‘Monster Mash’ Singer Was a Massachusetts High School Basketball Star

He was working in the lab late one night – well, not really, but Robert George Pickett spent some time in a studio in May 1962, recording the monster hit he co-wrote with Lenny Capizzi that made him a star.

Pickett said "Monster Mash," a novelty song, was recorded in about two to three hours one Saturday afternoon in Los Angeles, California.

"Monster Mash" remains a "graveyard smash" to this day, especially during the Halloween season.

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Pickett, who became known professionally as Bobby "Boris" Pickett, was born on February 11, 1938 in Somerville, Massachusetts. He grew up in Somerville's Winter Hill section. I wonder if he knew Whitey Bulger?

Pickett was an athlete and captain of the Somerville High School Highlanders basketball team.

Pickett was a movie fan and dreamed of being an actor. His father managed the Somerville Theater, which allowed him to see all of the popular horror movies at the time.

The Somerville Times reported, "When he (Pickett) turned 21, he moved to Hollywood, California to pursue his dream" of becoming an actor.

"While his pursuit of acting never panned out, he did belong to a rock band," the Times wrote.

BostonHassle.com says, "Pickett impersonated not only his namesake, Boris Karloff, but also Bela Lugosi, Peter Lorre, and others with uncanny precision." Pickett recorded "Monster Mash" with Boris Karloff in mind.

Somerville News Weeklyy reported, "Pickett had two other minor U.S. chart singles in 1962-63, including the Top 30 'Monster's Holiday,' but he is indelibly linked with the classic novelty number."

The paper says, "Pickett always loved Somerville, and on many occasions back in the day he would always come back to Somerville and could sometimes be found at the Winter Hill Yacht Club in Somerville visiting with old friends."

Pickett died of leukemia on April 25, 2007 in Los Angeles. He was 69. Pickett left a wife and daughter.