The author sang backup vocals for the legendary Jan & Dean duo. For 15 years, starting in 1990, Bob Greene lived the life of the second-tier rock star - performing in concert, touring, and living his dream. Here he writes about that experience, talking about life on the road with the singing surfers and other musicians like Chuck Berry, the Beach Boys, the Everly Brothers, the Monkees, the Kingsmen, Lesley Gore, and others.

Greene describes how it all happened at the beginning of Chapter Three:

It started simply enough.

Someone picked up a paperback book in an airport.

I found this out when, in the middle of a stack of letters in the Chicago newspaper office where I was working, I came upon one addressed to me with a Panorama City, California, postmark.

The letter was from Gary Griffin, the keyboardist for Jan & Dean. He had read Bob's book, Be True To Your School (a non-fiction book based on Greene's diary), and wrote to him. At 45, the author became a pseudo-rocker.

This is a great summer book. Download a Jan & Dean album onto your Zune, slather on some sunscreen, and open to page one.