Robert George Pickett (February 11, 1938April 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". 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.

Early life

Robert George Pickett was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, on February 11, 1938. 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.

Career

Early music career

An aspiring actor, Pickett began his music career as a vocalist for a local swing band, Darren Bailes and the Wolf Eaters. 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.

Further parodies

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.

Record label venture

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.

Discography

Albums

Studio albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of studio albums, with selected chart positions and certifications

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"| Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Album details

! scope="col" colspan="2"| Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;"| Certifications

|-

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US<br />

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| Canada<br />

|-

! scope="row" | The Original Monster Mash

|

  • Released: 1962

| 120 || 78

|

|-

! scope="row" | The Hollyweird Squares (with Bob Hudson, as Hudson & Pickett)

|

  • Released: 1976

| - || -

|

|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;" | Title<br />

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Year

! scope="col" colspan="3" | Peak chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:12em;" | Certifications

! scope="col" rowspan="2" | Album

|-

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US<br />

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| UK<br />

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| Bubbling Under<br />

|-

! scope="row"| "The Monster Mash"

| rowspan="2"| 1962

| 1 || 3 || -

|Gold

| rowspan="2"| The Original Monster Mash

|-

! scope="row"| "Monsters' Holiday"

| 30 || - || -

|rowspan="16"| -

|-

! scope="row"| "Graduation Day"<br />"The Humpty Dumpty"

| rowspan="2"|1963

| 80 || - || -

|rowspan="10"| non-album singles

|-

! scope="row"| "Simon the Sensible Surfer"

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "The Monster Swim"

|rowspan="2"|1964

| - || - || 135

|-

! scope="row"| "Werewolf Watusi"

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "Blood Bank Blues"<br />"Me and My Mummy"

|rowspan="2"|1965

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "Wake Up My Mind"

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "Monster Man Jam"

|1970

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "Monster Concert"<br />"Am I"

|rowspan="2"|1973

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "Me and My Mummy"

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "Star Drek" (featuring Peter Ferrara)

|rowspan="3"|1976

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "Sky High Market" (with Bob Hudson)

| - || - || -

|The Hollyweird Squares

|-

! scope="row"| "King Kong (Your Song)" (with Peter Ferrara)

| - || - || 107

|rowspan="3"| non-album singles

|-

! scope="row"| "Monster Rap" (featuring Bobby Paine)

|1984

| - || - || -

|-

! scope="row"| "It's Alive"

|1993

| - || - || -

|}

Film and writing

In 1967, Pickett and television writer 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

On April 25, 2007, Pickett died in Los Angeles, California, from leukemia at age 69.

  • Biographical obituary discussing in-depth the life, career and importance of Pickett and his hit song from NewYorkNightTrain.com
  • Classicbands.com entry on Bobby "Boris" Pickett
  • Interview with Bobby Pickett, June 18, 2003; author: Linda Alexander