| Birth Date: | 22 October 1948 |
| Birth Place: | Mansfield, Ohio |
| Genre: | Bubblegum pop |
| Instrument: | Bass, vocals |
| Current Member Of: | The Cyrkle |
| Past Member Of: | Ohio Express |
Dean Kastran (born October 22, 1948) is an American bass guitarist from Ohio. He was the original bassist who toured as a member of Ohio Express.
Kastran picked up the bass guitar in 1964, during Beatlemania.[1] Kastran and bandmate Dale Powers, were not aloud to walk with the rest of their class during graduation because their hair was too long.[2] A year after graduating Mansfield Senior High School, Kastran's group, Sir Timothy and the Royals, were hired by Super K Productions to tour as their band The Ohio Express, a studio–created group who recorded "Beg, Borrow and Steal" and needed a band to tour as Ohio Express.
The Ohio Express was actually the name given to recordings made by groups of session musicians. The groups hit songs include "Yummy Yummy Yummy" and "Chewy Chewy".
Kastran worked at The Gorman-Rupp Company even when the Ohio Express were touring around the country, and continued to work for the company until 2013 when he retired. Dean and Dale were fired from the touring group of Ohio Express in 1969, and formed their own group,[3] before being drafted into the Vietnam War,[4] where he spent eighteen months serving in Texas at Lackland Air Force Base during 1969–70.[5] [6]
Kastran joined The Cyrkle in June 2021.[7] Kastran and Powers still work with each other as a duo.