Jalacy "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, operatic vocal delivery and wildly theatrical performances of songs such as "I Put a Spell on You", he sometimes used macabre 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.
Hawkins' 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.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
Links to Peel[]
"I remember hearing that on the radio when I was a kid myself. Frankly, life was never the same after that."
(Peel recalls the impact of 'I Put A Spell On You' by Screamin' Jay Hawkins, 03 December 1979)
Screaming Jay Hawkins - I Put a Spell on You (Audio)
John Peel continued to play vintage Screamin' Jay Hawkins tracks down the decades of his radio shows, occasionally recounting on air how he had first heard the performer's best-known song, 'I Put A Spell On You', on Radio Luxembourg back in the 1950s.
As reflected in Peel show tracklistings, Hawkins enjoyed something of a career revival in the 1980s, featuring in the films of cult film director Jim Jarmusch, with 'I Put A Spell On You' playing a central role in "Stranger Than Paradise" and Hawkins acting alongside former Clash frontman Joe Strummer in "Mystery Train". Nick Cave also recorded a cover version of 'I Put A Spell On You', following in the footsteps of fellow Peel session artists the Animals and Arthur Brown.
After Peel's death, a copy of the 1966 Alan Price Set single "I Put A Spell On You / Iechyd-Da" was found among the DJ's most treasured singles in John Peel's Record Box (2005). Former Peel show producer John Walters was a member of band and wrote the b-side, while the Screamin' Jay Hawkins cover a-side was likely played by Peel on release in May/June 1966, when it featured in his KMEN British Pop Top Ten chart in California.
Festive Fifty Entries[]
- None
Sessions[]
- None
Other Shows Played[]
- 1960s
- 23 April 1969: Hong Kong (album - Screamin' Jay Hawkins) Direction
- 1970s
- 25 April 1972: I Love Paris (LP - ) unknown release
- 27 November 1979: I Love Paris (LP - At Home With) Epic
- 03 December 1979: I Put A Spell On You (LP - At Home With) Epic (JP: "I remember hearing that on the radio when I was a kid myself. Frankly, life was never the same after that.")
- 05 December 1979 (Virgin In-Store): I Put A Spell On You (Single) Epic
- 1980s
- 03 March 1980: I Hear Voices (LP - Screamin' The Blues) Red Lightning
- 04 March 1980: Monkberry Moon Delight (LP - Screamin' The Blues) Red Lightning
- 13 March 1980: She Put The Wammee On Me (LP - Screaming The Blues) Red Lightning
- 12 October 1982: Little Demon (LP - Frenzy) Edsel
- 03 February 1985 (BFBS): I Put A Spell On You
- 26 November 1986: I Put A Spell On You
- 15 May 1987 (Radio Bremen): I Put A Spell On You (shared album with John Lurie - Stranger Than Paradise (From The Original Soundtrack Of The Film)) Crammed Discs (Peel mentions hearing Screamin' Jay Hawkins I Put A Spell On You for the first time on Radio Luxembourg when he was a young lad.)
- 24 November 1987 (& The Chicken Hawks With Teddy McRae Orchestra): I Hear Voices (7" - I Hear Voices / Just Don't Care) Enrica (Peel mentions getting a copy of a Screamin' Jay Hawkins single recently in a record shop in Duisburg, Germany.)
- 29 March 1988: What That Is (album - Feast Of The Mau Mau) Edsel (Peel reveals there will be another track from Screamin' Jay Hawkins on tomorrow night's show.)
- 30 March 1988: Feast Of The Mau Mau (2xLP - Feast Of The Mau Mau) Edsel
- 1990s
- 13 October 1990: I Put A Spell On You (LP - At Home With Screamin' Jay Hawkins) Epic
- 2000s
- 15 February 2001: Little Demon (7" - I Put A Spell On You) Okeh
Covered[]
(The list below was compiled only from the Cover Versions page of this site. Please add more information if known.)
Artist | Track | First Known Play
- Arthur Brown: I Put A Spell On You 12 June 1968
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: I Put A Spell On You (session) 09 April 1984
See Also[]
- Twitch: (“Because I was signed to Matador - the same label as Solex, they wangled it so that I played records before and after the band. After everyone left and as I was packing up, Mr. Peel wandered over to thank me for playing Captain Beefheart and Screaming Jay Hawkins!”)
- Film Soundtracks