x-1

February 12th — “Spellbinding”

February 12, 2011 11:10 PM
View Comments
Filed under
Archive

124 February 12th Spellbinding

Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Feb 12, 1956 a drunken band goes into a New York City recording studio…wait, is this a joke? No. It was on this day 55 years ago that [lastfm]Screamin’ Jay Hawkins[/lastfm] recorded his most famous song: “I Put a Spell On You.” With wild operatic swagger and gurgling, alcohol-fueled bravado, he unleashed a raw, guttural track that he was too drunk to remember; blacking out during the recording process does that to you. He later had to learn the song from the recorded version. Disc jockey Alan Freed offered him $300 to pop out of a coffin onstage and Jay created a wild persona that included gold and leopard skin costumes, voodoo props and a skull-on-a-stick. Thus becoming a pioneer in the Shock Rock field. The song was selected as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll.

Here’s a weird twist (or is it?) Screamin’ Jay Hawkins died on February 12, 2000. He left behind many children by many women; an estimated 55 at the time of his death, and after investigation, that number jumped to around 75. So, apparently, he did cast a “Spell.” But far and away one of the most unique characters in the world of Rock.

View Comments
  • http://topsy.com/wxrt.radio.com/2011/02/12/february-12th-spellbinding/?utm_source=pingback&utm_campaign=L2 Tweets that mention February 12th — “Spellbinding” — Topsy.com

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by WXRT-FM Chicago, ms klea. ms klea said: RT @93XRT: February 12th — “Spellbinding” http://bit.ly/eNqUIN [...]

  • Patrick DeRose

    We love all of the info that we cannot get anywhere else. Even here in Charlotte, WXRT is the best!!!!!!

blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

Follow WXRT

Like us on foursquare
Your Day Audio Road Show Tailgate Fan Radio.com

Latest Tweets

RSS Giveaways This Week

  • Win a foursome in the XRT Golf Outing!
    Are you king of the links? Want to test your stuff against Lin Brehmer and other XRT jocks? Enter below and you could find yourself hosting a foursome at the 93XRT Golf Outing, Wednesday, June […]
  • Join Hankook Tire To Reel In The Next Big Catch
    Join Hankook tire to reel in the next great catch! Click here to go to www.TirePrize.com and enter for your chance to win the ultimate fishing excursion in Puerto Rico!
  • Win Free Tickets To The Rolling Stones In Chicago!
    The Rolling Stones are back! The “50 and Counting” Tour comes to Chicago on Monday, June 3 at United Center! Tickets are still available for the 3 night engagement through Ticketmaster. Enter below for your chance to win a […]

DJ Blog Archives

Lin Brehmer

Mary Dixon

Terri Hemmert

Frank E. Lee

Jason Thomas

Tom Marker

Marty Lennartz

Richard Milne

Wendy Rice

Johnny Mars

Marc Alghini

Leslie Witt

Latest Galleries

Music Videos

Rattlesnake
 Way Of The Eagle
VEVO
Rattlesnake (Trailer)
 Way Of The Eagle
VEVO
Hurricane (Audio)
 Vydamo
VEVO
Discovery (Trailer)
 Empire Of The Sun
VEVO
One Little River
 Clare Bowditch
VEVO
Do Not Claim Them Anymore
 Balthazar
VEVO
Get Weird (Explicit)
 Fake Shark Real Zombie
VEVO
Paint It Gold
 Fake Shark Real Zombie
VEVO
Young & Lazy
 The Matinée
VEVO
I Can't Get Tomorrow
 White Ash Falls
VEVO
Escape Artist
 The Zolas
VEVO
When We Fell
 Hot As Sun
VEVO
Entertainment
 Phoenix
VEVO
I Love You (Official Video)
 Woodkid
VEVO
The Bait
 Electric Guest
VEVO
Handshake
 Two Door Cinema Club
VEVO
Local-Circulars-Generic-210x158

g-x

Watch Live From Studio X Performances

1

XRT Presale Privileges FREE Concert Tickets

lolla-hq2

Life At Lolla: Your Festival Headquarters