…and it was 60 years ago this week that a novelty song was sitting in the penthouse section of the Billboard Hot 100 called the Monster Mash by Bobby Boris Picket and the Crypt-Kickers. The Halloween treat topped the chart on October 20th and remained the number one song in the country until November 3rd of 1962. The BBC had banned the record from airplay in 1962 on grounds that the song was “too morbid” but it was later performed on the network’s television program Juke Box Jury by the “Children of the Night”, a novelty group. Picket was an aspiring actor in 1962 and sang with a band at night while gong to auditions during the day. One night the band did a song by the Diamonds called Little Darling and during the song he did a monologue imitation of Boris Karloff, and the audience loved it. Band member Leny Capizzi encouraged Picket to do more with the Karloff imitation and the two of them came up with what would be a perennial Halloween treat. The song was recorded using session musicians one of which on piano was destined to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Leon Russell. Not only has the Monster Mash continue to be a Halloween treat but has re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 3 more times since its debut in 1962. It peaked at number 91 in 1970, number 10 in 1973 and most recently at number 29 just last year. Talk about a graveyard smash!