[1] Following their first gig, Slater and Roquemore began rehearsals in new drummer Mike Griffins' garage, also accompanied by Dan Fletcher (bass guitar) and rhythm guitarist Buddy Bates.

In 1964, after establishing themselves as top-tier competitors in battle of the bands tourneys in Fort Worth, Larry and the Blue Notes replaced Fletcher with Randy Cates and recruited Jack Hammonds (organ, vocals).

However, neither version was released because Smith, concerned with the word "sadist" potentially barring airplay, had Larry and the Blue Notes dub "phantom" in place wherever the term occurred.

[5] Roquemore explains that several urban legends inspired the tune, including "the escaped mental patient with a hook on his right hand who used to terrorize parkers in Lover's Lane; a guy dressed in a gorilla suit who used to tap on car windows of couples parking late at night at my old school, Northside High; and tales of a Goat Man who was scaring the crap out of parkers at Lake Worth".

[6] The resulting regional hit prompted 20th Century Records to negotiate for publishing rights, making "Night of the Phantom" one of the few releases from the Fort Worth teen scene to reach a national audience.