Blues Memorial
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
July 18, 1929 - February 12, 2000
by Dick Houff
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1999 KBA Award Winner
Achievement for Blues on the Internet
Presented by the Blues Foundation
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R&B Legend Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Dies At 70
On Sunday morning, at 2:30 A.M., I received a call from Paris, France from Noel Genet who politely informed me that Jay had died on Saturday during surgery for an intestinal blockage. This came as a shock to me; after having had several conversations in the last few months with Jay, I assumed everything was okay. He never once hinted that there was a medical problem. It’s hard to lose a friend and even harder to write about it. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins was not only an inspiration for me, but for countless others, he was a God. In the old days, a poet strived for that one immortal poem that would stand the test of time. In music, Hawkins stamp at immortality came with his song, "I Put A Spell On You." Originally released on the Okeh label in 1956, the song was immediately banned from the airwaves. However, in a decade of twisted paranoia, there were a few rebels that refused to comply. Alan Freed made sure that hip DJ’s gave it air time resulting in over a million copies sold. Jay told me that lan was instrumental in getting his career going, right down to the stage props using Skulls and stepping out of coffins. He also had a cigarette smoking skull affectionately called "Henry." Besides the theatrical gimmicks that most people view as the whole gamut of Screamin’ Jay’s gig, there was another man. Few people know that he played with Fats Domino, Gene Ammons, Illinois Jacquet, Wynonie Harris, and Count Basie. Besides playing piano, he was also a refined sax player. One of his many goals was to perform Opera. Jay’s career was up and down; he recorded on many labels and played countless one-nighters. When we first met, I was playing in a small New Orleans club and Jay was playing in a strip joint on the same block. After a third and final set, he approached me with much heartfelt encouragement. Being a little raw and quite a bit younger, any type of praise was worth its weight in gold. When I found out that the man talking to me was Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, I almost fainted. Hawkins was a kind man with a tragic story. Jalacy Hawkins was born on July 18, 1929, in Cleveland, Ohio. His mother dropped him off at an orphanage as a baby. Eventually, a tribe of Blackfoot Indians adopted him. There are so many stories that I’d like to share with you on Jay’s life, but alas, only a book could do justice. I will share a saying from Hawkins that speaks to all of us: "I came into this life naked, black, and ugly. And I will go out the same way. I am not a handsome man; people have turned away from me, but that doesn’t matter. The only thing I care about is your happiness, and if I can make you laugh, then I’ve done my job."
This article is copyright © 2000 by Dick Houff, and Blues On Stage, all rights reserved. Copy, duplication or download prohibited without written permission.
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