Mike Armando was the guitarist for Screamin’ Jay Hawkins during the 1970’s and has produced 15 albums on MJA Records with artists such as Grammy award winner Fred Lipsius, from Blood, Sweat & Tears, Nancy Monroe, David Allan Gross, to Chris Clark, Pat Morrissey and Artt Frank.

Armando has worked with other great musician’s in his recording and musical career with the likes of Eddie Gomez, Marcus McLaurine, Michael Cochrane, Mike Stern, Ra-Kalam Bob Moses, David Allan Gross. Recently he resurrected Screamin’ Jay Hawkins from the dead by forming a new band titled The Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band. Mike Armando’s years of playing with Hawkins can be read about in a new book written by author Steve Bergsman titled I Put A Spell On You: The Bizarre Life of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.

The Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band

“He did put a spell on everyone”

It’s fantastic to have you. Where did you grow up? What can you tell us about your upbringing?

Mike Armando: I was born in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NYC. My family moved to Woodhaven, Queens, NY which is part of NYC in the early 1950’s. My father Anthony was a hard worker; he worked construction. He worked long hours to support his family. My mother was a homemaker who took care of me and my sister Betty. My mother loved to sing and had a beautiful voice and played some piano.

When did you first get interested in guitar? Was there a certain moment that led you to become a musician?

During the 1960’s I took accordion lessons. I played accordion for about four years then I moved on to the guitar which my mother encouraged me to play. The accordion music which I played back then was not popular back in the day, but guitar was becoming more popular in music. I started out playing rock music like the Cream, The Rolling Stones and was in a few local bands. What really got me into the guitar big time and wanting to become a musician is when I started listening to blues music. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Muddy Waters, Albert King and many more blues artists from that era. When I first heard the blues I said to myself that is the music I want to play. It had a feeling and it told a story. I started to copy solos from guitarists like Mike Bloomfield, Albert King, B.B. King and others until I was able to come up with my own guitar style, a mixture of jazz and blues playing. I started practicing the guitar 8 hours a day until I knew I was ready to get out and play for people.

You were Screamin’ Jay Hawkins guitarist back in the 1970s. When exactly did you join him and how did that come about?

I joined Screamin’ Jay Hawkins band full time around the latter part of 1975. I also played with him early around 1971 and 1972, but not steady. But in 1975; that is when we had the full band together and that was Screamin’ Jay Hawkins band. I got to play in Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band by being contacted by Robert Cutarella who was the musical director of talent for MCA Records back in the day. Robert called me and said Screamin’ Jay Hawkins needed a guitarist and I want you to audition for him. I told him yes and then I went to Screamin’ Jay Hawkins apartment in NYC and auditioned. He liked my guitar playing and hired me. During that time Hawkins needed a drummer also so I got my brother in law Augie Fesler to join the band who was a great drummer. From that day on we toured with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and the band really played some great shows. Hawkins was happy to have a band of his own now.

Were you in any bands before that?

Yes I was in a rock ‘n’ roll band called The Wrong Number and another band called The Hypnotic Gyration with Dennis Cowan in the 1960’s. When I made my move to the blues I started playing with blues bassist Johnny Ace in the band Johnny Ace & The Drivers. I started my first blues band back in 1968 called The New City Blues Band. We had some great players like blues harp player Fred Palmer, Nicholas Caraccio, Danny M, Ronny Hoffman, Warren Wygand, Vinny Petrillo, James Pitts and John Kennedy. I was in quite a few jazz groups also and trios with bassist Andrew Golba.

It must feel incredible to have him choose you in the sea of talent, why do you think he liked you the most?

I think Screamin’ Jay Hawkins liked my playing because I have a soulful bluesy jazz style of playing the guitar that he was looking for. Also I was easy to work with and dependable. That is very important also. Showing up on time for rehearsal and shows.

What was he like behind the stage? Would love to hear a story or two?

