I finally got to meet my boyhood idols during an outdoor performance in Pittsburgh in 2000. I talked with Dean before the show. He's a great guy. (Jan was in his trailer). I actually went on stage and sang with them for one song. What a thrill! I have a nice framed picture of Dean and myself on stage.
From 1965-67, I was a 15-17 old kid, east coast Australia, Cronulla Beach. Worked five and a half days at a small grocery, ($35 a week, plus half saturday, all the free fruit I could eat), walked 200 hundred yards from home to the water before and after work, even in winter, (it was bloody cold, could'nt afford a 'wetsuit', just a T-shirt), swam and surfed, (I could'nt ride to save my life!), after work, each day. The mates were great, the girls were OH! Do it again ?. In a heartbeat.
My Grandma was born about 8 miles south of Pasadena, and man was she ever a lead foot, so naturally this song title was one of her nicknames. She lived the past thirty years in Atlanta, when driving there you gotta know how put peddle to metal. Lost her last year...miss you Grammy.
They were considered the Crown Prince of Rock and Roll. I remember watching them on Lloyd Thaxton TV show in 1965 and thought they were the coolest! They did "Rock and Roll Music" on stage. Super Cool!
Yes I agree with you spongebobbette23,,,they were a big part of the generation when music was clean, fun and exciting and brought out the best in all of us! The magic music and times were a gift from GOF Himself, so sad this generation does not have a grasp of the precious memories we share. Yours in CHRIST, Rickey downtown Brown , Jackson, Tennessee USA
That was the Pasadena of the 1960's. I live about five miles south of Pasadena and it now is a very happening kind of area with theaters, restaurants, progressives, and lots of activity and young people.
Yes, I saw them on Lloyd Thaxton TV tearing apart the set . I really liked that show. I just watched the T.A.M.I show on PBS. Jan & Dean were the MC'S. A rare show to watch on TV.
Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys were buds and used to sing on each other's records all the time. I've heard they used to flip a coin to decide whose name would go on the record. Brian Wilson wrote "Surf City" and Dean was the distinctive high voice on "Barbara Ann"...
On this day in 1965 {September 16th} Jan and Dean performed "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" on the NBC-TV program 'The Dean Martin Show'... Three months earlier on June 27th it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; eventually it peaked at #3 and spent 11 weeks on the Top 100 chart... Sadly; Jan Berry passed away on March 26th, 2004 at the age of 62... R.I.P. Mr. Berry, Mr. Martin {1917 - 1995}, and Dean Torrence will celebrate his 74th birthday come next March 10th...
Yes, I'm pretty sure. Brian doubled with Jan and Tony(Matadors) on Surf City.Brian sang on the album version of Deadman's Curve and did some parts on Drag City.But he had nothing to do with the Little Old Lady. You are right that Brian has an amazing falsetto. Brian was/is a great singer and producer. Jan Berry was pretty damn good himself.They were a potent team in the studio when they did work together.
I had no idea at the time. but this song was written form me!!! I, 58 yrs, have had more speeding tickets than the rest of yall of yall put together! lol
@pjsman5252 according to history-of-rock com, Brian gave the music to this song to Jan & Dean, who in turn added lyrics. Also The subtle falsetto in the line, "Surf City, here we come," was sung by Brian Wilson.
@ekocentric Jan and Brian met in 1962. I think Lou Adler introduced them. Brian showed Jan an unfinished song and Jan and Brian wrote Surf City together. Brian had some great ideas and Jan was a great producer. Jan taught Brian how to make cleaner tracks and Brian shared some song ideas with Jan. They wrote 12 songs together. 6 of them were major hits. Jan & Dean and the Beach Boys also played concerts together. I think Jan and Brian meeting each other was a major event in rock n roll history.
I remember a video of this in the 60's, with a lil' ol' lady getting her 63 red 426 Dodge out of a 1 car garage and taking it for a spin. She looked like granny, from the Beverly Hillbillies. It was one of the first videos of a record that I can remember.
@1960sbabe At the time, Jan was in med school and Dean was working on a degree in graphic design (after switching from architecture). You're right--neither of them thought they'd ever be in the music business for decades. Yet Jan was a terrific producer/arranger and was planning to set up his own label at the time he had the accident. Probably a big reason they aren't in the Hall of Fame is because they didn't write serious music!
@yourmoment Yeah, Jan & Dean did that a lot! I have a video of them doing Sidewalk Surfin' on Dick Clark's show in 1964. Dean deliberately stopped lip-synching during a video close-up of his face; Jan laughed and pointed at him, saying "That's you!" Meanwhile, the song track continued to roll!
