(page 2)
In 1962, Bob moved on to Shreveport. Louisiana
where he quickly became a ratings success on KCIJ-AM as "Big Smith with the
Records." Still, the potential of a local radio station couldn't begin to
fulfill his dream of becoming a nationally-known DJ. Yet, it was here that
The Wolfrnan Jack character actually first came to mind while Bob was
playing records on KCIJ.
Just a hop, ionosphere skip, and a jump from Shreveport was the home
base of XERF-AM, a superpowerful radio station in Mexico, just over the
border at Del Rio, Texas. Filling its air time with U.S.based preachers
selling all sorts of religion, XERF was reaching millions of listeners
across North America, and by all accounts was making millions for the
preachers who bought time on the station.
The true odyssey from Louisiana, to fame and fortune as Wolfman Jack on
XERF in 1964, equals any Hollywood-fabricated mini series you might see on
TV, complete with bags stuffed with hundred-dollar bills in the trunk of a
Cadillac convertible, and a shoot-out at the desert compound where the XERF
transmitter was located.
The entire story, to be recounted in his biography, Have Mercy!
Wolfman Jack, The Original Rock 'n' Roll Animal, will be published next
year by Warner Books. It was the beginning of an incredible journey to
stardom that has lasted three decades -- reaching around the world.
By 1965 Wolfman Jack had moved to a new base of operations, XERB-AM,
another power-pumping clear channel radio station located across the border
on Mexico's Baja peninsula, at Rosarita Beach, near Tijuana. Beaming his
now-trademark mix of rowdy rock, raw rhythm and blues, and verbal antics,
Wolfman quickly found a new legion of fans from Southern California, up
through the Great Northwest, into the remote regions of Alaska and Canada.
At the same time, the national press was beginning to take notice, and
stories began to surface in Time, Newsweek, Life and major newspapers around
the world. Leading recording artists like Todd Rundgren, Leon Russell,
Freddie King and the Guess Who wrote chart-making songs about The Wolfman,
and his popularity spiralled upward. StiR questions persisted: Who is
Wolfman Jack? Where does he come from? What does he look like? Only Bob
Smith knew allthe answers, and he was keeping them closely guarded.
One of the teens touched by Wolfman's radio programs was budding
fammaker, George Lucas, who remembered The Wolfman when he wrote a simple
screenplay, a tale of four friends in a small northern California town --
graduates of the Class of '62 -- preparing to go their separate ways.
Whenitwas releasedin 1973, Lucas' "American Graffiti" earned four Academy
Award nominations and $55 million at the box office, making it one of the
most successful films of the year. The movie also, once and for all, removed
the mystery behind Bob Smith's character, and Wolfman Jack was about to make
a transition from a cult figure to a full-fledged media megastar.
Over the next few years Wolfman entered the media rnainstream, yet never
losing his appeal as a spokesman for rock 'n' roll. During a
eight-and-a-half-year run as host of NBC-TV's "The Midnight Special," and
through his more than 80 network television appearances on other networks
and in syndication, and more than 2,800 personal appearances, The Wolfman is
part of rock history. Wolfman Jack continues to find new fans in a career
that next year marks three decades as an entertainer.
back to the tribute page
stinky.com
