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Wolfman Jack
Early Disc Jockey Alan
'Moondog' Freed's influence in changing early rhythm and blues into
rock-n-roll and his radio personality, punctuated with a 'wolf howling'
sound fx had a greater effect on radio. It inspired the creation
of the one... the only... Wolfman Jack. Born Robert Weston Smith
on January 21, 1939 Wolfman Jack would change the sound of radio during
the 60s and 70s.
Fashioning his Woflman Jack persona after Alan Freed's 'Moondog,'
Weston kept his true identity a secret for some time, creating a sort
of allure in Wolfman Jack. The character also gave Weston a certain
freedom to usurp the prevailing segratory policies of American radio at
the time.
Smith's climb to fame blasted over the US/Mexican border, literally. In
a deal between Larry Brandon and attorney Arturo Gonzales, all
available nighttime hours were bought to broadcast pre-recorded shows
from XERF's Cuidad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico based studios and
transmitters into Texas and Louisiana. It was on those taped broadcasts
that the Wolfman Jack persona came into being. At the time, Smith was
also working at KCIJ-AM based out of Shreveport, Louisiana. Eventually,
Larry Brandon offered all XERF listeners an autographed picture of
Jesus, at which point the taping sessions were ended. Once the taped
broadcasts ended, Smith then payed a visit to Arturo Gonzales who sent
Smith across the border into the Mexico, to do live broadcasts from
XERF's studios for Inter-American Radio Advertising, Inc. Due to
Mexican radio signals being much stronger than American radio stations,
Wolfman Jack's program could be heard as far north as Canada.
Due to Wolfman's racial ambiguity and the radio signals transmission
from Mexico, Smith could play basically any damn thing he wished. Any
given night you'd hear a mix of blues, rockabilly, zydeco, rock and
roll, jump blues, r & b, and jazz.
After several gun fights in Mexico, Smith then moved west to XERB,
whose signal reached into Los Angeles. Smith was then brought to NYC by
WNBC for a well-known ratings battle with WABC's Bruce 'Cousin Brucie'
Morrow, which Wolfman Jack lost.
Wolfman Jack finally allowed the public to see him in George Lucas'
'American Graffiti.' Smith was rewarded with a fraction of a point in
royalties, from the movie making sure he had a steady source of income
for the rest of his life. He also appeared in other movies and tv shows
like 'The Midnight Special,' 'The Wolfman Jack Show,' 'The Odd Couple,'
'What's Happening,' 'Vega$,' 'Married...with Children' and 'Hollywood
Squares.'
Bob Smith also MC'ed the Ozark Music Festival as Wolfman Jack, in July
1974, during the Missouri State Fair, in Sedalia, MO. This festival was
estimated to have as many as 350,000 attendees. Earning it a
ranking among the largest music events in history.
Wolfman Jack died July 1, 1995 of a heart attack in his home in Belvedere, North Carolina.
