Michael Maiden Studios

The unveiling of the statue was the highlight of a day-long music festival held at Brown Plaza in honor of Wolfman Jack. Designed to be a yearly tradition, organizers invited local music acts as well as musicians from across the state to Del Rio to bring live music to the masses at no charge.

Wolfman Jack Memorial Foundation President Jay Johnson served as the "director" of the festivities, filling in the blanks of Wolfman's history through the man's own words, published in the autobiography, "Have Mercy."

"He got you lovin' that music, you know what I mean," said Johnson, doing his best Wolfman Jack impersonation. Johnson was speaking about how WolfmanJack spread rhythm and blues and the rock-and-roll sound throughout the United States, and the world, on the airwaves of XERF, a 250,000-watt radio station based out of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico.

It was at XERF that Robert Smith, a New Yorker, was transformed into the howling maestro of the airwaves - Wolfman Jack. Smith honed his Wolfman persona at XERF before returning to the United States. His brief tenure at the radio station elevated Wolfman Jack's popularity to cult status. His identity remained a mystery until he appeared, as himself, in the George Lucas film "American Graffiti." Wolfman Jack remained a fixture on radio and television through the seventies and eighties until his death in 1995.

Lou Lamb Smith, Wolfman Jack's widow, made the journey from the family home in North Carolina to Del Rio for the ceremony. She said the statue, and music festival , were fitting tributes to her husband.

"I'm elated Del Rio wants to do this," said Smith. "This is where Wolf began. He was never on the air before XERF."

Lou Lamb and Robert Smith were married for 35 years. Since the memorial foundation began its sojourn to bring the statue and music festival to fruition, Lou Lamb has been offering her assistance in any way she can. She has donated the studio Wolfman Jack used until the day of his death. She has also donated hundreds of pieces of memorabilia to be displayed in what she hopes will be a museum constructed in her husband's memory.

"People who know who I am always come up to me and try to imitate Wolf's voice. To me, that's an honor," said Smith. "Something like this, it brings back so many happy emotions. But this festival didn't come together by accident. There's a bigger man at work here. Somebody up there (in heaven) is directing traffic."

Mike Venema did public relations work for Wolfman Jack for 10 years. He said the statue would be the most tangible piece of Wolfman Jack's legacy and that Del Rio was a fitting place for its home.

"Wolf made Del Rio almost this mythical place," said Venema. "It's like Sherwood Forest was to Robin Hood. You can't have Wolfman Jack without Del Rio."

The statue's permanent location is still undecided. The Wolfman Jack Memorial Foundation, Inc. is considering placing the statue in one of four places: The triangle parcel at the intersection of Washington and Garfield Streets; the city owned transportation center on Main Street; the Val Verde County Courthouse area or the Greenwood Park area.