Well like I said all of the stories of my years performing with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins are in the book written by author Steve Bergsman, I Put a Spell on You: The Bizarre Life of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. But here are some crazy stories!

Behind stage Hawkins was crazy. Sometimes he liked to laugh and fool around, but he could get crazy. Like one time we were going to play a concert with the band The Critters which was on the same bill as us. On the day of the show Hawkins got into a big argument with the band The Critters. Screamin’ Jay wanted The Critters to go on first and be the opening act for Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, but Hawkins kept arguing with them and he even called the band “the crickets” which pissed them off since they had some hit records out. He argued until the band gave in. The management of the theater did not want to change the venue performance because people paid for tickets for the show and again Hawkins kept on arguing. Then finally The Critters gave in and the management gave in to Hawkins requests. After The Critters went on, performing their show they started to leave. It was now our turn to play. When we went to play the PA system did not work, the amps did not work which had all tubes back then. The tech hand came out and thought a fuse was blown, but that was not the case. Someone took the tubes out of the amps and the PA so we could not perform. What a night it was, it was insane. We did not get paid either.

Another time we played Suffolk Community College on Long Island in NY. The recording artist Bobby Lewis who had the hit song ‘Tossin’ and Turnin” was to perform on the same bill as us. Well Screamin’ Jay again tried to change things around while I was in the dressing room with them. Hawkins and Bobby Lewis went at it. I left the dressing room thinking there was going to be a fist fight but that was not the case and Bobby Lewis would not take any of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins shit so nothing was changed and the show went on. One thing I have to say about Screamin’ Jay Hawkins besides all of this, he treated his band members great and always paid us well and we all got along great together. He loved his band and his musicians. He was a great performer. Yes, hard to work with at times, but not hard to work with as band members. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins is a great performer and his performances overshadowed everything else. He did put a spell on everyone.

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins at Virginia Theater Concert February 1976 | Credit: Allan Lee

When did you stop playing for him and what followed for you?

I stopped playing with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in the latter part of 1979. The band broke up because of lack of work. After the band broke up a little while later Screamin’ Jay Hawkins opened up for The Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden in NYC. The band was so pissed off that the band broke up we could have kicked ourselves in the ass. We could have played that show if we did not split. So you never know what is going to happen next in this business for better or worse like a marriage. After leaving Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band I got into a jazz/blues band playing at local clubs in NYC. I also started recording and producing other artists for MJA Records, a master jazz artist label. I re-released my first LP record from 1973 titled ‘Half Steppen’ on the MJA Record label. It led me to play on many live radio shows in the US and one of them was WPKN radio Jazz Adventures with radio host Phil Bowler and another show hosted by Harry Minot on WPKN. I also did live performances on the Larry Dinger show WOWI radio. I went on to produce other musical artists and put out 15 CDs on the MJA record label with such artists as Grammy award winner Fred Lipsius from Blood, Sweat & Tears (‘Dreaming of Your Love,’ MJA Records 1995). One of the tracks from Fred Lipsius, MJA release, ‘Better Believe It!’ was released and distributed throughout the world on MCA Records. I also produced recordings by Nancy Monroe (‘Dance My Heart’), David Allan Gross (‘The Final Answer To Everything’), Chris Clark, Pat Morrissey, and Artt Franks’ ‘That Trio Thing,’ ‘Souvenir’, and ‘Artt Frank Presents Chris Clark’. Artt Frank was the drummer for the late great Chet Baker and was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame on November 16, 2010. I was the producer for all of Artt Frank’s CDs. I have also worked with Actress Sharon Stone for their recording ‘Waltz For Sharon Stone’ with drummer Artt Frank on that CD. I worked with other great musicians such as Eddie Gomez, Marcus McLaurine, guitarist Mike Stern, Michael Cochrane, Bob Moses who recorded on two of my CD releases, ‘In The Moment’ and ‘The Count Down’.

Screamin’ Jay Hawkins with the band (1979)

You formed a new band called The Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band, tell us who is with you in the band?

