When most Memphians of a certain age encountered Sivad for the first time, John Beifuss wrote in 2005, he was “formally dressed in his trademark Lon Chaney-in-London After Midnight ensemble of top hat, cape, medallion, long hair and loose fangs,” and, as the soundtrack from Destination Moon played, he “rode into view driving a horse-drawn hearse.
“Crouching and smiling ghoulishly, Sivad then pulled a coffin from the back of the carriage and lifted the lid. Smoke poured from the casket, followed by a clip from that night’s feature.”
History confirms that Sivad’s entrance for every Saturday’s episode of WHBQ’s Fantastic Features made quite a mark on impressionable minds gathered around televisions in the ’60s and early ’70s. As Beifuss writes, “this introduction was scarier for most children than the movies that followed.”
Indeed, he so captivated the Mid-South viewing audience with his introductions to Fantastic Features‘ grab bag of science fiction and horror B-movies that he was soon a local celebrity in his own right. It was quite a coup for one Watson Davis (get it?), “a former advertising director for Malco who was much honored by his peers for his clever movie promotions,” Beifuss wrote. By 1963, an appearance by Davis/Sivad at the Mid-South Fairgrounds would attract 30,000 people. Thousands more would flock to other, smaller events featuring him.
And part of that experience was buying Sivad’s own locally produced, wacky singles. Now, Black & Wyatt Records has reissued Sivad’s 1963 release on the local Tom Tom label, “Sivad Buries Rock & Roll” b/w “Dicky Drackeller.” It’s a welcome development for lovers of all things spooky and camp, as the original singles have become rather sought after. Collector and author Ron Hall writes in the liner notes that he has “sold a ton of them” over the years.
What of the music? Surprisingly, for a novelty record, the backing track hits pretty hard. This has everything to do with it being recorded at the famed John Pepper Studio, where most local advertising jingles were produced, using some of the ace Memphis players that worked sessions at the time. They lay down a groovy little horn-driven vamp over which Sivad can intone his ghoulish desires.
Weirdly, he’s here to destroy what all the kids loved. “We’ve come to bury rock and roll and leave it here to stay…Dig me a deep dark hole in the ground,” to which an oblivious teen voice replies, “Look Pop, I’m diggin’!” And the groovy Memphis beat chugs on.
The flipside of this graveyard romp is an equally curmudgeonly tale of woe about Sivad’s arch-rival, a teen pop star named — you guessed it — “Dicky Drackeller.” Let’s just say Dicky the heartthrob gets the upper hand in Sivad’s dastardly plot, and we hear the track cut repeatedly to Dicky’s smash hit, driving our favorite vampire bonkers. It’s a prime slice of sound collage comedy, predating “Mr. Jaws” and other such ’70s hits by more than a decade.
But the real comedy gold is Sivad himself. True, as Beifuss writes, there was a healthy dollop of Lon Chaney in the persona Davis created, but the master stroke was blending that with his own Mid-South accent and delivery.
“To whom it may concern: There is no escape! My enemy has caught up with me!” Delivered with Davis’ hard country R’s, the dire news makes you want to laugh before the story’s even begun. And so the tale rocks on from there, but we won’t offer any spoilers. Best to drop some coin for this fine red-vinyl edition, with its extensive liner notes and cover illustration by longtime Sivad booster Mike McCarthy. It’s obviously put together with much affection for the caped host that struck fear into the hearts of the greater Tri-State area, riding on a Memphis groove.
The single’s release will be celebrated at Black & Wyatt Records’ Halloween Rock and Roll Dance Party, Saturday, October 22, 6 p.m., at Bar DKDC, featuring live music from Tyler Keith & the Apostles, Andy V, and Senpapi Red Moon.
