Graveyard Groove: The Haunted History of Monster Music from "Monster Mash" to Horror Punk

by David Acord

In the mid-1950s, a new genre of novelty music emerged that mixed humor and horror. The Monster Music! Suddenly, jukeboxes were filled with songs about Frankenstein, Dracula, the Wolf Man, creatures from outer space and a multitude of supernatural terrors. The genre reached its peak in 1962 with Bobby "Boris" Pickett's smash "Monster Mash," but there are many more songs worthy of rediscovery -- and Monster Music still lives on today, thanks to the influence of punk pioneers like The Cramps and The Misfits. Here is the complete, untold story of Monster Music -- the genre that refused to die!

Genres: Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published August 26, 2018

Reviews

[Jeff McIntosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like re-reading this book every October....after all - who DOESN"T like monster/horror/Halloween music?

Most people believe that Bobby "Boris" Pickett's "Monster Mash" in 1962 was the beginning of the wave of monster themed music in the United States during the 1960s.....and they would be incorrect The 1950s saw the release of Phil Harris' "The Thing", "Dinner with Drac", and "Frankenstein's Party". The first wave of "monster music" occurred in the years 1957-61, and was heavily inflected by the rise in "monster culture", which in turn was influenced by the release of 1930s/40s horror/suspense films to television by Scream Gems, a subsidiary of Columbia, now SONY).

Read the book to discover the second and third waves.....also valuable an extended appendix of monster music and themes.....

Jeff Mc

[Kristi Thielen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as part of my research on a public program I'm creating on "The History and Culture of Halloween."

Acord's book is an enjoyable and easy read about the history of monster music and how it impacted American culture and returns from the beyond each Halloween, to entertain new generations of (happily) spooked fans.

Especially interesting are the chapters of how the baby boomers of postwar America and their comic book-fed interest in monsters intersected with the 1950's rise of TV. To fill broadcast hours and draw teen viewers, big city TV stations produced late night "shock theater" shows, hosted by kooky characters like Vampira, featuring screenings of classic 1930's monster movies.

This phenomenon created the perfect environment for "The Purple People Eater," "I Put a Spell on You," and the biggest monster music smash, Bobby Pickett's "Monster Mash."

If you are fan of Halloween music, I recommend this book!

[Texv Velis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book,well researched. Interesting history of "monster music". I think any one who enjoys Halloween, Rob Zombie or novelty songs would enjoy the book. I don't agree with him on the Song Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon, the song is about a werewolf so to me its a monster song. The two appendix are useful as they list monster songs by title,year,subject and group. Fun quick read and useful guide. Fantastic for helping you to create a great Halloween playlist.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to know the complete history of "monster music" then this one is for you.
The book includes timelines for certain music to have come on the scene and who was leading the way. It also includes people who have done covers for certain songs and why they are better or not better than the original.

This is an exhaustive compendium by the author and as years go by, I am sure that it will need to be updated. He has added photos of the time period and data is included that leads up to current century. This makes the book even more enjoyable to read.
The book is organized by date but is also organized by subject. eg ghost, witches etc. This was a tremendous help!

This is a terrific book to have on hand, especially if you enjoy Halloween music!
5 stars!

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Michelle

[Adam Goode · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only a little more than 100 pages excluding the appendix, which is perfect for the genre. Perhaps it helped that the author shares my fondness of The Cramps and The Misfits. This has left me wanting to watch all of the classic black-and-white monster movies - it’s a shame they’re not easily available now.

[Ken Branham]

Good reference book with history of this subgenre of music. Reads like a reference book hence does not flow like a novel but still enjoyable