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27 Apr 07 - 03:42 AM (#2036877) Subject: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: JennieG He's now a graveyard smash - Bobby Pickett has died aged 69 after a long battle with leukaemia. "Monster Mash" was a hit in the early 60s or thereabouts, I remember it well! It's now the monster mash..... Cheers JennieG |
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27 Apr 07 - 03:57 AM (#2036889) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: BusyBee Paul It caught on in a flash... |
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27 Apr 07 - 04:32 AM (#2036905) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Rasener Bobby Picket RIP Great fun song that. |
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27 Apr 07 - 04:52 AM (#2036912) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Scooby Doo I can just remember that song. Scooby |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:02 AM (#2036987) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Liz the Squeak I have the LP somewhere in the house... it's brilliant! Sad to hear this news though. LTS |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:03 AM (#2036989) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Liz the Squeak Oh, and it was more like 1972-3 when he had the hit as Bobby 'Boris' Pickett and the Cryptkickers. I'll be working late in the lab tonight... LTS |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:05 AM (#2036991) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Richard Bridge He finally joined the cryptkicker five? |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:06 AM (#2036992) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: fat B****rd RIP Bobby. A horror film/story friend of mine had "Monster Mash" in the 60s also "Dinner With Drac" by John somebody or other. |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:26 AM (#2037006) Subject: Obit: Bobby Pickett From: beardedbruce 'Monster Mash' singer dead at 69 POSTED: 9:34 p.m. EDT, April 26, 2007 Story Highlights• Bobby "Boris" Pickett, singer of "Monster Mash," dead • Song hit No. 1 in 1962, hit charts two other times • Pickett retained sense of humor about song NEW YORK (AP) -- He does the "Monster Mash" no more. Bobby "Boris" Pickett, whose dead-on Boris Karloff impression propelled the Halloween anthem to the top of the charts in 1962, making him one of pop music's most enduring one-hit wonders, has died of leukemia. He was 69. Pickett, dubbed "The Guy Lombardo of Halloween," died Wednesday night at the West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital, said his longtime manager, Stuart Hersh. His daughter, Nancy, and his sister, Lynda, were at Pickett's bedside. "Monster Mash" hit the Billboard chart three times: when it debuted in 1962, reaching No. 1 the week before Halloween; again in August 1970, and for a third time in May 1973. The resurrections were appropriate for a song where Pickett gravely intoned the forever-stuck-in-your-head chorus: "He did the monster mash. ... It was a graveyard smash." The novelty hit's fans included Bob Dylan, who played the single on his XM Satellite Radio program last October. "Our next artist is considered a one-hit wonder, but his one hit comes back year after year," Dylan noted. The hit single ensured Pickett's place in the pantheon of pop music obscurities, said syndicated radio host Dr. Demento, whose long-running program celebrates offbeat tunes. "It's certainly the biggest Halloween song of all time," said Demento. The DJ, who interviewed Pickett last year, said he maintained a sense of humor about his singular success: "As he loved to say at oldies shows, 'And now I'm going to do a medley of my hit.' " Pickett's impression of Karloff (who despite his name was an Englishman, born William Henry Pratt) was forged in Somerville, Massachusetts, where the boy watched horror films in a theater managed by his father. Pickett used the impersonation in a nightclub act and when performing with his band the Cordials. A bandmate convinced Pickett they needed to do a song to showcase the Karloff voice, and "Monster Mash" was born -- "written in about a half-hour," said Dr. Demento. The recording, done in a couple of hours, featured a then-unknown piano player named Leon Russell and a backing band christened The Crypt-Kickers. It was rejected by four major labels before Gary Paxton, lead singer on the Hollywood Argyles' novelty hit "Alley Oop," released "Monster Mash" on his own label. The instant smash became a sort-of Christmas carol for the pumpkin and ghoul set. In a 1996 interview with People magazine, Pickett said he never grew tired of it: "When I hear it, I hear a cash register ringing." While Pickett never re-created its success, his "Monster's Holiday," a Christmas follow-up, reached No. 30 in December 1962. And "Graduation Day" hit No. 80 in June 1963. He continued performing through his final gig in November. He remained in demand for Halloween performances, including a memorable 1973 show where his bus broke down outside Frankenstein, Missouri. Beside his daughter and sister, Pickett is survived by two grandchildren. |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:31 AM (#2037011) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Rasener John Zacherle FB |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:34 AM (#2037013) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Liz the Squeak Alright, so it charted in the 1960's .. I'm too young to remember all but the last time, May 1973. LTS |
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27 Apr 07 - 07:56 AM (#2037027) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Rasener It charted about 3 times I think |
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27 Apr 07 - 09:00 AM (#2037074) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: John Hardly Could they PLEASE bury that damn recording with him? Please? |
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27 Apr 07 - 09:04 AM (#2037077) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: beardedbruce Monster Mash words and music by Bobby Pickett and Lenny Capizzi I was working in the lab late one night When my eyes beheld an eerie sight For my monster from his slab began to rise And suddenly to my surprise He did the mash He did the monster mash The monster mash It was a graveyard smash He did the mash It caught on in a flash He did the mash He did the monster mash From my laboratory in the castle east To the master bedroom where the vampires feast The ghouls all came from their humble abodes To get a jolt from my electrodes They did the mash They did the monster mash The monster mash It was a graveyard smash They did the mash It caught on in a flash They did the mash They did the monster mash The zombies were having fun The party had just begun The guests included Wolf Man Dracula and his son The scene was rockin', all were digging the sounds Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds The coffin-bangers were about to arrive With their vocal group, "The Crypt-Kicker Five" They played the mash They played the monster mash The monster mash It was a graveyard smash They played the mash It caught on in a flash They played the mash They played the monster mash Out from his coffin, Drac's voice did ring Seems he was troubled by just one thing He opened the lid and shook his fist And said, "Whatever happened to my Transylvania twist?" It's now the mash It's now the monster mash The monster mash And it's a graveyard smash It's now the mash It's caught on in a flash It's now the mash It's now the monster mash Now everything's cool, Drac's a part of the band And my monster mash is the hit of the land For you, the living, this mash was meant too When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you Then you can mash Then you can monster mash The monster mash And do my graveyard smash Then you can mash You'll catch on in a flash Then you can mash Then you can monster mash KEY C |
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27 Apr 07 - 09:25 AM (#2037093) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: SINSULL RIP |
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27 Apr 07 - 10:42 AM (#2037153) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: M.Ted It seems so long ago that the record first came out--hard to believe that he was only 69-- As an eleven year old who loved old monster movies, I was ecstatic when I first heard this song, in the late summer of 1962. A lot of people felt then as John Hardly does now, that it was juvenile and tedious--nobody thought that, nearly fifty years later, kids would still love it-- |
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27 Apr 07 - 11:15 AM (#2037177) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Cool Beans Just yesterday Sir Graves Ghastly died. He was a TV horror movie host in Detroit in the 60s. Who's next? |
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27 Apr 07 - 09:59 PM (#2037665) Subject: RE: Obit: Bobby Pickett April 2007 From: Ron Davies Gee, John H, first some rather intemperate remarks on the evils of blogging and now you don't like "Monster Mash"? How are you at "Bah, humbug"? Mudcat already has one resident curmudgeon--Bill D. But he has a great sense of humor. Why don't you tell us what you do like? (maybe in another thread) Admittedly, I'm not an unbiased observer--I love "Monster Mash". Might be partly because I get called on to recite it every October--in the office yet. One of the things I like best about MM is its timelessness--every Halloween--forever-- (ready for that, John?) And at the same time it's very time-specific--deriving from the Mashed Potato dance craze of 1962. |