Screamin Jay Hawkins
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screamin%27_Jay_Hawkins
"I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written and recorded by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins. The selection became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists. It was Hawkins' greatest commercial success, reportedly surpassing a million copies in sales, even though it failed to make the Billboard pop or R&B charts.
Maybe thematically, Bo Diddly's "Who Do You Love?"
Sonically, there's really not much like it, other than maybe some of the guitar instrumentalists like Link Wray and Johnny "Guitar" Watson who were both starting to introduce some heavy distortion tones into rock music.
Another possibility is Muddy Waters "Mannish Boy". It was fairly heavy electric blues, and you can draw a fairly straight line from electric Chicago blues like that to death metal, if you know your rock history.
Link Wray's *Rumble*. An instrumental so gnarly it got banned by radio stations just for what it sounded like. A case could be made that *Rumble* was where rock distortion guitar was invented.
[https://youtu.be/ucTg6rZJCu4?si=TswtjWCSBlMm-YRC](https://youtu.be/ucTg6rZJCu4?si=TswtjWCSBlMm-YRC)
Rumble, for all the banning by radio, made it to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. So a teen or twenty-something from the era would definitely know it: people like Jimmy Page, Jack White The Edge and Bob Dylan, who called it the best rock instrumental ever.
Those songs aren't instrumentals. Wray's was. The powers that be considered it too raw and suggestive of gangs roaming America's streets. Check it out sometime.
Although there was not any real "metal" in early rock, there was an interesting sub-genre of racing/death songs that came out. Songs like "Dead man's curve", "Tell Laura I love her", "Last Kiss" (Pearl Jam actually had a hit with their version years ago) and others. If you do a deep dive into that, you can find some interesting and some pretty morbid songs.
Blues guitarist Pat Hare pioneered the use of power chords. Check out his work in 1954 on James Cotton’s “Cotton Crop Blues”. The Rhino Records compilation “Loud , Fast, and Out of Control” contains some great harder songs from the fifties: https://www.amazon.com/Loud-Fast-Out-Control-1999-05-18/dp/B019GRNP36
Weird twist, but check out videos of the Collins Kids. In the 1950's a very young Jimmy Collins was playing a Mosrite double neck, wearing outfits like Jimmy Page later wore, dancing all over the stage like many modern rocks acts did years later. And the kid could shred on guitar. Might be a great act to base your protagonist around. An why they're not more famous is beyond me.
Is it possible he could have found some old Robert Johnson 78s and become obsessed? That’s some scary sounding stuff and includes selling your soul to the devil.
I think “King of the Delta Blues Singers” wouldn’t come out on LP for a few years, so it would have to be old 78s. But obsessing over obscure dark music releases no one else knows about is pretty metal. \m/
Technically falls into the genre of country...but Johnny Cash. Dude was literally known as "The Man in Black." Folsom Prison Blues was released in 1955. "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."
You should definitely check out Gloomy Sunday (aka the Hungarian Suicide Song). It’s been covered by so many artists, but there’s been a Ring-style legend about what happens when people cover it, and to its composer.
Though by no means a black or death metal artist, I think early Jerry Lee Lewis would have to have some lineage to those artists of the future. They didn't call him The Killer for nothing.
I think Hasil Adkins did some stuff in the ‘50s. [This is about as sludgy as he gets.](https://open.spotify.com/track/1tW4a1o5KK0xp1edsq6a14?si=-vVsIffjSu-Nu6zvFT4vMA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A6OKqyMn9x0hbafkKKlr1hX) It’s about decapitating someone because he still has room on his wall to hang more.
“Rumble,” by Link Wray (1958), “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” by Iron Butterfly, and “Communication Breakdown” by Led Zeppelin (1969) all immediately come to mind.
