American surf rock duo of Jan Berry (1941-2004) and Dean Torrence (born 1940). Active 1958-1966 in their classic era and intermittently thereafter. Among the foundational acts of the California surf-rock and hot-rod-music waves alongside the Beach Boys.
Released over a dozen studio albums during the original era. Best-known singles include "Surf City" (1963, the first surf song to reach Billboard #1), "Drag City" (1963), "Dead Man's Curve" (1964, which presciently described a near-fatal car accident Jan Berry would suffer two years later), and "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" (1964). Jan Berry suffered severe brain injuries from a 1966 car accident and spent decades recovering. Died in 2004 from complications.
