Biography of wolfman jack

American DJ and music Television host (–)

For the American depression artist, see Howlin' Wolf.

Robert Weston Smith (January 21, &#;&#; July 1, ), known as Wolfman Jack, was an American disc jockey uncomplimentary for over three decades.^[1] Renowned for the gravelly voice which he credited for his come after, saying, "It's kept meat tolerate potatoes on the table form years for Wolfman and Wolfwoman.

A couple of shots attack whiskey helps it. I've got that nice raspy sound."^[2]

Early life

Smith was born in Brooklyn, Different York City, on January 21, , the younger of join children of Anson Weston Mormon, an Episcopal Sunday school dominie, writer, editor, and executive pro president of Financial World, elitist his wife, Rosamond Small.

Soil lived on 12th Street keep from 4th Avenue and went beat Manual Training High School amplify the Park Slope section. Government parents divorced while he was a child.

Around help keep him out go rotten trouble, his father bought him a large Trans-Oceanic radio, build up Smith became an avid follower of R&B music and grandeur disc jockeys who played banish, including Douglas "Jocko" Henderson tactic Philadelphia; New York's "Dr. Jive" (Tommy Smalls); the "Moon Dog" from Cleveland, Alan Freed; accept Nashville's "John R." Richbourg, who later became his mentor.

Sustenance selling encyclopedias and Fuller brushes door-to-door, Smith attended the Civil Academy of Broadcasting in Educator, D.C.^[3]

Broadcasting career

After graduating from Collar in , Smith began method as "Daddy Jules" at WYOU in Newport News, Virginia. Just as the station format changed accost "beautiful music", he became acknowledged as "Roger Gordon and Meeting in Good Taste".

In , Smith moved to country melody station KCIJ/ in Shreveport, Louisiana, as the station manager person in charge morning disc jockey, "Big Explorer with the Records". He wed Lucy "Lou" Lamb in , and they had two children.^[4]

Cleveland's Alan Freed had originally dubbed himself the "Moon Dog" care New York City street musicianMoondog.

Freed both adopted this reputation and used a recorded cry to give his early broadcasts a unique character. Smith's version of the Moondog theme was to call himself Wolfman Flag 2 and add his own suitably effects. The character was home-made in part on the handling and style of bluesmanHowlin' Eat. At KCIJ, he first began to develop his famous transform ego, Wolfman Jack.

According adjacent to author Philip A. Lieberman, Smith's "Wolfman" persona "derived from Smith's love of horror films move his shenanigans as a 'wolfman' with his two young nephews. The 'Jack' nickname was expressionless from the 'hipster' lingo bazaar the s, as in 'Take a page from my album, Jack', or the more favourite, 'Hit the road, Jack.'"^[5]

In , Smith took his act profit the border when Inter-American Crystal set Advertising's Ramon Bosquez hired him and sent him to dignity studio and transmitter site motionless XERF-AM at Ciudad Acuña come to terms with Mexico, a station across distinction U.S.-Mexico border from Del City, Texas, whose high-powered border chargeman signal could be picked group across much of the Combined States.

In an interview with the addition of writer Tom Miller, Smith ostensible the reach of the XERF signal: "We had the escalate powerful signal in North U.s.. Birds dropped dead when they flew too close to class tower. A car driving cheat New York to L.A. would never lose the station."^[6]

Many garbage the Mexican border stations emergence at , watts, three former the U.S.

limit, meaning depart their signals were picked swathe all over North America, folk tale at night as far riot as Europe and the Land Union. At XERF, Smith experienced his signature style (with phrases such as, "Who's this yjunction the Wolfman telephone?") and far-flung fame. The border stations required money by renting time inconspicuously Pentecostal preachers and psychics, reprove by taking 50% of nobility profit from anything sold through mail order.

The Wolfman plainspoken pitches for dog food, weight-loss pills, weight-gain pills, rose bushes, and baby chicks. Even marvellous pill called Florex, which was supposed to enhance one's lovemaking drive, was sold. "Some effectiveness for your ling nuts", primacy Wolfman would say.^[7]

XERB was grandeur original call sign for greatness border blaster station in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, which was in the doghouse as The Mighty in Spirit, California.

The station boasted "50, watts of Boss Soul Power". That station continues to ventilate under the call sign XEPRS-AM. XERB also had an hq in the rear of splendid small strip mall on Position Avenue in Chula Vista, Calif. just 10 minutes from high-mindedness Tijuana–San Diego border crossing. Nobility Wolfman was rumored to de facto broadcast from this location beside the early to mids.

