Vocal Surf Rock
The song “Dead Man’s Curve” by Jan and Dean is a good example of sixties surf rock. Sun, sand, surf, cars, girls — and cars. Jan and Dean were Jan Berry (William Jan Berry) and Dean Torrence (Dean Ormsby Torrence) from Los Angeles, California. They were among the pioneers of the California-style vocal surf music along with others, for example, the Rip Chords and The Beach Boys. A dead man’s curve is a crescent-shape part of a road where numerous traffic accidents have occurred. And the song describes a real stretch of road in L.A. The song was written by Berry, Roger Christian (a DJ and car enthusiast), Brian Wilson (of The Beach Boys), and Artie Kornfeld (producer, music executive),. It went to #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #9 on Cashbox. Sometimes life imitates art, and eerily, Berry had a near-fatal car accident near dead man’s curve. He crashed his Stingray into a parked truck near a house once owned by Roman Polanski.
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