	Update by Brian Argabright, Del Rio News-Herald, Published March 16, 2003: The spirit of Wolfman Jack was reborn Saturday. To the delight of hundreds in attendance, organizers of the Wolfman Jack Memorial Foundation Saturday unveiled a miniature replica of a statue to be erected in Wolfman Jack's honor this Halloween. The replica, which stands just over two feet tall, was constructed by sculptor Michael Maiden out of wax. It depicts Wolfman Jack dancing a jig on one leg with a rainbow of musical notes and records raining down behind the legendary radio personality. "This really puts us on the map," said city of Del Rio Mayor Dora G. Alcalá. "It's something really, really big."
The unveiling of the statue was the highlight of a day-long music festival held at Brown Plaza in honor of Wolfman Jack. Designed to be a yearly tradition, organizers invited local music acts as well as musicians from across the state to Del Rio to bring live music to the masses at no charge. Wolfman Jack Memorial Foundation President Jay Johnson served as the "director" of the festivities, filling in the blanks of Wolfman's history through the man's own words, published in the autobiography, "Have Mercy." "He got you lovin' that music, you know what I mean," said Johnson, doing his best Wolfman Jack impersonation. Johnson was speaking about how WolfmanJack spread rhythm and blues and the rock-and-roll sound throughout the United States, and the world, on the airwaves of XERF, a 250,000-watt radio station based out of Ciudad Acuña, Coahuila, Mexico. It was at XERF that Robert Smith, a New Yorker, was transformed into the howling maestro of the airwaves - Wolfman Jack. Smith honed his Wolfman persona at XERF before returning to the United States. His brief tenure at the radio station elevated Wolfman Jack's popularity to cult status. His identity remained a mystery until he appeared, as himself, in the George Lucas film "American Graffiti." Wolfman Jack remained a fixture on radio and television through the seventies and eighties until his death in 1995. Lou Lamb Smith, Wolfman Jack's widow, made the journey from the family home in North Carolina to Del Rio for the ceremony. She said the statue, and music festival , were fitting tributes to her husband. "I'm elated Del Rio wants to do this," said Smith. "This is where Wolf began. He was never on the air before XERF." Lou Lamb and Robert Smith were married for 35 years. Since the memorial foundation began its sojourn to bring the statue and music festival to fruition, Lou Lamb has been offering her assistance in any way she can. She has donated the studio Wolfman Jack used until the day of his death. She has also donated hundreds of pieces of memorabilia to be displayed in what she hopes will be a museum constructed in her husband's memory. "People who know who I am always come up to me and try to imitate Wolf's voice. To me, that's an honor," said Smith. "Something like this, it brings back so many happy emotions. But this festival didn't come together by accident. There's a bigger man at work here. Somebody up there (in heaven) is directing traffic." Mike Venema did public relations work for Wolfman Jack for 10 years. He said the statue would be the most tangible piece of Wolfman Jack's legacy and that Del Rio was a fitting place for its home. "Wolf made Del Rio almost this mythical place," said Venema. "It's like Sherwood Forest was to Robin Hood. You can't have Wolfman Jack without Del Rio." The statue's permanent location is still undecided. The Wolfman Jack Memorial Foundation, Inc. is considering placing the statue in one of four places: The triangle parcel at the intersection of Washington and Garfield Streets; the city owned transportation center on Main Street; the Val Verde County Courthouse area or the Greenwood Park area.
Update from Michael Maiden, February 24, 2003: Michael has been hard at work in his studio bringing life to his concept for the Wolfman Jack Memorial sculpture. As of this writing, late evening of February 24, Michael feels he has completed nearly 75% of the wax maquette. Short of giving away his entire concept, we'll just say Michael's work is stunning and I am sure all will be very pleased with his interpretation of the Wolfman spirit! Update from Michael Maiden, February 10, 2003: Watching the metamorphosis from microcrystaline wax to Wolfman Jack is a remarkable experience! Standing in the corner of Michael's sculpture studio provides this unique opportunity. At this writing, it appears Michael's Wolfman Jack maquette will come in with an overall height of about 16". For smaller sculpture, Michael prefers to work in microcrystaline wax. At room temperature this medium is firm, which allows the highly detailed, representational style he prefers. When crude oil is pumped from the ground into tanks, paraffin settles at the bottom. The paraffin is used in a variety of ways, with a byproduct being microcrystaline wax. One of the primary uses of microcrystaline wax is to waterproof cardboard boxes. It's properties keep it firm at room temperature and pliable when heated with a household light bulb. Microcrystaline wax has been Michael's preferred sculpting medium for nearly three decades. Update from Michael Maiden, February 3, 2003: Michael’s call-to-model’s was met with an overwhelming response. Not just for the photo opportunity, but interest in the Wolfman Jack memorial project is unbelievable! When pursuing an idea, its Michael’s mission as a sculptor to strive for the most interesting composition possible. The very best sculpture is first conceived from a design perspective and always considers how the eye sees the sculpture from every viewing angle. Today he will be spending many hours photographing the model chosen to portray the body language Michael is seeking for the Wolfman final pose. Update from Michael Maiden, January 27, 2003: The music is cranked up and the creative juices are beginning to rock and roll around Michael Maiden's sculpture studio! He is surrounded by photography capturing magical Wolfman Jack moments with his celebrity friends. Emerging from the wax on his sculpting table you can see the beginnings of the image that will become the Wolfman Memorial. Michael will be spending the next few weeks finishing up the maquette for his final Wolfman Memorial. A maquette is simply a small three-dimensional study Michael will use to help him visualize the final pose, posture and treatment he will be giving the full-sized version. As a sculptor, Michael prefers this type of three-dimensional "sketching" because it allows him a view from all angles, before he has invested time in the full-sized version. Northwest sculptor proposes solid salute to Wolfman Jack Michael Maiden, who has a foundry in Sandy, wants to memorialize the famous howling DJ. As a kid growing up on a Washington state wheat farm in the 1960’s, Michael Maiden used to love listening to raspy-voiced, howling Wolfman Jack at night on his transistor radio. A lot of other teens tuned in, too, as the Wolfman broadcast across America from a high powered Mexican radio station, XERF-AM. So Maiden, a monument and wildlife sculptor, wants to create a memorial in bronze to an icon of his generation. And he wants to put it in Del Rio Texas, where the late rock ‘n’ roll DJ got his first major on-air gig. "Go down any street of America, and talk to somebody between the ages of 48 and 65, or even younger, and bring up Wolfman, and you’ll see ‘em grin." Said the 52-year-old Maiden, who has a foundry in Sandy. "It takes people right back to that period, that time of discovery."

