SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS "I Put A Spell On You: The Bizarre Life of " with Steve Bergsman

In the annals of rock ‘n’ roll there have been a lot of strange characters, but there probably hasn’t been anyone as bizarre as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, He was larger than life as he emerged from a coffin with a skull on a stick singing “I Put A Spell On You.” He was a whirlwind performer, a lusty singer, a prolific songwriter and a man who was a total stranger to the truth. And with that one song, Screamin’ Jay, who also studied piano and sang opera, became the embodiment of the sexually insatiable, voodoo-empowered, black man feared by 1950s America.  We speak with biographer Steve Bergsman, whose book I Put A Spell On You: The Bizarre Life of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins explores the legendary bluesman’s life, work and influence on rock’n’roll music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices