A History of Musical Screaming

The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi with Archie Brownlee (far right)

If I asked you to name as song with a great scream in it, you’d probably have one in mind before I finished the sentence. Your criteria would more than likely be generational: maybe it’s the Beatles’ version of “Twist and Shout,” or “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who. It could be Pixies’ “Tame” or “Buried Alive” by Otep Shamaya. Regardless, musical screaming has been with us a long time. The weird thing is, apart from some lists of great songs with…