Bobby “Boris” Pickett may not have compiled an extensive recording career, but he did manage to co-write and sing one of the most enduring novelty hits in popular music. Born February 11, 1938 in Sommerville, Massachusetts, Pickett longed for a career in show business putting together a nightclub act in the late 50s that featured his impressions of movie stars. He incorporated his mimicry of Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff into a novelty song called “The Monster Mash”, and got the song recorded on the little-known Garpax Records label. Jokingly credited to Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers, the Halloween spoof of dance craze singles was an unexpected smash, topping the pop chart in late October of 1962. The record was such a phenomenon, it even went to number 9 on the R&B chart. The song would become a perennial favorite, getting airplay and later digital sales and streams every October. Pickett started returning to the well right away with the 1962 Christmas themed “Monster’s Holiday”, a top 40 hit. A 1973 re-release returned the song to the top 10, and landed the song in the top 5 in Canada, the UK, and Australia. A rap version was produced in the mid-80s. Pickett had a major role in Monster Mash: The Movie, a filmed adaptation in the 90s of a musical he co-wrote in the 60s. Pickett passed away on April 25, 2007.
