Voices, I think the topic was. And Screamin' Jay Hawkins has got one. A more likely candidate than Mr. Johnson to have sold his soul, 'cept he probably wasn't at any crossroads. Stands to reason he was in some jukejoint, and the demon's name was Henry.
Screamin' Jay is spooky. Real spooky. During his shows,the man was carried onstage in a coffin.
"I Put a Spell On You" still stands as one of the eeriest songs of obsession and evil I can imagine. And it was a hit, and enduring classic. Deserves to be.
Hawkins wanted to be an Opera singer(obsessed, as he was, by Paul Robeson), but the dark lord must have had other plans.
It seems only natural, in retrospect, that Hawkins would have a go at some Tom Waits tunes. Why not? Both men featured in Jim Jarmusch's Mystery Train. They're both of questionable mental stability. They have those...funny voices. And they're both obsessions of mine.
Jay does Tom
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Heart Attack and Vine (mp3)
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Whistling Past the Graveyard (mp3)
And an Old One
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: Baptize Me In Wine (mp3)
(yousendit files...click on target...download from site)
If Screamin' Jay Hawkins or Tom Waits figure in yr budget, please consider buying from your local independent record store. Some (noncomplete) guides can be found here and here.
1 comment:
All Good !!!
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