Monday, October 24, 2011

Jan and Arnie

That's a pretty nice radio-phonograph Jan and Arnie are leaning over. (I'm still trying to identify the make and model) Jan Berry later was in Jan and Dean with Dean Torrence. Jan and Arnie released three 45 rpm singles that I know of, "Gas Money" being the best by far. Arnie is Baron Arnie Ginsburg. They were all in a high school band together known as the Barons. None of this has much to do with radio sadly.  Jan and Dean were ever in radio. [but Arnie was] But there is one story you probably do not know.

According to the book Liberty Records by Michael B. Kelly, they had a fake radio station: KJAN.  They mixed contemporary pop hits with their own rough garage recordings. It was probably as jarring as it sounds. But this was all before they cut their first acetate for Arwin records. More here.
"He even printed up some stationery for KJAN radio, a station that did not really exist except as a tape recorder, which he [Jan] used to play DJ and provide music for school parties. His cohorts in this included Dean Orm Torrence(aka KDOT) and Don Altfeld."



4 comments:

  1. I hope it's just that I'm reading this wrong "None of them were ever in radio." Arnie Woo Woo Ginsburg was a radio GOD at WMEX.

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    1. Wrong Arnie. Arnie Ginsberg of Jan & Arnie was not the same guy as Arnie Woo Woo Ginsberg.

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  2. Sorry, my damn editing. I mean Dean and Jan weren't in radio. I didnt' even get into Arnie. ... clearly should have.

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  3. You can argue with wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennie_Lee_(song)

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