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Pickett and Capizzi's The Monster Mash Released August 25, 1962
The Monster Mash, written by Pickett and Capizzi in the summer of 1962, was released August 25, 1962, and sold over four million copies.
Pickett and Capizzi wrote The Monster Mash in the summer of 1962, and the whole song took about two hours to write. Capizzi suggested taking the song to Gary Paxton, who was best known for producing Alley-Oop by the Hollywood Argyles. The song was recorded in one session at Gold Star Studios.
The backing band, The Crypt-Kicker Five, included Leon Russell on piano and Mel Taylor, drummer for The Ventures. The three female backing singers were The Blossoms, with Darlene Love. The Monster Mash was released August 25, 1962, and by October 1962 it was No.1 on the Billboard singles chart. The BBC banned the record upon its original UK release.
The song charted again in the US in 1970 and 1973. The Monster Mash sold over four million copies and charted three times. Pickett had a No.29 hit with the Christmas follow-up Monsters' Holiday. Pickett wrote the spin-off song Monster Slash, protesting against the exploitation of the rainforests.
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