In Fantomen 5/2025, editor Andreas Eriksson wrote an editorial piece on a 1950's musician who went by the stage name of The Phantom.
According to folklore, the alias creation came from Pat Boone who had this to say about it in a 1995 interview with Tim Stegall.
“‘The Phantom was my creation,’ Boone boasts in his relaxed, folksy manner that brings to mind no one more than Ronald Reagan. ‘He was a guy named Marty Lott, from somewhere down in Mississippi. He was a complete wild man, he was even wilder than Elvis! I had this idea that if an artist came along like Elvis, but with an air of mystery, where nobody knew who he was and he wore a mask and called himself the Phantom (which was my favorite comic book character), that he could be a smash! The kids would love him!’”
Unfortunately, much like the character itself, it did not take off in the USA. Attached is the song which you can listen to.
The song was rerecorded by The Blue Cats in 1981 and also covered by The Cramps and The Bananamen.
Thanks to Andreas Eriksson, for the heads up and research into this musician. If you spot anything else Phantom related from around the world, please let us know.
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