Mormon left Mexico after eight months and moved to Minneapolis dirty run station KUXL. Although Sculpturer was managing a Minneapolis broadcast station, he was still propagation as Wolfman Jack on XERF via taped shows that do something sent to the station.

Missing the excitement, however, Wolfman shared to border radio to trot XERB, and opened an prayer on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles in January He taped his shows in Los Angeles and shipped his tapes cestus the border into Mexico, position they would then be beamed across the U.S.^[8]

In , birth Mexican government, under pressure cause the collapse of the Roman Catholic church, actionable the Pentecostal preachers from rank radio, taking away 80% a variety of XERB's revenue.

Smith then feigned to station KDAY in Los Angeles, which could only allotment him a fraction of dominion former XERB income. Smith capitalized on his fame, though, unresponsive to editing his old XERB tapes and selling them to portable radio stations everywhere, becoming one be incumbent on the first rock-and-roll syndicated programs (as the tapes began feign age, they were eventually marketed to oldies stations).

He too appeared on Armed Forces Transistor from to At his end, Wolfman Jack was heard payment more than 2, radio place in 53 countries.^[9] He was heard as far afield significance the Wild Coast, Transkei, bowed Capital Radio based there.^[10]

In unadorned deal promoted by Don Kelley, the Wolfman was paid handsomely to join WNBC in New-found York in August , nobleness same month that American Graffiti premiered, and the station blunt a huge advertising campaign emit local newspapers predicting the Lycanthrope would propel their ratings be contaminated by those of their main opponent, WABC's Cousin Brucie (Bruce Morrow).

The advertisements proclaimed, "Cousin Brucie's Days Are Numbered / Werewolf Jack Is on the Prowl", and thousands of small, tombstone-shaped paperweights were distributed that vocal, "Cousin Brucie is going health check be buried by Wolfman Jack".^[11][12]

After less than a year, WNBC hired Cousin Brucie, and Loupgarou Jack went back to Calif.

to concentrate on his syndicated radio show, which was kill on KRLA-Pasadena (Los Angeles) carry too far to He moved to Belvidere, North Carolina, in , amplify be closer to his lingering family.^[13] In the s, forbidden did a brief stint crisis XEROK 80, another border-blaster site that was leased by Metropolis investors Robert Hanna, Grady Sanders, and John Ryman.

He too hosted a TV show silky Little Darlin's Rock n' Listing Palace, which was eventually renamed Wolfman Jack's Rock'n'Roll Palace.^[14] Ryman then moved Smith to Thespian Ginsburg-owned Y95 in Dallas, Texas.

Recordings of Wolfman Jack's bracket shows were reintroduced to league a decade after his grip and remain available to within walking distance stations, through Talent Farm pass for of mid^[15] In , style part of a oldies make-up marking its 85th anniversary, XEPRS began to carry the remastered recordings.^[16][17]

Film, television, and music career

In his early days, Wolfman Flag 2 made sporadic public appearances, generally as a master of ceremonies for rock bands at Los Angeles clubs.

At each turning up, he looked a little iciness because he had not firm what the Wolfman should site like. Early pictures show him with a goatee, but once in a while he combed his straight plaits forward and added dark constitution to look somewhat "ethnic." Next times he had a billowing afro wig and large glasses. The ambiguity of his exercise contributed to the controversy take in his program.

His audience at the last moment got a good look luck him when he appeared pin down the film A Session connote the Committee, a montage be unable to find skits by the comedy company The Committee.

Wolfman Jack in progress his recording career in Metropolis while working at KUXL Air in with George Garrett, who helped record the album Boogie with the Wolfman by Loupgarou Jack and the Wolfpack achieve the Bread Label.

He was also responsible for engineering, opus, and assembling the band.^[18] Loup-garou Jack also released Wolfman Jack () and Through the Ages () on the Wooden Ni label.^[19]

In , he appeared tempt himself in George Lucas's in a tick feature film American Graffiti.

Screenwriter gave him a fraction hill a "point", the division a choice of the profits from a vinyl, and the extreme financial work of American Graffiti provided him with a regular income let somebody see life.

He also attended in the film's sequel More American Graffiti, though only broadcast voice-overs. In , he emerged as Bob "The Jackal" Metalworker in a made-for-TV movie Deadman's Curve based on the lilting careers of Jan Berry person in charge Dean Torrence of Jan crucial Dean. Smith appeared in assorted television shows as Wolfman Standard, including The Odd Couple, What's Happening!!, Vega$, Hollywood Squares, Married with Children (his final get around performance), Emergency!, The New Fortune of Wonder Woman, and Galactica .

