Single:
Clap for the Wolfman entered the Australian singles chart* on 16 September 1974 and peaked at #39.
Album:
The song is on Road Food which entered the Australian albums chart* on 21 October 1974 and peaked at #87.
Songwriters:
Burton Cummings, Bill Wallace, Kurt Winter
Producer:
Jack Richardson
Record label of Australian release:
RCA Victor
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
BONUS AUDIO BELOW – Wolfman Jack on WNBC radio
Songfacts:
The Guess Who’s Burton Cummings explained that Clap for the Wolfman began as a jam and was originally called Clap For Napoleon. As they were appearing on NBC’s Midnight Special a few times in 1973, they changed the lyric as a tribute to the show’s host, the late Wolfman Jack (Robert Smith). Wolfman Jack even did a couple of live dates with the group, adding his trademark “vocal” rap, which was usually done live by Cummings. The Wolfman legend began in the 1960s when the DJ manned an unregulated Mexican radio station with the capacity to transmit 250,000 watts of power. His husky voice howled across the United States after the midnight hour.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/the-guess-who/clap-for-the-wolfman
Wolfman Jack:
Originally from Brooklyn, Robert Smith was working at stations in the USA in the early ’60s when he developed his ‘Wolfman Jack’ persona. His fame became national when he joined Mexican border stations XERF and XERB which had powerful signals that could be heard in many American states. In the ’70s, Wolfman Jack worked at US stations including KDAY Los Angeles and WNBC New York, after which he produced a syndicated program for nationwide broadcast.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfman_Jack
A syndicated version of Wolfman Jack’s radio show was broadcast by some stations in Australia in the mid-1970s.
Lyrics:
Clap for the Wolfman
He gonna rate your record high
Clap for the Wolfman
You gonna dig him ’til the day you die
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 70s
Find more songs to enjoy: Bang a Gong song finder
BONUS AUDIO
Wolfman Jack on WNBC New York in 1973.
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