IT’S
ROCKtober TIME!!
We’re finally in the month when summer heat turns to cool fall days (hopefully), and golden leaves float wistfully
over the breeze on their way to a colorful, communal pile on the ground. The seasons exchange pleasantries on their way by each other, while our pace quickens with renewed energy. Today, as in 1968, we welcome the change. Ahhhh, it’s Fall.
Today, or 50 Years Ago this Month, is that the only reason we step a
little quicker? I think not. October is also the month of wafting spicy scents
and furtive glances over our shoulders when daylight dims, peering uneasily
into darkened corners. We swear an ethereal flash teasing our senses was a bona
fide ghost. Yep, it’s pumpkin-baking spooky October!
However you celebrate or revere October and/or Halloween—Samhain (Irish; pronounced saw-win), Autumn traditions, or simple Fall treasures—mostly, it’s
just plain fun. And the Rockin’ Radio DJ
who howled into his beer-foam of Oktoberfests, helped
turn it into ROCKtober!
We’re celebrating October,
Halloween, and Wolfman Jack! In
my neck of the woods, ROCKtober and Halloween
would not be complete without a hefty helping of the Wolfman’s aaooowwww! From "Monster Mash” (August 1962,
Bobby “Boris” Pickett) to “Clap for The Wolfman” (June 1974, The Guess Who), October knows no year or
decade … it’s simply fun every year.
So, here’s a question for you … is
it only in the Christmas season that seasonal
songs are actually on the radio charts
of yesteryear? “Way back when,” October 1968 charts flaunted some great
songs—none of which had anything to do with spooks and Halloween.
Although we had plenty of ghoulish
tunes from previous years to play, like 1967’s “Ding, Dong the Witch is Dead”
by The Fifth Estate … yes, the Wizard of Oz’s witch. And by the way, it spooked WCFL/Chicago’s Sound 10 Survey in June, not October. I guess I’m looking for order in an unorderly world …
Getting back to October 1968, at KAFY/Santa Barbara, California, O.C. Smith’s “Little Green Apples” and
Al Wilson’s “The Snake,” crowned the top two spots (respectively). Of
course, if you’re afraid of snakes, Wilson’s hit song is a little creepy. Take me
in, oh pretty woman | Sssssighed the
snake …
Now television … that’s where there is some semblance of
order …
October 1: Horror
films have always been popular. But it wasn’t until the release of Night of the Living Dead
that we began to see the horror of it all. Literally. Originally panned for its prolific gore, the cult
classic film, preserved in the National Film Registry, is a neophyte in today’s
“let it all hang out” blood-and-guts films.
October 25: Led Zeppelin begins
their long journey to music immortality, with their first official live performance at Surrey
University, England. After reorganization and new determination, strategic
members of The Yardbirds morphed into history-making Led Zeppelin. When I give
you all my love | please, please
be true … (“How Many More Times” 1969).
 |
| BFYP Collection: Aug 1967 |
Wolfman Jack and all
things ghoulie.
As my vintage
Rock & Roll mind rambles down Memory Lane, it turns to the Radio DJ who
truly defines Halloween—the incomparable Wolfman Jack.
Robert Weston Smith nurtured his inner werewolf, pandering
to an audience who loved his salacious, hairy image.
As Wolfman Jack, he blasted his signature
howl to “13 states and 2 Canadian provinces” at XERB/Hollywood (by way of Rosarito Beach, Mexico).
Come Halloween, think ghosts, goblins,
witches’ brew, seances, and weird, hairy creatures … like Wolfman Jack! We're gonna boog-a-loo, baby! Aoooowwwooooo!
Featured Radio
Survey: KAFY/Santa Barbara … celebrate Fall, Oktoberfests,
and Wolfman Jack! 50 Years Ago This Month. Rev up your memories and
recall that awesome day
when …
Celebrate ROCK-TOBER 1968 and … Rock On!
Share on Twitter: @BlastFromPastBk
LinDee Rochelle is a writer
and editor by trade, and an author by way of Rock & Roll. She has published
two books (of three) in her Blast from Your Past
series, available on Amazon (eBook and print): Book 1 – Rock & Roll
Radio DJs: The First Five Years 1954-1959; and Book 2 – Rock & Roll
Radio DJs: The Swinging Sixties. Coming soon, … The Psychedelic Seventies!
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