Bobby Pickett

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 and Bela Lugosi, 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 number one 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. The song has since re-charted five more times—in 1970, 1973 (when it reached the Top Ten), 2021, 2022, and 2023. 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.

• Birth Name — Robert George Pickett • Alias — Bobby Boris Pickett • Born — 11 February 1938 • Birthplace — Somerville, Massachusetts, U.S. • Died — 25 April 2007 • Place of death — Los Angeles, California, U.S. • Instrument — Vocals • Genre — * Novelty • comedy • Occupation — * Singer • writer • comedian • Years Active — 1959–2007 • Label — Garpax

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

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

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 one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks before Halloween in 1962. 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 number 10 spot. In Britain it took until October 1973 for the tune to become popular, peaking at number three in the UK Singles Chart. For the second time, the record sold over one million copies. The tune remains a Halloween perennial on radio and on iTunes.

A Christmas-themed follow-up, "Monsters' 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 number 135 on the Bubbling Under chart and was credited under "Bobby Pickett and The Rolling Bones". In 1973, Pickett re-recorded "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 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. 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.

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. 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.

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications • Title — Album details — Peak chart positions — Certifications • US — Canada • The Original Monster Mash — * Released: 1962 *Label: Garpax Records — 120 — 78 • The Hollyweird Squares (with Bob Hudson, as Hudson & Pickett) — * Released: 1976 *Label: Dore Records — - — -

• Title (A-side/B-side) — Year — Peak chart positions — Certifications — Album • US — UK — Bubbling Under • "The Monster Mash" — 1962 — 1 — 3 — - — Gold — The Original Monster Mash • "Monsters' Holiday" — 30 — - — - — - • "Graduation Day" "The Humpty Dumpty" — 1963 — 80 — - — - — non-album singles • "Simon the Sensible Surfer" — - — - — - • "The Monster Swim" — 1964 — - — - — 135 • "Werewolf Watusi" — - — - — - • "Blood Bank Blues" "Me and My Mummy" — 1965 — - — - — - • "Wake Up My Mind" — - — - — - • "Monster Man Jam" — 1970 — - — - — - • "Monster Concert" "Am I" — 1973 — - — - — - • "Me and My Mummy"(Reissue) — - — - — - • "Star Drek" (featuring Peter Ferrara) — 1976 — - — - — - • "Sky High Market" (with Bob Hudson) — - — - — - — The Hollyweird Squares • "King Kong (Your Song)" (with Peter Ferrara) — - — - — 107 — non-album singles • "Monster Rap" (featuring Bobby Paine) — 1984 — - — - — - • "It's Alive" — 1993 — - — - — -

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