A little bit about The Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band. The band performs live shows taking you back in time to the music of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. This project is composed of extremely talented and seasoned musicians. I am the guitarist for the group along with saxophonist Arno Hecht who was the founding member of The Uptown Horns, the legendary NYC-based horn section. He has played and recorded with countless artists, including The Rolling Stones, Chuck Berry, Robert Plant, James Brown, Tom Waits, The J. Geils Band, Dion, Joan Jett, Iggy Pop, the B-52s, Buster Poindexter, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Pat Benatar, Ronnie Spector, The Allman Brothers Band, Darlene Love, Joe Cocker, Albert Collins, and more.

Some of the other band members are Andrew Golba on bass and an all around bassist that can play anything along with Michael Fox on drums, a great drummer who holds everything together in the pocket. And our star singer playing Screamin’ Jay Hawkins is Shakar “TheRealShakar” Brumfield a vocalist, actor, poet and writer from Brooklyn, NY. TheRealShakar has performed on stages and all over the Tri-State area and the DMV. In late 2016 he won the Apollo’s theater’s Amateur Night Making a Star competition and performed on the world famous stage in a showcase featuring R&B crooner Tank. The Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band is doing our part in keeping Screamin’ Jay Hawkins music alive. It’s important that old R&B singers like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins are remembered; this is another reason for The Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkin Band. We want to reach new and younger audiences that have never seen or heard of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins music or have not even seen him perform live. Right now the band is touring the east coast of the United States. Screamin’ Jay Hawkins used to say to the band “When we get on that stage all hell is going to break loose’ and that still holds true today.

There’s a fantastic book that Steve Bergsman wrote titled I Put A Spell On You: The Bizarre Life of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Just how bizarre was Jay?

Well he was very bizarre. I would have to take up your whole magazine with all of the stories. That is why when I told author Steve Bergsman about my days of being Screamin’ Jay Hawkins guitarist at first he said he would think about it if he wanted to write a book on him. Then Steve did some research on Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and contacted me and said yes there is a story to be told and interviewed me along with many other people who crossed Hawkins path. Hawkins’ music was outlandish onstage and inspired generations of musicians after him. And yet, little is known of the man and little can be taken at face value. Hawkins interpreted his past with a poetic license to kill, a magical amalgam of his own making—creating disparate stories alternatively terrible or sympathetic at his will.

In 1973 you released a solo album, ‘Half Steppen’. Would you mind telling it what it was like to record it? What are some of the strongest memories from it?

Yes, in 1973 I released a solo blues/jazz album ‘Half Steppen’. The band recorded this record in a three hour recording session. The recording was rated one of the top 10 recordings on the Billboard Magazine radio charts back then and I was shocked to hear that. WOWI Radio in Norfolk VA music director Larry Dinger played this recording and the station listening audience loved it. My strongest memories of the recording for that LP, which was recorded at Variety Recording Studio in NYC, was not good. The day of the recording the trumpet player’s son came to the recording session. I had a 1968 Gibson L-5 guitar which I saved every penny to buy. Well that day we were taking a short break when Ira Brandt’s son went over to my guitar which was on a guitar stand and he hit the strings while walking by and knocked the guitar off the stand and the neck of the guitar hit the radiator and cracked the neck of the guitar. The guitar was never the same after that and I had to sell it. Today my main guitar is a 1969 Gibson Les Paul Gold Top that I purchased new in 1969 and still play it today. That guitar is one of the best I ever played.

Who were other musicians on it?

Some of the musicians on the LP were Ira Brandt on trumpet, Warren Wygand on bass and Sal Trupia on drums and me on guitar.

As it was self-released, how many copies did you press?

The pressing was only around 1000.

Did you do any shows playing those tunes?

Yes I did tunes from the ‘Half Steppen’ album on some shows back then.

Is there any unreleased material by you or even by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins?

