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Bobby Pickett

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Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938 – April 25, 2007), better known as Bobby "Boris" Pickett, was an American singer-songwriter and comedian. He is best known for co-writing and performing the 1962 smash hit novelty song "Monster Mash".[1]

Bobby Pickett
Pickett in 2005
Pickett in 2005
Background information
Birth nameRobert George Pickett
Also known asBobby Boris Pickett
Born(1938-02-11)February 11, 1938
Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedApril 25, 2007(2007-04-25) (aged 69)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresNovelty, pop
Occupation(s)Singer, writer, comedian
InstrumentVocals
Years active1959–2007
LabelsGarpax Records

Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Pickett watched many horror films as a result of his father's position as a local movie theater manager. He started improvising impressions of Hollywood film stars at a young age. At a turning point in his career, Pickett was a vocalist for a local swing band called Darren Bailes and the Wolf Eaters. He would later serve in the United States Army.

He co-wrote his signature song, "Monster Mash", with Leonard Capizzi in May 1962 as a spoof of popular contemporary dance crazes. Pickett's performances include impersonations of Boris Karloff (The Mummy (1932)) and Bela Lugosi (Dracula (1931)), and although many major labels declined to distribute the song, Gary S. Paxton agreed to release it in the United States. "Monster Mash" was met with instant success and peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in October 1962, including Halloween. The song was certified gold by the RIAA on August 28, 1973.[2] The song has since re-charted five more times—in 1970, 1973 (when it reached the Top Ten), 2021, 2022, and 2023.[3]

Though Pickett never achieved the same success as he did with "Monster Mash" on charts, he continued to lend his voice to further parodies and other songs throughout the rest of his life. Pickett also made appearances on television, film, and radio as a guest star, narrator, actor, and disc jockey. He released Monster Mash: Half Dead in Hollywood, an autobiography, in 2005. Pickett died of leukemia on April 25, 2007, at age 69.

Early life

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Robert George Pickett was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on February 11, 1938.[4] His family lived in the Winter Hill neighborhood, and he attended Somerville High School.[5] Through his father's movie theater business, Pickett was introduced to horror films such as Dracula and Frankenstein, both from 1931.[6] Pickett served in the United States Army from March 9, 1956, to March 13, 1959, and was stationed in Korea for an unknown period of time.[7]

Career

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Early music career

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An aspiring actor, Pickett began his music career as a vocalist for a local swing band, Darren Bailes and the Wolf Eaters.[6] During one performance, Pickett delivered a monologue in the style of Boris Karloff, an impression he would use later in his career.[6]

"Monster Mash" and commercial success

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Pickett co-wrote "Monster Mash" with Leonard Capizzi in May 1962. The song is a spoof on the dance crazes popular at the time, including the Twist and the Mashed Potato, which inspired the title. The song features Pickett's impersonations of veteran horror stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi (the latter with the line "Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?"). Every major record label declined the song, but after hearing it, Gary S. Paxton agreed to produce and engineer it. Among the musicians who contributed to the song are pianist Leon Russell and The Ventures drummer Mel Taylor. Issued on Paxton's Garpax Records, the single became a million-seller, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks before Halloween in 1962.[8] It was styled as being by "Bobby (Boris) Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers".

The track re-entered the U.S. charts twice, in August 1970, and again in May 1973, when it reached the #10 spot. In Britain it took until October 1973 for the tune to become popular, peaking at number 3 in the UK Singles Chart.[9] For the second time, the record sold over one million copies.[10] The tune remains a Halloween perennial on radio and on iTunes.

Further parodies

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A Christmas-themed follow-up, "Monster's Holiday", (with "Monster Motion" on the B side) was also released in 1962 and reached number 30 in December that year. "Blood Bank Blues" (with "Me and My Mummy" on the B side) did not chart. This was followed by further monster-themed recordings such as the album The Original Monster Mash and such singles as "Werewolf Watusi" and "The Monster Swim", the latter of which made it to No. 135 on the Bubbling Under chart and was credited under "Bobby Pickett and The Rolling Bones".[11][12]

In 1973, Pickett rerecorded "Me and My Mummy" for a Metromedia 45, but it did not chart. Another of Pickett's songs, "Graduation Day", made number 80 in June 1963.

In 1975, Pickett recorded a novelty spoof on Star Trek called "Star Drek" with Peter Ferrara, again performing some of the various voices, which was played on Dr. Demento's radio show for many years. He also performed a duet with Ferrara in 1976 titled "King Kong (Your Song)" spoofing the King Kong remake released that year.

In October 1984, Easy Street Records[a] released "Monster Rap", which lyrically continues the story of "Monster Mash" and features vocals by Bobby Payne as a monster who speaks in rap form and Pickett reprising his roles as the mad scientist and Dracula.[13]

In 1993, Pickett wrote and performed "It's Alive", another sequel of sorts to the original "Mash" song. It did not chart but was played occasionally on the Demento show.

