Jalacy J. "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins
(July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, film producer, and boxer. Famed chiefly for his powerful, shouting vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "
I Put a Spell on You", he sometimes used
macabre
In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...
props onstage, making him an early pioneer of
shock rock. He received a nomination for the
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his performance in the 1989 indie film ''
Mystery Train''.
Early life

Hawkins was born and raised in
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, Ohio.
He had three older sisters, but his mother decided to put him into foster care. He grew up in the boarding house his foster mother owned. Hawkins studied classical piano as a child and learned guitar in his 20s.
In a 1993 interview, Hawkins recounts telling his music tutor,
...to leave before I make your life miserable ..because with the type of music I want to play. The things I want to do with music and don't want to do it the old conventional way that everybody knows. I want to come up with my own ideas. I've got all the information that I need to get from you to do what I want, now if you stick around, I'm going to make your life miserable.
His initial goal was to become an opera singer (Hawkins cited
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson ( ; April 9, 1898 – January 23, 1976) was an American bass-baritone concert artist, actor, professional American football, football player, and activist who became famous both for his cultural accomplishments and for h ...
as his musical idol in interviews),
but when his initial ambitions failed, he began his career as a conventional
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
singer and pianist. Other influences included
Mario Lanza
Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...
,
Enrico Caruso
Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyric tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles that r ...
,
Lionel Hampton
Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and bandleader. He worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, an ...
,
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie ( ; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improvisation, improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy El ...
,
Charles Brown,
Amos Milburn,
Wynonie Harris
Wynonie Harris (August 24, 1915 – June 14, 1969) was an American blues shouter best remembered as a singer of upbeat songs, featuring humorous, often ribald lyrics. He had fifteen Top 10 hits between 1946 and 1952. Harris is attributed by ...
,
Nellie Lutcher,
Roy Brown,
Jimmy Witherspoon
James Witherspoon (August 8, 1920 – September 18, 1997) was an American jump blues and jazz singer.
Early life, family and education
Witherspoon was born in Gurdon, Arkansas. His father was a railroad worker who sang in local choirs, an ...
,
Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson,
Roy Milton,
Elmore James
Elmore James ( Brooks; January 27, 1918 – May 24, 1963) was an American blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, and bandleader. Noted for his use of loud amplification and his stirring voice, James was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ...
,
Lightnin' Hopkins
Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its li ...
and
H-Bomb Ferguson.
Three months after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
ended, he dropped out of
East Technical High School and joined the
US Army
The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
with a forged birth certificate (aged 16). He was stationed at
Fort Bliss
Fort Bliss is a United States Army post in New Mexico and Texas, with its headquarters in El Paso, Texas. Established in 1848, the fort was renamed in 1854 to honor William Wallace Smith Bliss, Bvt.Lieut.Colonel William W.S. Bliss (1815–1853 ...
. During this time, he entertained the troops as part of his service. Hawkins was an avid
boxer during his years in the US Army boxing circuit. He later claimed that he won several boxing titles; however, there is no record of his wins. He also told friends and reporters various embellished stories about attending
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
and the
University of Cincinnati Conservatory. Additionally, he claimed he fought in World War II and the
Korean War
The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...
and killed enemy combatants.
Career
Early career
In 1951, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins began his career performing vocals and keyboards for Philadelphia guitarist
Tiny Grimes, and was subsequently featured on some of Grimes' recordings.
When Hawkins later went solo, his first single “Why Did You Waste My Time” was performed with accompaniment from Grimes’ band. In 1956, Hawkins signed with
OKeh Records
OKeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name originally was spelled "OkeH" from the init ...
. When Hawkins became a solo performer, he often performed in a stylish wardrobe of
leopard
The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...
skins, red leather, and wild hats.
"I Put a Spell on You"
Hawkins's most successful recording, "
I Put a Spell on You" (1956), was selected as one of
. 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 a million copies in sales,
although it failed to make the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''
pop or
R&B chart
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
s.
Although Hawkins blacked out and was unable to remember the session,
he relearned the song from the recorded version.
Meanwhile, the record label released a second version of the single, removing most of the grunts that had embellished the original performance; this was in response to complaints about the recording's overt sexuality.
