Before Alice Cooper, Twisted Sister, Marilyn Manson, etc., it was Screamin’ Jay who laid the foundation for Rock ‘n’ Roll’s theatre of the macabre as early as 1954. He also was an early example of the sort of alpha hedonism we might now associate with Motley Crue. While it would be an overstatement to credit him with the birth of Metal, his relationships with dark theatrical presentation, moral panic, powerhouse vocal styles, and women set the stage for myriad shock rockers to follow. Song titles include “Alligator Wine,” “Frenzy,” “Feast of the Mau Mau,” “Constipation Blues,” and one other song I’ll tell you about in a sec.
Jay’s pre-music career backstory is arguably as weird as his musical repertoire. Hawkins was born on a bus (!) passing through Cleveland, Ohio, and was left at an orphanage. He was later adopted by a Blackfoot Indian family. In his youth he studied to be an opera singer, classical pianist, and guitar player. During his U.S. Air Force days in World War II, he also became a skilled boxer, taking the Alaskan middleweight title in 1949.
While you may not have heard of Screamin’ Jay before this writing, you are very likely familiar with a piece of his work, assuming you’ve ever been in audible proximity to a radio. “I Put A Spell on You,” his monster 1956 hit, has been covered innumerable times by an incredibly diverse array of artists: Marilyn Manson, Queen Latifah, The Animals, Jeff Beck, Sonique, and Nina Simone make the list, with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s version being the best known.
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