[1] Born in Somerville, Massachusetts, Pickett watched many horror films as a result of his father's position as a local movie theater manager.
At a turning point in his career, Pickett was a vocalist for a local swing band called Darren Bailes and the Wolf Eaters.
He co-wrote his signature song, "Monster Mash", with Leonard Capizzi in May 1962 as a spoof of popular contemporary dance crazes.
Pickett's performances include impersonations of Boris Karloff (The Mummy (1932)) and Bela Lugosi (Dracula (1931)), and although many major labels declined to distribute the song, Gary S. Paxton agreed to release it in the United States.
[3] Though Pickett never achieved the same success as he did with "Monster Mash" on charts, he continued to lend his voice to further parodies and other songs throughout the rest of his life.
Pickett also made appearances on television, film, and radio as a guest star, narrator, actor, and disc jockey.
[7] An aspiring actor, Pickett began his music career as a vocalist for a local swing band, Darren Bailes and the Wolf Eaters.
The song features Pickett's impersonations of veteran horror stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi (the latter with the line "Whatever happened to my Transylvania Twist?").
Issued on Paxton's Garpax Records, the single became a million-seller, reaching number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks before Halloween in 1962.
In 2004 and 2005, Pickett provided vocals for two Flash cartoons, "Monster Slash" and "Climate Mash", featuring new versions of his hit single.
Christensen had been a partner and professional manager in Buck Owens' Bluebook Music Publishing co.[14][15] They had acquired an instrumental from the Daco label which was to be their first release.
Pickett starred in it with Candace Cameron, Jimmie Walker, Mink Stole, John Kassir, Sarah Douglas, Anthony Crivello, Adam Shankman and Carrie Ann Inaba.
Pickett appeared in such roles as Archie Bunker as part of a stage comedy revue about television, presented in Boston, titled Don't Touch That Dial.