Screaming Jay
Hawkins
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| Jalacy J. Hawkins'
was born in Cleveland,
Ohio, on July, 18, 1929. "I came in this world black,naked
and ugly.And no matter how much I accumulate here, it's a short
journey. I will go out of this world black, naked and ugly. So
I enjoy life. And I like to see when people are happy... And
if I can,since I am in this business, I like to make people forget
some of their problems. I like to make 'em laugh " |
| Nice introduction.
But life's wasn't so fair to little JAY.When he was still a baby
his mother dropped him off at an orphanage. He was raised by
a tribe of Blackfoot indians who took him out of the orphanage
when he was 18 months old. At the incredible age of three, JAY
was already playing the piano "by ear", which led his
foster mother to bring in a teacher. JAY had no use for teachers,
"I worried that teacher so much until he left, permanently!"
he relates. "...And then, I was able to develop my unique
talent" |
At the age of
14, JAY joined the army. He saw plenty of fighting in the Pacific:
"13 combat missions," he says, "11 in the Korean
War". But he also found the opportunities to pursue music,
"I was going around different bases with my band,"
he recalls, "I played tenor sax and doubled on piano. I
blew jazz." He also boxed. In 1947, he won the famous Cleveland
Amateur Golden Gloves Diamond Contest. In 1949, JAY became the
Middleweight Champion of Alaska. After 15 grueling rounds he
beat a tough opponent, Billy McCann, only to be told that, since
he was military, he couldn't hold the title...
It was only natural that these activities should bring him to
the army's Special Services, where he spent most of his service
career entertaining. "I couldn't sing that well until I
went to a place in Nitro, West Virginia" HAWKINS recounts,
"There was this big, big, huge, fat lady there... just allow
your mind to roam free when I say fat. Glutton, beast, obese.
The woman made the average elephant look like a pencil, that's
how fat she was. And she was spy! She mas downin' Black and White
scotch and Jack Daniels at the same time, and she kept lookin'
at me. She says:" Scream baby scream Jay " I said to
myself you want a name well there it is " |
|
It was now 1952: JAY left the
army... and was out looking for a way to turn his talents into
money. He obtained his first professional job as vocalist, pianist,
chauffeur, valet and gofer with the late Tiny Grimes, a jazz
and R8zB guitarist who played a four-stringed instrument and
led a band called the Rockin' Highlanders, whose stage attire
included kilts and Tam O'Shanters. JAY cut his first vocal sides
with Tiny's band in 1952, a record entitled: "Why Do You
Waste My Time \Canadian boogie"
That other story took place
in New York, on September 12, 1956. JAY recorded for the second
time a straight ballad entitled "I Put A Spell On You".
"Columbia A&R man, Arnold Maxin, said to me: ",
JAY recalls. "He said: do this song a little different...
Do not regard this as a recording session. This is a picnic!
People came in with pork shops, greens, hamhocks, ribs, chicken,
chitlins. I mean he had downhome soul food. And all kinds of
booze: wine, scotch, bourbon, vodka, gin and rum...
We were DRUNK ! We laughed, told jokes, and we partied.
Some where, I think about 45 minutes later, I heard a voice say:
" Let`s make a record "
JAY remembers. Ten days after the second "Spell" was
cast, SCREAMING' JAY HAWKINS dropped the needle on a test pressing
and shuddered to hear himself wail : " I put a spell on
you "
" I listened " he says and I did not believe that I
had made that record.I had no idea that I could scream like that
"
|
The record was
released & a lot of D.J.s lost their jobs playing that song.But
Alan Freed (the guy who popularised the term Rock and Roll
saw to it that it hit everywhere.Despite being banned from
many stations the record was an underground sensation and sold
over a million copies.Screaming jay who does not not offer praise
lightly says " I owe everything that I am to Alan Freed
"
After the success of I put a spell on you took to horrific costumes
and props..zebra skin capes,rubber snakes,the cigarette smoking
skull that he calls Henry..
" The name had been made " Jay recalls with dramatic
flair," Now the act was born. I created a mystery.I have
this hand on the end of the piano that`s moving. I make fire
come out of my fingertips.I have a fuse box where a whole cloud
of smoke blows up..."
He suddenly looked evil,hip and ready to inflict fresh psychic
damage.On the cover of the Phillips album "What that
is" he is lying in a coffin,one eye open raising the lid."
The coffin was Alan Freed`s idea " Jay says of the most
notorious part of his act.He recorded gems such as "constipation
blues" (written he says on toilet paper in hospital after
an ex girlfriend cozied up to him with a butcher knife) "alligator
wine","frenzy" and the "feast of the mau
mau"."I put a spell on you" became his ultimate
trademark and has been covered by Nina Simone,Arthur Brown,The
Animals,Creedence Clearwater Revival,Manfred Man,The Who,Alan
Price...and more recently by the modern shock idol Marilyn Manson
on the Lost Highway soundtrack.The movie screen loved Jay too(we
all remember his legendary appearances in "Mr rock &
roll","the girl can't help it","Dark Decision","American
Hot Wax"....or Jim Jarmusch`s "Mystery Train"!) |
..And
lately (in July 1997), for our absolute pleasure, HAWKINS, the
madman rhythm and blues genius, spent some weeks in Memphis to
cut a brand new album at Sam Phillips Recording Service.
Produced by the tremendous JIM DICKINSON (so brilliant on the
last BOB DYLAN album, "Time Out Of Mind"!), the result
is far beyond expectation. With superb backing from the "Muscle
Shoals" rhythm team (Roger Hawkins and David Hood),
with the help of shiny and sharp guitars by Franck Ash, the eccentric
master delivered -with usual panache - a bunch of 13 songs.
"Coulda', Woulda', Shoulda'" and "I
Played The Fool" are precious and heart rending ballads,
consequences and emotional failures turned into melodic masterpieces.
"On most of my records, there are a lot of ballads,
he explains, but people don't listen to that. You mention
Screaming' Jay Hawkins and they want to see the madness, the
voodoo man, the witch doctor...". Don't think that JAY
gives up his own circus of excess and eccentricities. Be happy!...The
madness is still here, more alive than anytime, creeping around
and suddenly bursting out in songs like "Listen"
or"Shut Your Moth When You Sneeze". Exploring
more styles than you can possibly dream of, he'll surprise you
with the gospel oriented "Make Me Happy" ...or
the softly tropical and Hawaiian flavours of"I'll Be
There". After more than an hour of music, just as a
farewell, a thundering version of Bob Marley's"I Shot
The Sheriff" will leave you ecstatic and breathless.
And time and time again, on every repeat SCREAMING JAY HAWKINS's
voice is an event. Most surprising is HAWKINS's own piano playing,
a rather personal way of hitting the ivories."It's fascinating
to watch him" says JIM DICKINSON."It's that
two-handed chord thing. He says he learnt that from Nat King
Cole and Charles Brown and he plays like he's trapped between
the two".
As you may notice, the man and his legend are doing pretty
well. Still leading a restless life (he has lived at various
times in Europe, Alaska and the Philippines, to name a few),
SCREAMING' JAY HAWKINS lives today in France...and makes endless
plans for the future:"I don't wanna be a black Vincent
Price", says he."I wanna do goddamn opera, I
wanna sing "Figaro", I wanna do "Ave Maria".
Watch out all of you.. the Pavarotti of the Blues is sure ready
to storm the world
 
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