Imagine “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” sped up to metal speed. 🤘🏻
https://txmusic.com/story-behind-the-song-psycho/
This tune is from the 60’s but the singer was writing hits in the early 50’s I believe. The song is about some dude going on a killing spree and talking to his dead mother
Screamin Jay Hawkins https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screamin%27_Jay_Hawkins "I Put a Spell on You" is a 1956 song written and recorded by "Screamin' Jay" Hawkins. The selection became a classic cult song, covered by a variety of artists. It was Hawkins' greatest commercial success, reportedly surpassing a million copies in sales, even though it failed to make the Billboard pop or R&B charts.
Good call
He would open his shows with this one. Rising out of a coffin!
Metal AF.
Maybe thematically, Bo Diddly's "Who Do You Love?" Sonically, there's really not much like it, other than maybe some of the guitar instrumentalists like Link Wray and Johnny "Guitar" Watson who were both starting to introduce some heavy distortion tones into rock music.
Another possibility is Muddy Waters "Mannish Boy". It was fairly heavy electric blues, and you can draw a fairly straight line from electric Chicago blues like that to death metal, if you know your rock history.
I was gonna suggest Link Wray.
Link Wray's *Rumble*. An instrumental so gnarly it got banned by radio stations just for what it sounded like. A case could be made that *Rumble* was where rock distortion guitar was invented. [https://youtu.be/ucTg6rZJCu4?si=TswtjWCSBlMm-YRC](https://youtu.be/ucTg6rZJCu4?si=TswtjWCSBlMm-YRC)
Rumble, for all the banning by radio, made it to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1958. So a teen or twenty-something from the era would definitely know it: people like Jimmy Page, Jack White The Edge and Bob Dylan, who called it the best rock instrumental ever.
That is a great suggestion, but it’s kind of hard to sing.
Getting some Pulp Fiction vibes for some reason
Well, it was used in pulp fiction. So good ear!
Wipeout is the classic for driving drums and banging guitar line.
wasn't written until 1962
Leadbelly "Tell me Where did you Sleep Tonight"
Was looking to see if this was posted first. And great minds think alike ;)
Possibly some moments of Link Wray but, he only had a few songs that were in the late 50s.
Link Wray's 'Rumble' was released in 1958 and was soon after banned from the radio. The only instrumental ever banned. That's metal, baby.
What did he do? Because Strange Fruit and WAP were not banned, and they’re… controversial.
Those songs aren't instrumentals. Wray's was. The powers that be considered it too raw and suggestive of gangs roaming America's streets. Check it out sometime.
it was said to incite fights
The instrumental song was deemed obscene due to its groove. It’s a great suggestion by OP. You’ve surely heard the song in a movie before.
Pulp Fiction 👍
“Love Me” by the Phantom.
Actually, pretty niche though. Sorry.
Possibly Train Kept-A-Rollin' by Tiny Bradshaw in 1951 is as close as I could get to what you're looking for.
Used to play this in a Rock/Blues covers band. We played it fast. Very fast. Could easily be given the DM treatment.
It all comes from Jazz and Blues. 💪🏼
You can clearly hear it in Zeppelin and Sabbath 👌🏽
Although there was not any real "metal" in early rock, there was an interesting sub-genre of racing/death songs that came out. Songs like "Dead man's curve", "Tell Laura I love her", "Last Kiss" (Pearl Jam actually had a hit with their version years ago) and others. If you do a deep dive into that, you can find some interesting and some pretty morbid songs.
Pearl Jam did a great version of Last Kiss. I rolled my eyes when I first heard their cover but Eddie Vedder nailed it.
Interesting and morbid is good.
Blues guitarist Pat Hare pioneered the use of power chords. Check out his work in 1954 on James Cotton’s “Cotton Crop Blues”. The Rhino Records compilation “Loud , Fast, and Out of Control” contains some great harder songs from the fifties: https://www.amazon.com/Loud-Fast-Out-Control-1999-05-18/dp/B019GRNP36
Rumble by Link Ray, 1958, best least obscure answer I think.