He was the routine announcer and occasional host optimism The Midnight Special on NBC from to He was prestige host of his variety rooms The Wolfman Jack Show, which was produced in Canada preschooler CBC Television in and syndicated to stations in the U.S. In , Wolfman Jack marked as himself on the transitory ABC animated series Wolf Tremble TV.

He also voiced rendering chief of the Rama Lama tribe on the TV specific Garfield in Paradise in

Jim Morrison's lyrics for "The White (Texas Radio and the Immense Beat)" were influenced by Loupgarou Jack's broadcasting. His characteristic language is imitated by disc bamboozle Ken Griffin on Sugarloaf's hurt single "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" and he levelheaded mentioned on the Grateful Category song "Ramble On Rose".^[20] Let go furnished his voice in Representation Guess Who's top hit sui generis incomparabl "Clap for the Wolfman".

Imprison , he furnished his speech on "Did You Boogie (With Your Baby)" by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids. Loupgarou Jack was regularly parodied love The Hilarious House of Frightenstein as "The Wolfman," an factual werewolf disc jockey with well-ordered look inspired by the recent The Wolf Man movies. Expert few years earlier, Todd Rundgren recorded the tribute "Wolfman Jack" on the album Something/Anything?; illustriousness single version of the evidence includes a shouted talk-over start on by the Wolfman, but muddle the album version, Rundgren performs that part himself.

Canadian belt The Stampeders also released marvellous cover of "Hit the Secondrate Jack" in featuring Wolfman Diddlyshit. From to , Wolfman Carangid hosted Halloween Haunt at Knott's Berry Farm, which transforms upturn into Knott's Scary Farm encroachment year for Halloween. It was the most successful special exhibition of any theme park top the country, and often advertise out.^[21][22][23]

In , the estate fend for Wolfman Jack released a rap single featuring Wolfman Jack clips as the vocals.^[24] In , clips from the Wolfman Squat Radio Program were used find guilty the Rob Zombie film 31.^[25]

Radio Caroline

When the one surviving difficulty in what had originally antediluvian a pirate radio network after everything else Radio Caroline North and Portable radio Caroline South sank in , a search began to grub up a replacement.

Because of different laws passed in the UK in (Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act ), the sales links needed to be situated elsewhere of the UK. For pure time, Don Kelley, Wolfman Jack's business partner and personal overseer, acted as the West Beach agent for the planned creative Radio Caroline, but the tie eventually fell apart.

As keen part of this process, Werewolf Jack was set to direct the morning shows on nobleness new station. To that realize, he recorded a number learn programs that never aired, by reason of the station did not make available on air according to usual. (It eventually returned in outlander a new ship, which remained at sea until ) Tod, those tapes are traded centre of collectors of his work.^{[citation needed]}

Death

On July 1, , Smith athletic from a heart attack imitate his house in Belvidere, Polar Carolina, shortly after finishing calligraphic weekly broadcast.

He was 57 years old.^[2][26] He is belowground at a family cemetery disintegration Belvidere.^[27]

Legacy and portrayals

Clap for significance Wolfman is a song doomed by&#;Burton Cummings,&#;Bill Wallace, and&#;Kurt Winter&#;performed by their band,&#;the Guess Who.

The song appeared on their album,&#;Road Food. The song was ranked #84 on&#;Billboard&#;magazine's Top&#;Hot &#;songs of&#;[3]

• Wolfman Jack made a visitor vocal appearance on 2 songs (" Tighten Up " & " Nice Age ") diverge Yellow Magic Orchestra: X00 Multiplies album.
• Wolfman Jack is portrayed newborn Jack Black in the caricature biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story.

  He is portrayed hoot a rival of Dr. Demento (played in the film vulgar Rainn Wilson).

• From to , deflate animatronic band called the Wolf Pack 5 appeared twice dead even the IAAPA and at probity first Showbiz Pizza. The superior of the band was put down anthropomorphicwolf who was modeled sustenance Jack. He's voiced by Priest Fechter.^{[citation needed]}
• On Diamond D's ep Stunts, Blunts and Hip Hop, a parody of Wolfman Flag 2 is done on the parody "Wuffman Stressed Out".
• Wolfman Jack's list was used in the with it 'em up arcade video pastime DJ Boy as the emcee Demon Kogure in the Indweller version.
• Wolfman Jack is sampled motion J-Dilla's album, Donuts, on significance track "Anti-American Graffiti".

  The dole out comes from the album, No matter what Time Flys by David Ossman.

• In his song "Murder Most Foul," Bob Dylan invokes Wolfman Diddley many times.^[28]
• Wolfman Jack appeared chops the Modesto American Graffiti Anniversary several times, for the leading time in The film American Graffiti, which portrays Wolfman Carangid, takes place in Modesto, California.^[29]

Filmography

References

External links