To ANY critics : this track should be taken in its good & proper context. FACTS : it reached # 3 in the USA in Summer 1964, & was J & D's 5th biggest-ever hit, out of over 30 they had. It was a FUN SONG .. & it introduced the outrageously-lovable motif of Drop-Out Surf / Drag Senior-Citizens (I'm one). To all hard-core way-back fans who adore this novelty theme of Little Old Ladys & Grannies, be sure to check out Carson Robison's 1956 RockaBilly Hit "Rockin & Rollin With Grandmaw" .. awesome !!
@ekocentric Jan and Dean were first. Actually, Jan and Arnie did Jennie Lee in 1958. Then Jan & Dean did Baby Talk in 1959.Both top 10 hits and both influenced the Beach Boys sound. The Beach Boys came out in 1961.
Actually the "Little Old Lady from Pasadena" was Kathryn Minner, hired by Dodge to do TV and radio advertising. Her famous line was "PUT A DODGE IN YOUR GARAGE....HONEY!" Think she also did advertising for Cragar Mags in the 60's too.
This ong was a comment on widows of dust bowl farmers who moved to Californis and did well, buying new cars regularly. Man would die, leaving widow with a 7 litre monster she had trouble steering.
Actually Jan and Arnie released Jennie Lee in 58 or 59 and then Jan and Dean released Baby Talk in 59 so I would say Jan and Dean were recording before The Beach Boys.
While they were the clown prince's of surf and rock and roll, history shows that Jan Berry was a very talented composer and producer. Brian Wilson has even stated that Jan taught him a thing or two. It's sad to think what might have been if not for the accident.
Cool! I have a piece of that show on audio--you saw it on TV? Did you see Jan & Dean break Lloyd's set? LOL! Unfortunately, all of the video for the Lloyd Thaxton Show got erased :-( I wish Lloyd had had the foresight to save all that stuff!
Someone should tell today's senior lady speeders about Velocitization and the Vestibular Structures effect on speeding. Pasedena should solve it's problem by the song's 50th Anniversary or at least by Mothers Day!
actually The Beach Boys did and Brian Wilson invited Jan and Dean to perform with them in 1963 and Brian Wilson gave them "Surf City" partially written and he helped them with vocals so actually railbuggy and the GarfieldVsSnoopy it was the Beach Boys. Sorry
@freqazoidiac They were just medical students (I think!) having a laugh and it was fun while it lasted - not to be taken too seriously and definitely not to be scrutinized too finely.
@freqazoidiac I wasn't annoyed. They could have done a lot worse than Jan & Dean as hosts--plus they were one of the top ten singles-selling artists of 1964 as well as being the most popular duo of that year. Not too shabby for a couple of guys who were full-time students! I think the reason they don't get a lot of respect is the fact that they didn't take themselves too seriously. They were studying for other careers anyway and figured if they got a few years out of music, it would be fun.
@melbea03 I have the original record and also youtube has a Brian Wilson interview. Clearly, on the record it says J.Berry/ B.Wilson as the writers. In the interview with Brian, he talks about writing Surf City WITH Jan Berry. But it did start out as Brian's idea.
No, not on this one. That's the Fantastic Baggy's on background vocal. Brian sang some on Surf City and Drag City. The Beach Boys are not on any Jan & Dean singles. Just Brian on a couple. Brian and Jan wrote several Jan & Dean hits together, but this one was written by Jan, Don A, and Roger C.
don't know why someone is knocking the beach boys here..mike wilson of said group wrote some of jan and dean's records..they had a healthy rivelry..not like some of today's (stars) who wanna do each other in
uhhhh. i dont know lol, i think jan and dean had such an uplifting spirit in their tunes. Sure, mgmt borrows a little influence from the surf rock sound, but its not predominant in all their songs. And mgmt only shows that , albeit vaguely , in their Congratulations album. And they have a lot more influences from 60s rock, Siberian Breaks has a part where it reminds me of the choruses in some Mommas and the poppas songs. But mgmt are more electronic psychedelic and experimental.
Howdy! The 60's band, "The Royal Guardsmen", responsible for the hits "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" and "Snoopy's Christmas" are back and making music again after 40+ years!Come over to facebook and "like" their band page and you'll be elligible for monthly giveaways, the next of which is on Dec. 5th for their new live cd, "Beaglemania!" Stay up to date regarding tour dates,history and links to "Royal Guardsmen" trivia.Thanks,hope to see you there!Come see us at facebook dot com/theroyalguardsmen
@ekocentric Arnie joined the Navy, I believe. Being a rock star was not his cup of tea. Also, it seems he couldn't work with Jan anymore. Jan then recruited Dean and the rest is history.
the beach boys did not grow up in the valley. They grew up in windsor hills (L.A) and Inglewood.I knew the younger brother of Mike Love at school in Crenshaw area. Get your facts straight.
