Wolfman Jack

This past Monday was the birth date of a great man. A man I admired from the time I was a youngster and still do. A man that I finally had the chance to meet and  work with in 1983. That man was Bob Smith, or more formally Robert Westin Smith.

Bob Smith was born January 21, 1938 in Brooklyn, NY, this past Monday would have been his 70^th birthday, but we lost Bob in 1995 when he was only 57 years old.

Bob Smith has been featured in film, television, recordings and radio. He had legions of fans who had never seen his face but they fell in love with him through the medium that he loved and I might add, loved him as well…radio.

I should probably mention that Bob Smith was better known as Wolfman Jack.

The Wolfman was flat out cool, that voice, the howl and that gritty giggle, what a talent.

I am not ashamed to admit that I am huge Wolfman Jack fan. His part in American Graffiti is somewhat responsible for me getting into radio. The bit with him at the radio station, eating popsicles, as a very young Richard Dreyfuss, as Kurt, comes to make a request is pure magic.

 

In 1983 I was working in Los Angeles for Greater Media which owned H-HITS FM. Greater Media wanted an AM station to sell in combo with then FM so they bought long time AM rocker KRLA. Included in the deal were radio legends The Real Don Steele, Humble Harve, Johnny Hays and Wolfman Freakin’ Jack. Are you kidding me? I’m gonna be working across the glass form The Wolfman?!?!?! WOW!!!

When I met him he had “blossomed”, by that I mean he was about as wide as he was

tall. He was wearing jeans, a black leather vest and a blue jean cowboy hat with a big

giant feather headband. He was as cool as I had hoped and friendly too. I don’t

remember what it was but I said something to him that made him laugh and he actually

laughed the Wolfman laugh, how cool is that?

I never saw him again after I left K-HITS in 1985 but I think of him often and am

so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him and work with him.

Wolfman Jack…one of a kind, one of the last of a dying breed and flat out cool.

Here are a couple of great Wolfman Jack links:

The Wolfman Jack Online Museum

 Wolfman Jack Radio Program.