Screamin' Jay Hawkins
  

Courtesy of Brian Smith

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS Picture courtesy of Brian Smith the official photographer for Roger Eagles Magazine called R ’N B Scene sold at the Twisted Wheel. Appeared at the Twisted Wheel 20th February 1965 ALL-nighter. ‘I Put a Spell On You’ and ‘I Hear Voices’ by Screamin' Jay Hawkins were major favourite tracks played at the ‘old’ Twisted Wheel in Brazennose Street. Fred, one of our mates at that time in 65, said he talked to Screamin' Jay upstairs in the coffee bar. He had removed the bone in his nose, and no longer had ‘Henry’ – his ‘Skull on a stick’. He had given it to John Mayall, who had come along to watch. Fred said that Screamin' Jay had told him that he had left his kids in Cleveland USA and was living in Hawaii where he had more kids! He also said that Nina Simone’s version of his ‘I Put a Spell On You’ was really a great version. He said he’d met her in Paris and liked her; and said he was going to live there someday. Fred asked what he thought about Manchester and England; Screamin' Jay said it was full of gangsters that were after him? ‘How many drips in a tap, how many croaks in a frog… How many barks in a dog…’ Screamin' Jay Hawkins. From the book The MANCHESTER WHEELERS (A novel about Manchester Soul Music Clubs) In 2003 there was a TV program about him and indeed he had over FIFTY children! He was shown wearing a self made electrocuting waistcoat that electrocuted anyone who touched him! The interviewer had to be very careful. ‘Picture Of A Man’ and ‘The Whammy’ were tracks he did along with the two listed above when he appeared at the Wheel. Later in years in the 1990’s he had a chart entry with ‘ Heart Attack And Vine' Screamin’ Jay track 1993 hit. WHAT A CHARACTER!