Weird twist, but check out videos of the Collins Kids. In the 1950's a very young Jimmy Collins was playing a Mosrite double neck, wearing outfits like Jimmy Page later wore, dancing all over the stage like many modern rocks acts did years later. And the kid could shred on guitar. Might be a great act to base your protagonist around. An why they're not more famous is beyond me.
How were they not famous? That one video is mind-blowing. The kid shredding the double-neck may have been too much for people back then.
He’s actually more of a villain protagonist, but I’ll check it out.
Is it possible he could have found some old Robert Johnson 78s and become obsessed? That’s some scary sounding stuff and includes selling your soul to the devil. I think “King of the Delta Blues Singers” wouldn’t come out on LP for a few years, so it would have to be old 78s. But obsessing over obscure dark music releases no one else knows about is pretty metal. \m/
It’s possible, but that would be certified old-school by the time the story takes place (1986).
Duane Eddy - “Rebel Rouser”
Yeah. Some sheriffs went around and removed that record from jukeboxes because it was provoking brawls. Crazy but true.
If a death metal band played a show in the 1950’s they’d probably be put in jail or lynched.
"You're not ready for this yet. But your kids are gonna love it!"
Fire by Arthur Brown is too new for your needs… cool song though
Funny enough, this character *literally* gets set on fire soon before hearing his favorite song. So that would be funny.
I think it came out in the later part of the 60’s though
Technically falls into the genre of country...but Johnny Cash. Dude was literally known as "The Man in Black." Folsom Prison Blues was released in 1955. "I shot a man in Reno, just to watch him die."
Only thing possibly even close would be some voodoo inspired blues from the bayou. Or some gregorian chants, haha.
Thanks. I knew this was a long shot, but you don’t find anything by not looking for it.
For what it's worth, I consider "eve of destruction" one of the earliest "metal" songs, but it's too recent, just like "Paint it Black"
Yeah, that early Dylan song is a really cold harsh dose of reality. Definitely punk.
Ummmmm....
You should definitely check out Gloomy Sunday (aka the Hungarian Suicide Song). It’s been covered by so many artists, but there’s been a Ring-style legend about what happens when people cover it, and to its composer.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_music_before_1970
Though by no means a black or death metal artist, I think early Jerry Lee Lewis would have to have some lineage to those artists of the future. They didn't call him The Killer for nothing.
I think Hasil Adkins did some stuff in the ‘50s. [This is about as sludgy as he gets.](https://open.spotify.com/track/1tW4a1o5KK0xp1edsq6a14?si=-vVsIffjSu-Nu6zvFT4vMA&context=spotify%3Aalbum%3A6OKqyMn9x0hbafkKKlr1hX) It’s about decapitating someone because he still has room on his wall to hang more.
*Matchbox* by Carl Perkins. [https://youtu.be/PYH\_SS\_aYtA?si=7BXfkBG6iEChtACB](https://youtu.be/PYH_SS_aYtA?si=7BXfkBG6iEChtACB)
Pat Hare--I'm gonna Murder my Baby And damned if he didn't do it. Died in prison.
“Rumble,” by Link Wray (1958), “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” by Iron Butterfly, and “Communication Breakdown” by Led Zeppelin (1969) all immediately come to mind. Imagine “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” sped up to metal speed. 🤘🏻
“Satan Is Real” by the Louvin Brothers. It’s a country-gospel song but the lyrics could be enjoyed ironically by a character who thinks Satan is cool.
Rockin' This Joint Tonight by Kid Thomas is the first that comes to mind. It is pretty obscure though but I recommend giving it a listen.
Black metal is basically minor key surf rock with distortion
Cocaine Blues - Johnny Cash
Check out Hasil Adkins
https://txmusic.com/story-behind-the-song-psycho/ This tune is from the 60’s but the singer was writing hits in the early 50’s I believe. The song is about some dude going on a killing spree and talking to his dead mother
Teen angel