for producing got the duo noticed, and soon they began collaborating with stars such as Lou Adler, Herb Alpert, Shelly Fabares and Brian Wilson (often sharing vocals with The Beach Boys). Both college students (Jan in pre-med at UCLA and Dean studying commercial art at USC), they continued to climb the ladder of fame, recording hits like "Drag City," "The Little Old Lady From Pasadena," "The New Girl in School," "Ride the Wild Surf," "Sidewalk Surfin'" and "Surf City." One hit song of theirs - "Dead Man's Curve"- would later become all too prophetic! Only days after his 25th birthday in 1966, Jan plowed his Corvette Stingray into a parked truck at 90mph, putting himself in a coma for a month and partially paralyzing him. Brain damaged, Jan had to relearn how to read, write and talk from scratch. His recovery was grueling, but his determination to make music again was strong. Dean attempted to keep the Jan & Dean name going, but decided to utilize his college training and opened a graphic design business specializing in album packaging, winning a Grammy Award for his work in 1972. By the mid-1970s, Jan was back. He began making music again and could sing better than he could talk. A 1978 TV movie brought their story into the limelight once again and the duo got back together, but they faced a new "Dead Man's Curve." Their musical relationship had changed, and Dean was now in the driver's seat. A story of success, tragedy and recovery, Passmore's book offers a rare glimpse into the lives of these music legends. DEAD MAN'S CURVE AND BACK provides captivating inside information about the duo's lives both before and after Jan's accident. Both Jan and Dean are presented as "real" people who made mistakes just like you or me. It is hard not to get emotional at certain parts of the book when Jan is struggling with his recovery and Dean tries to move on. I felt like cheering out loud at the section where the duo successfully appeared on stage again in 1978 after a 12-year absence from the public eye! Equally entertaining are the stories behind their music. The origins of many of Jan & Dean's songs are often whimsical and the recording information offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of pop record production in the 1950s and '60s. I now listen to their records with a whole new outlook and appreciation of the skills that went into the making of them. DEAD MAN'S CURVE AND BACK has hundreds of black & white photographs, reproductions of original hand-written song lyrics, photos of every album and single record picture sleeve, shots from "lost" TV appearances and rare trade ads interspersed throughout, rather than a separate section. This layout is very effective as you read about incidents and the photos often back up the text. I feel the years move by with Jan & Dean because of the photos. The book also contains a complete discography with production information on all of the duo's records. I was amazed at how much they actually recorded both together and apart! I was both entertained and emotionally touched by this book. Although Jan and Dean may feel that they are just ordinary people, the stories in this book about how friends and musical collaborators have stood behind them, as well as Mr. Passmore's touching introduction explaining how he came to write the book, show that the duo are indeed "very special people" to inspire such love!
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