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's recordings. When Hawkins became a solo performer, he often performed in a stylish wardrobe of
leopard 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
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 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 Hawkins blacked out and was unable to remember the session, he relearned the song from the recorded version. Hawkins later credited the uproar with a boost in sales due to the perceived taboo nature of his performances. 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." 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. He appeared in performance (as himself) in the
Alan Freed bio-pic
American Hot Wax in 1978. Subsequently, filmmaker
Jim Jarmusch featured "I Put a Spell on You" on the soundtrack – and deep in the plot – of his film
Stranger Than Paradise (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'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 in December 1984. They performed in the 1986 movie Joey''. 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 compositions: "
Heartattack and Vine" (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 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 and Nick Cave 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. 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,
Bo Diddley,
Eric Burdon, Frank Ash,
Arthur Brown and
Michael Ochs talked about Screamin' Jay Hawkins's early life, personality and career, and about his incredible talent. ==Personal life==