Category: Cultural Appropriation

In 1956 Cleveland Ohio musician Jay Hawkins went into OKeh Records studios to lay down his blues ballad “I Put a Spell On You.” But after a feast of chicken and ribs and beer, the once traditional song turned into an orgy of grunts, groans and howls. Although he claimed to have no memory of recording it, a strange thing happened that night. The young blues pianist emerged out of the studio as Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and the sub genre of shock rock was born. The story of “I Put a Spell On You,” and how Screamin’ Jay Hawkins reluctantly became the forefather of shock rock.