Nonetheless it was banned from radio in some areas. Furthermore, the recording attracted the ire of groups such as the NAACP, "which worried that his act would reflect badly on African Americans." Hawkins later credited the uproar with a boost in sales due to the perceived taboo nature of his performances.
Soon after the release of "I Put a Spell on You", radio disc jockey
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...
offered Hawkins $300 to emerge from a coffin onstage.
Hawkins initially declined, reportedly saying "No black dude gets in a coffin alive – they don't expect to get out!"
However, he later relented and soon created an outlandish stage persona in which performances began with the coffin and included "gold and leopard-skin costumes and notable voodoo stage props, such as his smoking skull on a stick – named Henry – and rubber snakes."
These props were suggestive of
voodoo, but also presented with comic overtones that invited comparison to "a black
Vincent Price
Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...
."
Despite the commercial success of the gimmick, Hawkins resented the schlock-factor that made him famous. He found it exploitative, and believed it undermined his sincerity as a vocalist and a balladeer. In a 1973 interview, he bemoaned the Screamin' epithet given to him by his label Okeh records, saying "If it were up to me, I wouldn't be Screamin' Jay Hawkins... James Brown did an awful lot of screamin', but never got called Screamin' James Brown... Why can't people take me as a regular singer without making a bogeyman out of me?"

"I Put a Spell On You" became a classic, covered by a variety of artists such as
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Rock music, rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, h ...
,
Nina Simone
Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...
,
Alan Price,
The Animals
The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...
,
Them with
Van Morrison
Sir George Ivan "Van" Morrison (born 31 August 1945) is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter and musician whose recording career started in the 1960s. Morrison's albums have performed well in the UK and Ireland, with more than 40 reaching the UK ...
,
Arthur Brown,
Bryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry (born 26 September 1945) is an English singer and songwriter. He became known as the frontman of the band Roxy Music and also launched a solo career. His voice has been described as an "elegant, seductive croon". He also established ...
,
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy (born July 30, 1936) is an American blues guitarist and singer. He is an exponent of Chicago blues who has influenced generations of guitarists including Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Keith Richards, Stevie Ray Vaug ...
,
Carlos Santana
Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the Rock music, rock band Santana (band), Santana. Born and raised in Mexico where he developed his musical background, he r ...
,
Tim Curry
Timothy James Curry (born 19 April 1946) is an English actor and singer. He rose to prominence as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in the musical film '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'' (1975), reprising the role he had originated in the 1973 London, 1974 L ...
,
Leon Russell,
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as
"Feelin' Alright ...
,
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
,
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
,
Mica Paris
Michelle Antoinette Wallen (born 27 April 1969), known professionally as Mica Paris ( ), is an English singer, presenter, and actress. Her debut album, '' So Good'', was released in 1988, spawning the singles " My One Temptation" and " Where I ...
,
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter who is a member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined in 1967, shortly before the departure of the founder member Syd Barrett. By the early 1980s, Pink F ...
,
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...
,
Joss Stone
Joscelyn Eve Stoker (born 11 April 1987), known professionally as Joss Stone, is an English singer, songwriter and actress. She rose to prominence in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, ''The Soul Sessions'', which made the 2004 Merc ...
,
Diamanda Galas, and
Annie Lennox
Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart w ...
. Hawkins' original version was featured during the show and over the credits of the 2003 ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...
'' episode "
I'm Spelling as Fast as I Can".
Later career
Hawkins' later releases included the
toilet humor
Toilet humour or potty humour is a type of off-colour humour dealing with: defecation (including diarrhea and constipation), in which case it is called scatological humour (compare scatology); urination; flatulence, in which case it is called fla ...
song "Constipation Blues" (which included a spoken introduction by Hawkins in which he states he wrote the song because no one had written a blues song before about "real pain"), "
Orange Colored Sky", and "Feast of the
Mau Mau". Nothing he released, however, had the monumental success of "I Put a Spell on You". In Paris in 1999 and at the Taste of Chicago festival, he actually performed "Constipation Blues" with a toilet onstage.
