Always dressing theatrically in a kaleidoscopic noir fashion that included capes, turbans and animal prints, and at times stepping beyond the bounds of good taste with his lyrics, Screamin' Jay found himself banned all over the United States in 1956 for an orgasmic celebration called "Little Demon," but that didn't hurt sales of the record, which surpassed a million. More recently he put out the decidedly un-p.c. "Ignant and Shit," a depiction of female mental deficiency that unfortunately produced no publicity-generating lawsuits or bungled assassination attempts.

His globe-trotting career and a succession of spooky platters gained him a cult following all over the world while various folks, from Nina Simone to Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson and the Jackson 5, covered his tunes. One of his big fans has been moviemaker Jim Jarmusch, who cast him in "Mystery Train" and used his recordings in other films, including his macabre masterpiece of obsessive love, "I Put a Spell on You," in "Stranger Than Paradise." He also can be seen in the 1978 '50s rock epic "American Hot Wax," which details the life of disc jockey Alan Freed, the man who gave Screamin' Jay his trademark gimmick of rising from a coffin.

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