Though Jan & Dean got together the same year as "the other beach group", their record and television career was five years ahead of the Beach Boys. In those five years they had 10 records on the pop charts including Heart And Soul, Linda, Barbara Ann and Baby Talk, their first of nine gold singles. They also had their own television music special plus multiple appearances on Dick Clark's American Bandstand.
When this Southern California Sound hit the pop music scene like a giant wave, their hits included Surf City, Drag City, Ride The Wild Surf, Side Walk Surfin, Honolulu Lulu, New Girl In School, Dead Man's Curve and Little Old Lady From Pasadena.
Jan & Dean sold more than 30 million records between 1960 and 1966. Their sky rocketing career as teen idols came to a crashing halt in 1966 when Jan almost died in a catastrophic car accident. When Jan awoke from a month long coma, he was unable to speak.
Jan & Dean were the first American celebrity rock group to tour the Peoples Republic of China. On April 12th, 1996, on the 30th anniversary of Jan's car crash, Jan & Dean were inducted into Hollywood's Rockwalk on Sunset Boulevard. They were honored by their peers as innovators and contributors of the Southern California sound to the rock `n' roll art form.
