From: "Dik de Heer" Date: Mon Jan 21, 2002 1:15 am Subject: Born To Be With You : Wolfman Jack WOLFMAN JACK Born Robert Weston Smith, 21 January 1938, Brooklyn, New York City Died 1 July 1997, Belvidere, North Carolina A legendary DJ and impresario, Wolfman Jack first garnered fame in the sixties on a Mexican radio station just south of the Texas border. Fooling audiences with his black-styled dialect, he would adopt several radio names before settling on "Wolfman Jack". Gaining control of Mexican border station XERF, which illegally boomed a massive 250,000 watts, Wolfman Jack could be heard in two-thirds of the US. In addition to playing music, he made millions by hawking a variety of mail-order products. Returning to the US and taping his Mexican radio show, he took a second DJ post at KCIJ in Shreveport, Louisiana. Remaining a shadowy figure until his first public appearances in 1963, Wolfman Jack emerged as a rock celebrity. Moving to Minneapolis, he was placed in charge of KUXL, where he DJd under his real name, Bob Smith. Simultaneously assuming control of Tijuana-based XERB from 1966-71, he programmed the Mexican R&B station from a Los Angeles studio. Finally going legit in 1971, Wolfman Jack landed at prominent stations KDAY in Los Angeles and then, WNBC in New York. Meanwhile, he syndicated his XERB programmes for airing on US Armed Forces Radio. Landing a Top 40 hit in 1974, Wolfman Jack provided the talking co-vocals on The Guess Who's single "Clap For The Wolfman". Also appearing on television, he co-hosted the NBC night music programme "Midnight Special", from 1972-81. As an actor, he portrayed himself in the film "American Graffiti", and subsequently turned down a role in TV's "Happy Days". Comfortably wealthy, Wolfman Jack remained out of the media spotlight in the eighties. Although trimming 40 pounds shortly before his death, he remained severely overweight. Suffering a heart attack in the driveway of his home in Belvidere, N.C., he hugged his wife and then collapsed. He had just completed a 20-day promotional tour for his just published autobiography. Further reading: Wolfman Jack, Have Mercy : Confessions Of The Original Rock 'n' Roll Animal. New York : Warner, 1995. (Excerpts can be found on the SAO website: http://www.rocknroll.freeserve.co.uk/wolfman.htm)