Happy Howl-o-ween!

Happy Halloween from your friends at the Dog Denizens of Genesee Park (DDGP)!

We could encourage you to exploit your dog by dressing him or her in a pumpkin costume. We should advise to keep your dog away from Halloween treats.... particularly chocolates and goodies with raisins. (Mission accomplished.)

Instead, we will pay homage to the rock 'n roll group, the Classics IV... whose 1968 Top-40 hit "Spooky" is a Halloween classic. Musicians J.R. Cobb, Walter Eaton, Dennis Yost and Joe Wilson formed the Classics IV in Jacksonville, FL in 1965. The band's repertoire consisted of Ventures songs, instrumental versions of "Misty" and "Summertime". The group's name stemmed from Yost's Classic-brand drum set. When the Classics IV began performing tunes with lyrics, Yost sang lead vocals while playing the drums standing -- and sometimes toting a beer in hand.

Relocating to Atlanta, GA in 1967, the Classics IV recorded perennial Halloween favorite "Spooky", which earned gold-record status and hit #3 on the Billboard charts. The group produced other Top-40 hits: "Stormy" (#5 in 1968), "Traces (#2 in 1969) and "Everyday With You Girl" (#19 in 1969). Fronting the group -- now billed as "Dennis Yost and the Classics IV" -- the lead singer performed with the band for three more decades. Tragically, Yost suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2006 after falling down a flight of stairs. He died two years later of respiratory failure.

While Yost is credited as the creator of the "Southern soft rock" sound, "Spooky" is hardly easy-listening music. The pop hit generated cover versions by artists as diverse as Dusty Springfield, Gary Walker and the Rain, The Velvet Monkeys, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Lydia Lunch, Daniel Ash, David Sanborn and Shock of Pleasure. Fans of HBO's Six Feet Under recognize the song from The Room, the seventh episode of the first season. Nate Fisher discovers his father bartered services from the family funeral home in exchange for a room where he smoked cannabis and listened to 1960s tunes.

"Spooky" by the Classics IV? Nate Fisher asked his father in disbelief. Imagine Nate's reaction if he discovered that his father was dropping acid while listening to "You Keep Me Hangin' On" by Vanilla Fudge. Or "Stoned Soul Picnic" by the Fifth Dimension.