I have unreleased material that I recorded some good, some I did not like the recording sound. I might put out some of them one day. I did some recordings with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, but I am not sure if they were ever released or not. They could be around somewhere out there not sure.

How did the album with Andrew Golba and Ra-Kalam Bob Moses come about? Tell us about recording ‘In The Moment’?

As many people know Ra-Kalam Bob Moses played with many of the jazz greats including Pat Metheny on the recording ‘Bright Size Life’ (ECM1976) and many many more. How it came about is that I produced a recording for jazz vocalist Nancy Monroe ‘Dance My Heart’ and David Alan Gross ‘The Final Answer To Everything’ both on the MJA Records label. I met Ra-Kalam Bob Moses at those recording sessions. I called Bob one day and asked if he would like to play on my recording. He said yes. Bob Moses was the producer for the CD. I contacted bassist Andrew Golba and we did the recording ‘In The Moment’. Some of the music on this CD was created on the spot, no rehearsal just wanted to happen. Very hard but very free and creative. We also did some of my cover tunes, ‘Roll Over,’ ‘Chuck N It’ and a blues tune I wrote ‘Down N Out’. We created one tune on the spot called ‘Belly Dancer Gone Funky’. Perfect for a belly dancer. Ha.

What about ‘Mike Armando’s The Countdown’?

‘The Countdown’ was a recording with drummer Ra-Kalam Bob Moses which was recorded just outside of Boston in the US. The musicians for this recording were Ra-Kalam Bob Moses on drums, John Lockwood on bass, Gezim Sherifi on percussion and Boris Kurganov on the sax and piano, which was recorded at Native Pulse recording studio in Boston by David J. Sullivan. The music on this recording included some of my originals and on the spot creative music free jazz.

Looking back, what was the highlight of your time? Which songs are you most proud of? Where and when was your most memorable gig?

Some of the highlights of my musical career is when I was Screamin’ Jay Hawkins guitarist. Some of the songs I am proud of are ‘Half Steppen’ and some of the songs from my other releases from ‘The Countdown’ titled ‘Rainbow Sunset’. What is funny about music is I may like a tune but other people might not like it. Or the other way around. I wrote some tunes I thought were not too good, but people ended up liking them. So music is funny like that. What you think is bad might turn out good to other people. My most memorable gig was when I played a show with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins in 1976 at the Virginia Theater, that was the show Screamin’ Jay Hawkins blew himself up and had to be carried off the stage. While he was being carried off the stage Hawkins was yelling to me to keep on playing keep on playing.

What are some of the most important players that influenced your own style and what in particular did they employ in their playing that you liked?

Jazz guitarist Kenny Burrell had a great tone and was such a soulful jazz player. What I loved about Kenny’s guitar style was he incorporated blues into his playing, not just jazz. You can hear it in many of his recordings. Blues is the common ground to all music and Kenny says it best. Another player that influenced my style is the great Pat Martino. A great soulful jazz player along with George Benson. Another guitarist is Mike Bloomfield who was the guitarist for The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. His playing was powerful. As soon as you heard one note from Bloomfield you knew who it was. I saw Mike Bloomfield play back in the 1960’s at the Fillmore East in NYC. He was so great. So what I did with my style is incorporated a lot of their ideas in playing but with my own creative notes and lines. It takes many many years to do this, but if you are committed it will happen. My idea of playing guitar is to be like a boxer. Don’t throw all your punches when playing a song at the start. Play slow and tasteful. Pace yourself just like a boxer then later in the song open up for the knock out. It is just like talking to a person. If someone comes to you talking fast like a mile a minute you cannot understand them, let alone what they are talking about. Slow down in your playing makes sense and people will listen then you can open up and pick up the pace because people understood you from the start and now you lead them into the main attraction of your playing.

Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.

I want to thank you Klemen Breznikar for this opportunity to talk with you and your music fans. I want to thank you for keeping music alive with your great magazine.

Thank you.

Klemen Breznikar

Mike Armando Official Website /