The "Monster Mash" oddly came out on a summer day in August 1962 (via Smooth Radio), but just a few months later, for Halloween, the song skyrocketed to No. 1 in the United States Billboard charts (via The Hill). The song was created by a young actor named Bobby Pickett from Massachusetts (via IMDb), who had been performing with a band called The Cordials. During a concert, he did an impression of famed horror movie star Boris Karloff, and it was a major hit. Fellow band member Lenny Capizzi convinced him to rock the talent, the duo formed The Crypt-Kickers (with Leon Russell, Johnny MacRae, Rickie Page, and Terry Berg), and the rest is history (six decades of history).
While these masters of the crypt didn't see a ton of name recognition for their Halloween hits, including "Monster Mash" sequels like "Monster's Rap" and "Monster's Holiday," they did go down in history — as did their backup singers. The Blossoms, which featured American singer Darlene Love, were known for their backup singing abilities (via IMDb). They worked with artists like Elvis Presley, The Beach Boys, and Marvin Gaye, while Love went on to be a subject of Morgan Neville's 2013 documentary "20 Feet From Stardom" (via Stanford Live). There was no question of their talent, but one question we are left with is: Why were they singing about tennis shoes on a track about monsters dancing?
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