He continued to tour and record through the 1960s and 1970s, particularly in Europe, where he was very popular. Hawkins released a single recording of mainstream ballads in 1969, "Too Many Teardrops" and the Hawaiian styled "Makaha Waves" on the flip-side. In February 1976, he suffered facial injuries when he was burned by one of his flaming props while performing with his guitarist Mike Armando at the Virginia Theater in
Alexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...
.
He appeared in performance (as himself) in the
Alan Freed
Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...
bio-pic ''
American Hot Wax'' in 1978. Subsequently, filmmaker
Jim Jarmusch
James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician.
He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...
featured "I Put a Spell on You" on the soundtrack – and deep in the plot – of his film ''
Stranger Than Paradise
''Stranger Than Paradise'' is a 1984 American black-and-white absurdist deadpan comedy film directed, co-written and co-edited by Jim Jarmusch, and starring jazz musician John Lurie, former Sonic Youth drummer-turned-actor Richard Edson, an ...
'' (1983), and then cast Hawkins himself as a hotel night clerk in his film ''
Mystery Train''. Hawkins also had acting roles in
Álex de la Iglesia's ''
Perdita Durango'' and
Bill Duke
William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor, director, and producer. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. As a ...
's adaptation of
Chester Himes' ''A Rage in Harlem''.
In 1983, Hawkins relocated to the New York area. In 1984 and 1985, Hawkins collaborated with garage rockers
the Fuzztones, resulting in the album ''Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Fuzztones Live'', recorded at
Irving Plaza
Irving Plaza (known through sponsorship as Irving Plaza, powered by Verizon 5G and formerly known as the Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza) is a ballroom-style music venue located within the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York ...
in December 1984. They performed in the 1986 movie ''
Joey
Joey may refer to:
People
*Joey (name)
Animals
* Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial
* Joey, a blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets
Film and television
* ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...
''.
In 1990, Hawkins performed the song "Sirens Burnin'," which was featured in the 1990 horror film ''Night Angel''.
In July 1991, Hawkins released his album ''Black Music for White People''. The record features covers of two
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
compositions: "
Heartattack and Vine
''Heartattack and Vine'' is the seventh studio album by Tom Waits, released on September 9, 1980, and his final album to be released on the Asylum label.
"On the Nickel" was recorded for the Ralph Waite film of the same name. It was used as th ...
" (which, later that year, was used in a European
Levi's advertisement without Waits' permission, resulting in a lawsuit), and "Ice Cream Man" (a Waits original and not a cover of the
John Brim classic). Hawkins also covered the Waits song "Whistlin' Past the Graveyard" on his album ''Somethin' Funny Goin' On''. In 1993, his version of "Heartattack and Vine" became his only UK hit, reaching No. 42 on the
UK singles chart. In 1993, Hawkins moved to France.
When
Dread Zeppelin recorded their "disco" album, ''
It's Not Unusual
"It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after it had first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with ...
'' in 1992, producer
Jah Paul Jo asked Hawkins to guest. He performed the songs "
Jungle Boogie" and "
Disco Inferno". He also toured with
the Clash
The Clash were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1976. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they are considered one of the most influential acts in the original wave of British punk rock, with their music fusing elements ...
and
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward Cave (born 22 September 1957) is an Australian musician, writer, and actor who fronts the rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Known for his baritone voice, Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity, a wide variety ...
during this period, and not only became a fixture of blues festivals but appeared at many film festivals as well, including the Telluride Film Festival premiere of ''
Mystery Train''.
His 1957 single "Frenzy" (found on the early 1980s compilation of the same name) was included in the compilation CD, ''
Songs in the Key of X: Music from and Inspired by the X-Files'', in 1996. This song was featured in the show's Season 2 episode "
Humbug". It was also covered by the band
Batmobile
The Batmobile is the fictional land vehicle driven by the superhero Batman, used both to patrol Gotham City looking for crime and to engage in car chases or vehicular combat with the city's criminal underworld. The Batmobile is one of a suite o ...
.
In 2001, the Greek director and writer Nicholas Triandafyllidis made the documentary ''Screamin' Jay Hawkins: I Put a Spell on Me'' about various stages of his life and career, including a filming of his final live performance, in Athens on December 11, 1999, two months before his death, following a performance the day before in
Salonica. In the documentary notable artists such as
Jim Jarmusch
James Robert Jarmusch ( ; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director, screenwriter and musician.