Lou Lamb Smith, the Wolfman’s widow, suggested the statue be put in Del Rio – where, across the Mexican border in nearby Ciudad Acuna, he got his start on the super powerful station XERF. On Xerf, the Wolfman could be heard throughout the region. Back then, he was plain old Bob Smith from Brooklyn. Once on the air though, the mild mannered, clean cut Smith became howling, growling Wolfman Jack, and the rest, as they say, is rock 'n' roll history. Now, nearly 40 years after he left XERF for another super-powered station in Tijuana, Mexico, and seven years after his death from heart attack, the Wolfman is coming back to Del Rio. With the memorial, Maiden said he wants to recognize Wolfman Jack’s joyful contribution to the United States at a time of much tragedy and strife, from the Vietnam War to the assassinations of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King Jr. to Watergate.















Maiden was looking for a positive, happy subject when Mike Venema, who owns a public relations firm in Maine and California, suggested he sculpt Wolfman Jack, Maiden, a client of Venema’s, immediately liked the idea. Venema used to work for the Wolfman, so he hooked up Maiden with the Wolfman’s family to discuss the project. "He deserves anything to immortalize him even more," said the Wolfman’s son, concert promoter Tod Weston Smith, 38, of Hertford, N.C., who looks like a trim version of the Wolfman, without the famous beard. Even today, when strangers find out his lineage, they tell him how much they loved his dad. "He was a big part of people’s lives," Tod Weston Smith said. The memorial would cost about $130,000, to be raised through private donations. Venema said there might be local fund-raising screenings of movies in which the Wolfman was featured, including "American Graffiti." Maiden, whose works include memorials to coal miners in Roslyn, Wash., and to aviators at the naval air station in Whidbey Island, Wash., said he expects to take a year to have the Wolfman Jack sculpture ready for installation. He visited Del Rio earlier this week to check out potential sites and meet with city officials, then headed to Belvidere to visit Lou Lamb Smith and seek inspiration by looking through her Wolfman memorabilia. Maiden knows he wants the sculpture to be a likeness of the Wolfman, at least life-sized, and to somehow encompass all the music that the Wolfman played on the radio. He always wore a cowboy hat in later years. So put a hat on him, I think." Tod Weston Smith suggested, as he and Maiden conferred. "And he always liked to wear capes. So, a cowboy hat, a cape, maybe a little handkerchief around the neck and a big, open, wide smile."