Wolfman Jack Discography

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Robert Weston Smith (January 21, 1938 – July 1, 1995) was a gravelly-voiced, American disc jockey who became world famous in the 1960s and 1970s under the stage name of Wolfman Jack. Born in Brooklyn, Smith was a fan of disc jockey Alan Freed, who played a role in the transformation of African American rhythm and blues into rock and roll music. Freed originally called himself the "Moondog" after New York City street musician Moondog. Freed both adopted this name and used a recorded howl to give his early broadcasts a unique character. Smith`s adaptation of the Moondog theme was to call himself Wolfman Jack and add his own sound effects. The character was based in part on the manner and style of bluesman Howlin` Wolf. In 1960, Smith received his FCC license and began his career as “Daddy Jules” on Newport News, Virginia station WYOU-AM. In 1962, Smith moved to Shreveport, Louisiana and became “Big Smith” for station KCIJ. It was here that he first began to develop his famous alter ego Wolfman Jack.

Wolfman Jack died of a heart attack in Belvidere, North Carolina, on July 1, 1995. The day before his death, he had finished broadcasting his last live radio program, a weekly program nationally syndicated from Planet Hollywood in downtown Washington, D.C. Wolfman Jack said that night, "I can`t wait to get home and give Lou a hug, I haven`t missed her this much in years." Wolfman had been on the road, promoting his new autobiography Have Mercy!. When he got home, he entered his house, hugged his wife, said "Oh, it is so good to be home!", and died in his wife`s arms.