He has been a major proponent of independent film, independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films such as ''Stranger Than Paradise'' ...
,
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist and singer who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, including Buddy ...
,
Eric Burdon
Eric Victor Burdon (born 11 May 1941) is an English singer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist of the rhythm and blues, R&B and Rock music, rock band The Animals and the funk band War (band), War. He is regarded as one of the Br ...
, Frank Ash,
Arthur Brown and
Michael Ochs talked about Screamin' Jay Hawkins' early life, personality and career, and about his incredible talent.
Personal life
From 1962 to 1971, Hawkins lived in Hawaii. He returned to New York after purchasing a home in Hawaii and establishing his own publishing company, sustained by the royalties from covers of "I Put a Spell On You".
Hawkins had six marriages; his last wife was 31 at his death.
Singing partner Shoutin' Pat Newborn stabbed him in jealousy when he married Virginia Sabellona.
He had three children with his first wife and claimed variously to have 57 or 75 children in total.
After his death, his friend and biographer Maral Nigolian set up a website to trace these children, identifying 33, at least 12 of whom met at a 2001 reunion.
Death
Hawkins died after emergency surgery from an
aneurysm
An aneurysm is an outward :wikt:bulge, bulging, likened to a bubble or balloon, caused by a localized, abnormal, weak spot on a blood vessel wall. Aneurysms may be a result of a hereditary condition or an acquired disease. Aneurysms can also b ...
on February 12, 2000, in
Neuilly-sur-Seine
Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...
, France, near Paris, at 70 years old.
Influence
Although Hawkins was not a major success as a recording artist, his highly theatrical performances from "I Put a Spell on You" onward earned him a steady career as a live performer for decades afterward, and influenced subsequent acts.
He opened for
Fats Domino
Antoine Caliste Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American singer-songwriter and pianist. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New Orl ...
,
Tiny Grimes and the
Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
.
This exposure in turn influenced rock acts such as
Alice Cooper
Vincent Damon Furnier (born February 4, 1948), known by his stage name Alice Cooper, is an American rock singer and songwriter whose career spans sixty years. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusion ...
,
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...
,
the Cramps,
Screaming Lord Sutch,
Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath are an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1968 by guitarist Tony Iommi, drummer Bill Ward (musician), Bill Ward, bassist Geezer Butler, and vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. After adopting the Black Sabbath name in 1969 (the band ...
,
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival, commonly abbreviated as CCR or simply Creedence, was an American Rock music, rock band formed in El Cerrito, California. The band consisted of lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary songwriter John Fogerty, h ...
,
Arthur Brown,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
,
Marilyn Manson
Brian Hugh Warner (born January 5, 1969), known professionally as Marilyn Manson, is an American rock musician. He is the lead singer and the only original member remaining of the Marilyn Manson (band), same-titled band he founded in 1989. Th ...
,
Rob Zombie
Robert Bartleh Cummings (born January 12, 1965), known professionally as Rob Zombie, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, filmmaker, and actor. His music and lyrics are notable for their horror and sci-fi themes, and his live show ...
, and
Glenn Danzig.
Vox.com described Hawkins as a "
goth icon".
In the 2020 retrospective documentary mini series ''
Red Dwarf
A red dwarf is the smallest kind of star on the main sequence. Red dwarfs are by far the most common type of fusing star in the Milky Way, at least in the neighborhood of the Sun. However, due to their low luminosity, individual red dwarfs are ...
: The First Three Million Years'', Hawkins is identified as a key influence on
Danny John-Jules' character
Cat
The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...
.
