i assume it’s no secret that screamin’ jay hawkins is the fucking man but people do tend to think of him only as the stage personality who drunkenly recorded “i put a spell on you” in ‘56 & aspired to opera (or uhh maybe the guy sampled in “kick in the door??”). i’m not mr timehands here; discover the man yourself — he’s worth it.

“Frenzy” (one of his hits, original in ‘57)
“Ashes” (from Blues Shouter, ‘72)
“Monkberry Moon Delight” (written for Jay by Paul McCartney, later appearing on one of his albums… never performed live — Jay said he’d only played a drug song once, when he recorded Monkberry in ‘73)