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Artist
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
12+ albums
bluesrhythm and bluesjazzRock and Rollweird
about
Screamin' Jay Hawkins (Jalacy Hawkins, July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American musician, singer, and actor, famed for his powerful, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "I Put a Spell on You" and "Frenzy". Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Hawkins studied classical piano as a child and learned guitar in his twenties. His initial goal was to become an opera singer (Hawkins has cited Paul Robeson as his musical idol in interviews), but when his initial ambitions failed he began his career as a conventional blues singer and pianist. Hawkins was an avid and formidable boxer. In 1949, he was the middleweight boxing champion of Alaska. In 1951, Hawkins joined guitarist Tiny Grimes's band, and was subsequently featured on some of Grimes's recordings. When Hawkins became a solo performer, he often performed in a stylish wardrobe of leopard skins, red leather and wild hats. His most successful recording, "I Put a Spell on You" (1956), was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. According to the AllMusic Guide to the Blues, "Hawkins originally envisioned the tune as a refined ballad." The entire band was intoxicated during a recording session where "Hawkins screamed, grunted, and gurgled his way through the tune with utter drunken abandon." The resulting performance was no ballad but instead a "raw, guttural track" that became his greatest commercial success and reportedly surpassed
top songs
albums
Cow Fingers and Mosquito Pie
At Home With Screamin' Jay Hawkins
I Put A Spell On You
R&B: From Doo-Wop To Hip-Hop
Screamin' the Blues
I Put a Spell on You: The Best Of
Voodoo Jive: The Best of Screamin' Jay Hawkins
The Crazy World of Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Black Music for White People
Are You One of Jay's Kids?
The Rolling Stone Magazines 500 Greatest Songs Of All Time
Best Of Bizarre Sessions