Discography
Studio albums
*1958 ''At Home with Screamin' Jay Hawkins'' (Okeh/Epic) – other editions entitled ''Screamin' Jay Hawkins'' and ''I Put a Spell on You''
*1965 ''The Night and Day of Screamin' Jay Hawkins'' (Planet/
52e Rue Est) – also entitled ''In the Night and Day of Screamin' Jay Hawkins''
*1969 ''...What That Is!'' (Philips)
*1970 ''Because Is in Your Mind (Armpitrubber)'' (Philips)
*1972 ''A Portrait of a Man and His Woman'' (Hotline) – reissued as ''I Put a Spell on You'' and ''Blues Shouter''
*1977 ''I Put a Spell on You'' (Versatile – recordings from 1966 to 1976)
*1979 ''Screamin' the Blues'' (Red Lightnin' – recordings from 1953 to 1970)
*1979 ''Lawdy Miss Clawdy'' (Koala)
*1983 ''Real Life'' (Zeta)
*1990 ''The Art of Screamin' Jay Hawkins'' (Spivey)
*1991 ''Black Music for White People'' (Bizarre/Straight Records/Planet Records)
*1991 ''I Shake My Stick at You'' (Aim)
*1993 ''Stone Crazy'' (Bizarre/Straight/Planet)
*1994 ''Somethin' Funny Goin' On'' (Bizarre/Straight/Planet)
*1998 ''At Last'' (Last Call)
Live albums
*1984 ''Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Fuzztones Live'' (Midnight Records)
*1988 ''At Home with Jay in the Wee Wee Hours'' (Midnight Records)
*1988 ''Live & Crazy'' (Blue Phoenix)
*1991 ''Screamin' Jay Hawkins and the Chikenhawks: Dr. Macabre'' (Trade Service)
*1993 ''Rated X'' (Sting S) — recorded in 1970
*1999 ''Live at the Olympia, Paris'' (Last Call) — live with one new studio recording
Singles
*1953 "Not Anymore" / "Baptize Me in Wine"
imely 1004*1954 "I Found My Way to Wine" / "Please Try to Understand Me"
imely 1005*1955 "You're All of Life to Me" / "Well I Tried"
ing 90005*1955 "This Is All" / "(She Put The) Whammee (On Me)"
ercury 70549*1956 "Even Though" / "Talk About Me"
ing 90055*1956 "
I Put a Spell on You" / "Little Demon"
Keh 7072*1957 "You Made Me Love You" / "Darling, Please Forgive Me"
Keh 7084*1957 "Frenzy" / "Person to Person"
Keh 7087*1958 "Alligator Wine" / "There's Something Wrong with You"
Keh 7101*1960 "I'm So Glad (To Be Back)" / "The Pass"
ed Top 126*1962 "I Hear Voices" / "Just Don't Care"
nrica 1010*1962 "Ashes" / "Nitty Gritty" w/ Shoutin' Pat (Newborn)
hancellor 1117*1966 "Poor Folks" / "Your Kind of Love"
rovidence 411*1970 "Do You Really Love Me" / "Constipation Blues"
hilips 40645*1973 "
Monkberry Moon Delight" / "Sweet Ginny"
ueen Bee 1313ref>
*1993 "
Heartattack and Vine
''Heartattack and Vine'' is the seventh studio album by Tom Waits, released on September 9, 1980, and his final album to be released on the Asylum label.
"On the Nickel" was recorded for the Ralph Waite film of the same name. It was used as th ...
" / "I Put a Spell on You" / "On the Job"
olumbia 6591092
Multi-artist samplers and budget compilations
*1962 ''Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Lillian Briggs'' (Coronet)
*1963 ''A Night at Forbidden City'' (Sounds of Hawaii)
*1988 "I Put a Spell on You" (''Elvira Presents: Haunted Hits'' LP)
*1990 "I Put a Spell on You" (''Elvira Presents: Haunted Hits'' CD re-release)
*1994 "Little Demon" (''Elvira Presents: Monster Hits'' CD)
*1996 "Frenzy" (''Songs in the Key of X – The X Files'')
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawkins, Screamin Jay
1929 births
2000 deaths
Accidental deaths in France
American blues singers
American blues guitarists
American blues pianists
American rock singers
American rock guitarists
American rock pianists
American soul singers
American soul guitarists
Rock and roll musicians
American rhythm and blues musicians
Musicians from Cleveland
Okeh Records artists
20th-century African-American male singers
African-American rock singers
Apollo Records artists
American male boxers
20th-century African-American musicians
20th-century American singers
American male film actors
American expatriates in France
People from Neuilly-sur-Seine
African-American male pianists
American male pianists
African-American pianists
20th-century American male singers
United States Army soldiers
Musicians from Hauts-de-Seine
Counterculture of the 1950s
20th-century American sportsmen
American comedy musicians