In 2004 and 2005, Pickett provided vocals for two Flash cartoons, "Monster Slash" and "Climate Mash", featuring new versions of his hit single. The cartoons protested inaction on the United States government's part towards deforestation and global warming.

Record label venture

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In 1962, it was reported in the December 1 issue of Cashbox that Pickett along with Ned Ormand and R.B. Chris Christensen had formed Nico Records. Christensen had been a partner and professional manager in Buck Owens' Bluebook Music Publishing co.[14][15] They had acquired an instrumental from the Daco label which was to be their first release. The instrumental was by The Revels of "Church Key" and "Six Pak" fame.[14][16]

Film and writing

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In 1967, Pickett and television author Sheldon Allman wrote the musical I'm Sorry the Bridge Is Out, You'll Have to Spend the Night. It has been produced by local theaters around the United States. They followed it with another musical, Frankenstein Unbound. In 1995, the co-writers of Pixar's Toy Story, Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, produced a movie of it, originally titled Frankenstein Sings, but later released in the United States as Monster Mash: The Movie. Pickett starred in it with Candace Cameron, Jimmie Walker, Mink Stole, John Kassir, Sarah Douglas, Anthony Crivello, Adam Shankman and Carrie Ann Inaba. On ABC-TV, he appeared on a segment of The Long Hot Summer, with Roy Thinnes and Nancy Malone, on January 26, 1966.

In 1962 or 1963, Pickett also hosted a weekly disc jockey show on KRLA in Los Angeles.

In 1965, he appeared in several episodes of the sitcom Petticoat Junction as either Walter Thorp or Stonewall Jackson.

Pickett appeared in films in several classic genres: beach movie, It's a Bikini World (1967); biker, Chrome and Hot Leather (1971); horror, Deathmaster (1972) and the sci-fi comedy film, Lobster Man from Mars (1989).

Pickett appeared in such roles as Archie Bunker as part of a stage comedy revue about television, presented in Boston, titled Don't Touch That Dial.

In 1991, he appeared as a guest on the television show Beyond Vaudeville.

In 2004, Pickett served as the narrator of the children's film Spookley the Square Pumpkin.

In 2005, Pickett published his autobiography through Trafford Publishing, titled Monster Mash: Half Dead in Hollywood.

For many years, Pickett performed for Barry Scott's radio show The Lost 45s during its annual Halloween show in the Boston area.

Death

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On April 25, 2007, Pickett died in Los Angeles, California, from leukemia at age 69.[17] The May 13, 2007, episode of the Dr. Demento show featured a documentary retrospective of Pickett's work.

Notes

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  1. ^ Not affiliated with the record store of the same name

References

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  1. ^ "Bobby Pickett, 69; Scored 'Monster' Hit". The New York Times. Associated Press. April 27, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-21. Bobby (Boris) Pickett, whose Boris Karloff impression propelled the Halloween novelty song Monster Mash to the top of the charts in 1962, making him one of pop music's most enduring one-hit wonders, died Wednesday in Los Angeles. He was 69. His longtime manager, Stuart Hersh, said the cause was leukemia.
  2. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
  3. ^ Zellner, Xander (2023-11-07). "'Thriller,' 'Monster Mash' & 'Ghostbusters' Return to Hot 100 After Halloween". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  4. ^ James, Gary. "Gary James' Interview with Bobby "Boris" Pickett". ClassicBands.com. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
  5. ^ Guha, Auditi (October 31, 2007). "Bobby "Boris" Pickett Remembered on Our First Halloween Without Him". Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois. Retrieved June 25, 2020.
  6. ^ a b c "Bobby Pickett". The Daily Telegraph. April 28, 2007. p. 29 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Robert Pickett, 11 February 1938 (Report). Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem. United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
  8. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 150. ISBN 978-0214204807.
  9. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 426. ISBN 978-1904994008.
  10. ^ Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. ≠333. ISBN 978-0214204807.
  11. ^ "Bobby Pickett and The Rolling Bones - Top Songs / Chart Singles". musicvf.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  12. ^ "US Hot 100 Bubbling Under". Top40Weekly.com. Retrieved September 12, 2022.
  13. ^ Rubin, Neal (October 31, 1984). ""Monster Mash" Composer Is Musical Mr. October". York Daily Record. Detroit. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ a b "Pickett A Partner In New Disk Firm". Cashbox. December 1, 1962. p. 30B.
  15. ^ Sachs, Bill (December 26, 1960). "Folk Talent and Tunes". Billboard. p. 36.
  16. ^ Marcus, Greil (20 October 2015). Real Life Rock: The Complete Top Ten Columns, 1986-2014. p. 403. ISBN 9780300218596. Retrieved June 26, 2020. 9. The Exiles, directed by Kent McKenzie (Milestone) and Revels, Intoxica! (Sundazed)
  17. ^ "'Monster Mash' Singer Bobby 'Boris' Pickett Dies at 69". Fox News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2015-08-26.
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