Jalacy "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins (July 18, 1929 – February 12, 2000) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. 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.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Hawkins studied classical piano as a child and learned guitar in his twenties. His initial goal was to become an opera singer (Hawkins cited Paul Robeson as his musical idol in interviews), but when his initial ambitions failed he began his career as a conventional blues singer and pianist.
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. According to the AllMusic Guide to the Blues,
"Hawkins originally envisioned the tune as a refined ballad." The entire
band was intoxicated during a recording session where "Hawkins
screamed, grunted, and gurgled his way through the tune with utter
drunken abandon." 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 it failed to make the Billboard pop or R&B charts."I Put a Spell On You" became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists such as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Nina Simone, Alan Price, The Animals, Them with Van Morrison, Arthur Brown, Bryan Ferry, Buddy Guy with Carlos Santana, Tim Curry, Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, Nick Cave in a concert only version, Marilyn Manson, Mica Paris with David Gilmour, Jeff Beck and Joss Stone, Diamanda Galas, and Annie Lennox in 2014 for her Grammy nominated album Nostalgia. Hawkins' original "I Put a Spell on You" was featured during the show and over the credits of Episode 303 of The Simpsons.
Portrait of a Man is a collection of rarities and obscurities from a man whose very career was filled with arcania.
Of course, it contains the original version of "I Put a Spell on You," but what Screamin' Jay Hawkins collection doesn't? The main point of the disc is rarities that aren't anywhere else, whether it's a remake of "I Put a Spell on You" or his freak English hit "Heart Attack and Vine.
" There are more interesting things here than the average Screamin' album, which is both good ("Mountain Jive" ) and bad ("Armpit No. 6"). Either way, it's one of the handful of Hawkins compilations that aren't strict hits collections but are worth hearing.
TRACKS
01. Little Demon
Orchestra – The Leroy Kirkland Orchestra 2:24
02. I Put A Spell On You
Orchestra – The Leroy Kirkland Orchestra 2:26
03. Baptize Me In WIne 2:30
04. Not Anymore 2:55
05. I Hear Voices
Backing Band – The Chicken Hawks Orchestra – The Teddy McCrea Orchestra 2:55
06. Just Don't Care
Backing Band – The Chicken Hawks Orchestra – The Teddy McCrea Orchestra 2:20
07. Ashes
Backing Vocals – Shoutin' Pat Newborn 2:29
08. There's Something Wrong With You 2:30
09. Strange
Orchestra – The Sammy Lowe Orchestra 2:08
10. The Whammy
Orchestra – The Sammy Lowe Orchestra 2:38
11. All Night
Orchestra – The Leroy Kirkland Orchestra 2:00
12. Poor Folks
Orchestra – The Walter Young Orchestra 2:57
13. Your Kind Of Love
Orchestra – The Walter Young Orchestra 2:17
14. Mountain Jive 2:12
15. Voodoo
Written-By – Joey Levine, Marc Bellack 2:25
16. You Put A Spell On Me 3:40
17. Portrait Of A Man 4:12
18. Ol' Man River
Written-By – Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II 5:56
19. Heart Attack & Vine
Written-By – Tom Waits 4:22
20. I Don't Know
Written-By – Willie Mabon 3:17
21. Don't Deceive Me 3:42
22. Whistling Past The Graveyard
Written-By – Tom Waits 3:37
23. Armpit NO. 6 3:36
24. I Put A Spell On You (1979 Version)
Guitar – Keith Richards 2:57
25. Scream The Blues
Written-By – Robert Duffey 3:31
Release Date 1972
Duration : 01:17:49
Genre : Rock & Blues
Styles : Early R&B , Rock & Roll
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