Latest Headlines. Then the Beatles hit and everyone sounded like them. Mansion Home to Rock 'n' Roll DJ". Details Transcript Legendary. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. From 1963 to 1966, Wolfman Jack howled and growled at night on XERF-AM in Via Cuna Cohuilla, Mexico. He lived on 12th Street and 4th Avenue and went to Manual Training High School in the Park Slope section. Today, those tapes are traded among collectors of his work. in. Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account. "It took the Wolfman from a cult figure to the rank of American flag and apple pie," he once said. Add to your scrapbook. "[5], Most of the border stations broadcast at 250,000 watts, five times the U.S. limit, meaning that their signals were picked up all over North America, and at night as far away as Europe and the Soviet Union. The Tar Heel State is the permanent home to a number of legendary figures who are buried here. His name came from a trend of the period, when disc jockeys took nicknames such as "Moondog" or "Hound Dog." But you know. It was not until he played himself in the 1973 film "American Graffiti" that fans could match the voice with a face. He made his mark as a disc jockey from 1958 to 1966, on radio station XERF (1570 AM) in Ciudad Acua, Coahuila, Mexico, just across the river from Del. He had a hit on the Billboard Singles Charts in 1972 titled "I Ain't Never Seen." Wolfman Jack, the rock-and-roll disk jockey whose unmistakable raspy voice and on-the-air howls brought him something of a cult following as one of America's best-known radio personalities, died yesterday at his home in Belvidere, N.C. He could do with an R&B record what Dick Clarke could do with a Bobby Rydell record - make it a hit.". "If you do right, everything will come out right." Wolfman Jack (born Robert Weston Smith; January 21, 1938 - July 1, 1995) was an American radio disc jockey. He also played host on a weekly TV show called "The Midnight Special" for eight years, leaving in 1982. The family, which runs Wolfman Jack Productions, moved to North Carolina in the mid-1980s. He moved to Belvidere six years ago to be with his wife's family. He enjoyed horror movies, so he took the name Wolfman. He was among a group of border disk jockeys in the early 1960's with names like Hound Dog and Huggy Boy, and he had his name legally changed. Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Zoo Miami in Florida confirmed a Malayan tapir briefly escaped from its enclosure Tuesday before being safely contained about an hour later. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). In a broadcasting career that spanned four decades, Smith worked for 'too many radio stations to count,' Tod Smith said. Wolfmans initial radio success came via his time working with the radio station XERF-AM, broadcast from Mexico.Contents of this video00:00 - Intro00:47 - Body06:53 - OutroLike this content? George Lucas typecast him as a mysterious deejay in his coming-of-age film American Graffiti (1973), and the Wolfman went on to host television's . !, Vega$, Hollywood Squares, Married with Children, Emergency!, The New Adventures of Wonder Woman, and Galactica 1980. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. to his listeners. We talked for an hour, and she wanted to come down. ; the single version of the track includes a shouted talk-over introduction by the Wolfman, but on the album version, Rundgren performs that part himself. The leader of the band was an anthropomorphic wolf who was modeled after Jack. This account has been disabled. Disc Jockey, Actor, Entertainer. In his early days, Wolfman Jack made sporadic public appearances, usually as a master of ceremonies for rock bands at Los Angeles clubs. You need a Find a Grave account to continue. 'In the beginning everybody thought he was black. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Smith capitalized on his fame, though, by editing his old XERB tapes and selling them to radio stations everywhere, becoming one of the first rock-and-roll syndicated programs (as the tapes began to age, they were eventually marketed to oldies stations). John Peel paying tribute to Wolfman Jack who died earlier in the week, broadcast on 7th July 1995 from BBC Radio One. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, in 1939 as plain Robert Smith - not a name to fire the imagination of a nation's teenagers in a field inhabited by myriad "Howlin's"; "Screamin's", "Moondogs" and "Hound Dogs". World's Ugliest Dog contest seeking unalluring canines for 2023 competition. Dictionary.com adds 'hellscape,' 'woke' and 311 other new terms. Since May 1994, the Wolfman had done a Friday night show live from Washington's Planet Hollywood restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue NW, featuring party-pleasing records from the 1960s and early 1970s such as "Shout." From 1958 to 1964, that's real rock-and-roll. '"[4], In 1963, Smith took his act to the border when Inter-American Radio Advertising's Ramon Bosquez hired him and sent him to the studio and transmitter site of XERF-AM at Ciudad Acua in Mexico, a station across the U.S.-Mexico border from Del Rio, Texas, whose high-powered border blaster signal could be picked up across much of the United States. He was famous for his gravelly voice and his trademark "wolf howl". In 1978, Wolfman appeared in the movie "Sgt. We have set your language to "It's real American music - what rock 'n' roll originally was before people turned it around and sideways and upside down," he said in an interview in 1988. [12] In the 1980s, he did a brief stint at XEROK 80, another border-blaster station that was leased by Dallas investors Robert Hanna, Grady Sanders, and John Ryman. Other times he had a big afro wig and large sunglasses. The record collection he started as a youth filled a three-story building at the time of his death, Tod Smith said. As a young teenager, he would listen to the radio in his home's basement, where he pretended to be the DJ. In the 1960s, the Wolfman's rise to fame climbed even higher when he took a job just over the Mexico border at a radio station broadcasting at 250,000 watts - two and a half times the legal limit for radio stations in the U.S. It became this big mystery, 'Who is Wolfman Jack.'' "Some zing for your ling nuts", the Wolfman would say.