JERRY LEE LEWIS
http://www.biography.com
(Born Sept. 29, 1935, Ferriday, La., U.S.) American singer and
pianist whose virtuosity, ecstatic performances, and colorful
personality made him a legendary rock music pioneer.
Born into poverty, Lewis began playing the piano at age nine
at the home of an aunt. His father, a carpenter and bootlegger,
saw his passion and talent and mortgaged their house to buy a
piano. Lewis emulated the playing styles of a local preacher
and black musicians, whom he surreptitiously observed
during their appearances at local clubs, and was soon
performing at school assemblies, talent shows, and tent
revivals, as well as on the radio. He tried to break into the
music business in New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana (on
radio's Louisiana Hayride), and in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawn by the success of Elvis Presley, he
landed at the Sun label in Memphis, Tennessee.
Nicknamed “the Killer,” Lewis established himself as a major
rockabilly star on Sun Records with “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On,”
“Great Balls of Fire,” and “Breathless,” all Top Ten hits in 1957 and
1958. His rhythmically assured and versatile “pumping” piano style
(the left hand maintaining a driving boogie pattern while the right
added flashy ornamentation) was influenced by church music and
country musicians such as Moon Mullican, who played western swing
and honky-tonk. Other early influences included Al Jolson, Jimmie
Rodgers, Hank Williams, zealous Pentecostal preachers, and AfricanAmerican rhythm-and-blues musicians whom the young Southerner
stole away to observe.
A highly skilled instrumentalist and vocalist, Lewis
wrote few songs; his was the art of the stylist, the
interpreter able to put a personal stamp on a vast and
diverse repertoire. A man of tremendous
contradictions, he was tormented by conflicts
between the hedonism of rock and roll and his strict
religious upbringing. Like his cousin, television
evangelist Jimmy Swaggart, with whom he grew up,
Lewis was torn between flesh and spirit. He
captivated legions of fans with his flamboyant
attitude and unpredictable, charismatic
showmanship in stage, television, and film
appearances. His blond hair falling in his face, he
exhibited seemingly boundless energy and a
menacing sexuality while carrying out various stage
antics: standing on the piano, playing it with arms
and feet, kicking over the stool, even lighting the instrument on fire.
In 1958 scandal nearly ended his career. While on tour in England, Lewis was scorned by the
press when it was learned that he had married his 13-year-old cousin (the daughter of his
bassist). That Lewis's previous marriage was still valid
only made matters worse. Despite the ensuing
boycott, Lewis continued recording and performing
wherever he could. In 1961 his version of Ray
Charles's “What'd I Say” was a hit. Lewis soon
returned to England, this time greeted as a star.
Nevertheless, his comeback was complete only in the
late 1960s, after he had shifted his musical focus and
had a series of hits on the country charts.
The subject of biographies, documentaries, and a
major Hollywood film, Lewis's life was punctuated by
erratic behaviour, alcohol and drug problems, bouts of
ill health, tax debts, wild escapades, and six marriages.
His talent, persistence, longevity, and huge legacy of
recordings, however, guarantee his place among rock
music's royalty.
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“Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On”/“It'll Be Me”
(1957)
“Great Balls of Fire”/“You Win Again” (1957)
“What'd I Say”/“Livin' Lovin' Wreck” (1961)
The Greatest Live Show on Earth (1964)
“Another Place, Another Time” (1968)