Rockin’ with the Wolfman! Who was Robert Westson Smith?
Rock music has changed the world.
Fact!
But how is the question….
I would say it’s the presentation. Besides the music, publicity and the personalities involved have made tremendous differences. Celebrity entertainers such as Alan Freed, Dick Clark, and others made a huge contribution to the success of the genre via their knowledge of the youth market and showbiz knowledge.
So today, in light of that, we open the blog spotlight on the celebrity known as Robert Weston Smith.
You probably know him as:
Wolfman Jack!
Although the clip from Hulu is a later one (late seventies and early eighties), you can see the magnetism built up around the character of Wolfman Jack.
Born in Brooklyn, Smith grew up listening to Freed, whose “Moondog” persona hugely impacted Robert’s love of the music and his later on-air antics.
Determined to work on radio, his rise to fame included spots on pirate radios stations in Mexico (XERF), work in California and a major role in the great film American Graffiti.
In his book, Way of The Drum, Russell Helm says of the Wolfman:
“…He brought “Rock ‘n’ Roll” to the radio airwaves…he had a big heart and lots of friends and a great family…” (Source: Way of the Drum, Helm pg. 45)
Here’s a link to the great site I used in working on the spot today.
Take a few minutes and visit, as they have some great history, audio clips, and pictures. Below that are the regular links and sources that I also used today.
Turn the radio up, have a great day, and see you tomorrow!
Links:
Museum of Broadcast Communications
Sources:
Video clip courtesy Hulu.com (They have tons of great shows!)
Banner courtesy wolfmanjack.org
Tags: Alan Freed, American Graffiti, boomers, Retro, Robert Smith, Rock and Roll, Rock music, vintage, Wolfman Jack
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 pm
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