[6]. The Wolfman had recently lost 40 pounds through diet and exercise, he said. July 1, 1995 - Wolfman Jack, the rock 'n' roll disc jockey whose gravelly voice and wolf howls made him one of the nation's most recognizable personalities, died of a heart attack. 0:28. Advertisement. . When the one surviving ship in what had originally been a pirate radio network of Radio Caroline North and Radio Caroline South sank in 1980, a search began to find a replacement. Wolfman Jack on XERB September 1969. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. In recent years, he made about 150 appearances a year, serving as host at a variety of events, said Lonnie Napier, Wolfman Jack's manager and the vice president of Wolfman Jack Entertainment. His television career included guest appearances on "Hollywood Squares," "The Odd Couple," and "Married with Children," to name only a few. Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A Michigan woman said a Powerball ticket found forgotten in the pocket of her husband's coat turned out to be a $1 million winner. There is a problem with your email/password. With his rock and roll trademark wolf howl, he becomes iconic on the radio before immortalizing on the screen. [2][23] He is buried at a family cemetery in Belvidere.[24]. He had done a syndicated radio broadcast from a Planet Hollywood restaurant in Washington, D.C., on Friday night. Eventually a group of Kansas City students called his bluff. They didn't give our boys long enough.". Smith appeared in several television shows as Wolfman Jack, including The Odd Couple, What's Happening! He made his mark as a disc jockey from 1958 to 1966, on radio station XERF (1570 AM) in Ciudad Acua, Coahuila, Mexico, just across the river from Del Rio, Texas. Come join The Wolfman Jack Family of Stations and get in on the fun! Rest In Peace, Joy. Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/factsverse?sub_confirmation=1 Or, watch more videos here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkXAntdjbcSKgHx6EQVOwNKVz1cR2hKVThe fact that Wolfman Jacks program was being broadcast from Mexico meant that he could get away with including more risqu humor. Love North Carolina? "They changed my name because I sounded like a black man singing the song. Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. He died in Belvidere, North Carolina, from a heart attack. The stations signal blanketed much of the United States. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Oops, we were unable to send the email. Join Facts Verse as we explore why Wolfman Jacks grave is a depressing sight for fans.Wolfman Jacks Grave Is a Depressing Sight for His Fans GREAT NEWS! BELVIDERE, N.C., July 1 -- Wolfman Jack, the legendary radio disc jockey whose gravelly voice and trademark wolf howls are synonymous with rock 'n' roll, died Saturday of a massive heart attack at his home in Belvidere, N.C. at the age of 57. Drag images here or select from your computer for Wolfman Jack memorial. [18][19][20], In 2012, the estate of Wolfman Jack released a hip-hop single featuring Wolfman Jack clips as the vocals. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Firefighters in Georgia came to the rescue of a dog who fell into a storm drain and ended up stranded about 12 feet underground. . Realising the value of his own mystique, for a long time Wolfman shied away from the disc-jockey's stock-in-trade of personal appearances by demanding an extortionate $15,000 fee. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Seven sheep escape from New Jersey slaughterhouse, find new sanctuary home. XERB also had an office in the rear of a small strip mall on Third Avenue in Chula Vista, California just 10 minutes from the TijuanaSan Diego border crossing. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager. At 7 p.m., JoyRene Smith, 37, of Belvidere was killed when her 1986 Nissancollided with another car at the intersection of Swamp Road andSandy Cross Road, Morgan said. Entering into the 1970s, the Wolfman was a full-blown cult figure.In 1973, Wolfman Jack was immortalized on film thanks to his performance as a fictionalized version of himself in George Lucas nostalgic masterpiece American Graffiti. Wolfman Jack spent last years of his life in NC Legendary radio personality Wolfman Jack died at age 57 and spent the last years of his life in North Carolina. Get more stories delivered right to your email. A car driving from New York to L.A. would never lose the station. Disc Jockey, Actor, Entertainer. The Wolfman, whose real name was Robert Smith, had returned home to this northeast North Carolina town earlier in the day after a 20-day trip to promote his book ``Have Mercy when he collapsed, said Lonnie Napier, vice president of Wolfman Jack Entertainment. He was 57 years old. He played himself in "American Graffiti" and had cameo on-screen and voice-overs in other feature films. "I could have been Mexican, I could have been black; I could have been anything. Smith then moved to station KDAY 1580 in Los Angeles, which could only pay him a fraction of his former XERB income. Wolfman Jack is portrayed by Jack Black in the 2022 satirical biopic Weird: The Al Yankovic Story. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Smith's adaptation of the Moondog theme was to call himself Wolfman Jack and add his own sound effects. "He walked up the driveway, went in to hug his wife and then just fell over.". He invested in a troupe of midgets and a make-up artist, appearing on stage in a red Afro fright- wig, flowing cape, shades and 12-inch finger-nails. Dog rescued after falling 12 feet into Georgia storm drain. He was also the first Radio DJ to nationally distribute a weekly show. ", After "American Graffiti," he began doing advertising campaigns and appeared in more than 40 network TV shows. The station pumped out at 250,000 watts, five times the legal limit for American stations at the time, and was heard across most of the country. They had 2 children together. While the late Wolfman Jack remains a celebrated figure to this day, fans will have a hard time paying their respects at his gravesite due to its private nature. 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