ShockHound

b. 29 September 1935, Ferriday, Louisiana, USA. The "Killer' is the personification of 50s rock 'n' roll at its best. He is rowdy, raw, rebellious and uncompromising. The outrageous piano-pounder has a voice that exudes excitement and an aura of arrogance that becomes understandable after witnessing the seething hysteria and mass excitement at his concerts. As a southern boy, Lewis was brought up listening to many musical styles in a home where religion was as important as breathing. In 1950, he attended a fundamentalist bible school in Waxahachie, Texas, but was expelled. The clash between the secular and the religious would govern Lewis" life and art for the remainder of his career. He first recorded on The Louisiana Hayride in 1954 and decided that Elvis Presley's label, Sun Records, was where he wanted to be. His distinctive version of country star Ray Price's "Crazy Arms" was his Sun debut, but it was his second single, a revival of Roy Hall's "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" in 1957 that propelled him to international fame. The record, which was initially banned as obscene, narrowly missed the top of the US chart, went on to hit number 1 on the R&B and country charts and introduced the fair-haired, one-man piano wrecker to a world ready for a good shaking up. He stole the show from many other stars in the film Jamboree in which he sang the classic "Great Balls Of Fire", which became his biggest hit and topped the UK chart and made number 2 in the USA. He kept up the barrage of rowdy and unadulterated rock with the US/UK Top 10 single "Breathless", which, like its predecessor, had been written by Otis Blackwell. Problems started for the flamboyant "god of the glissando" when he arrived in Britain for a tour in 1958, accompanied by his third wife, Myra, who was also his 13-year-old second cousin. The UK media stirred up a hornet's nest and the tour had to be cancelled after only three concerts, even though the majority of the audience loved him. The furore followed Lewis home and support for him in his homeland also waned; he never returned to the Top 20 pop chart in the USA. His last big hit of the 50s was the title song from his film High School Confidential, which made the UK Top 20 in 1959 and number 21 in the USA. Despite a continued high standard of output, his records either only made the lower chart rungs or missed altogether. When his version of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" hit the UK Top 10 in 1960 (US number 30) it looked like a record revival was on the way, but it was not to be. The fickle general public may have disowned the hard-living, hellraiser, but his hardcore fans remained loyal and his tours were sell-outs during the 60s. He joined Smash Records in 1963 and although the material he recorded with the company was generally unimaginative, there were some excellent live recordings, most notably The Greatest Live Show On Earth (1964). In 1966, Lewis made an unexpected entry into rock music theatre when he was signed to play Iago in Jack Good's Catch My Soul, inspired by Othello. After a decade playing rock 'n' roll, Lewis decided to concentrate on country material in 1968. He had often featured country songs in his repertoire, so his new policy did not represent an about-face. This changeover was an instant success - country fans welcomed back their prodigal son with open arms. Over the next 13 years Lewis was one of country's top-selling artists and was a main attraction wherever he put on his "Greatest Show On Earth". He first appeared at the Grand Ole Opry in 1973, playing an unprecedented 50-minute set. He topped the country chart with records such as "There Must Be More To Love Than This" in 1970, "Would You Take Another Chance On Me?" in 1971 and a revival of "Chantilly Lace" a year later. The latter also returned him briefly to the transatlantic Top 40. However, he also kept the rock 'n' roll flag flying by playing revival shows around the world and by always including his old 50s hits in his stage shows. In fact, long-time fans have always been well catered for - numerous compilations of top-class out-takes and never previously issued tracks from the 50s have regularly been released over the last 20 years. On the personal front, his life has never been short of tragedies, often compounded by his alcohol and drug problems. His family has been equally prone to tragedy. In November 1973, his 19-year-old son, Jerry Lee Jnr., was killed in a road accident following a period of drug abuse and treatment for mental illness. Lewis' own behaviour during the mid-70s was increasingly erratic. He accidentally shot his bass player in the chest - the musician survived and sued him. Late in 1976, Lewis was arrested for waving a gun outside Elvis Presley's Gracelands home. Two years later, Lewis signed to Elektra Records for the appropriately titled Rockin' My Life Away. Unfortunately, his association with the company ended with much-publicized lawsuits. In 1981, Lewis was hospitalized and allegedly close to death from a haemorrhaged ulcer. He survived that ordeal and was soon back on the road. In 1982, his fourth wife drowned in a swimming pool. The following year, his fifth wife was found dead at his home following a methadone overdose. The deaths brought fresh scandal to Lewis' troubled life. Meanwhile, the IRS were challenging his earnings from the late 70s in another elongated dispute. A sixth marriage followed, along with more bleeding ulcers and a period in the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment for his pain-killer addiction. Remarkably, Lewis' body and spirit have remained intact, despite these harrowing experiences. During his career he has released dozens of albums, the most successful being The Session in 1973, his sole US Top 40 album, on which many pop names of the period backed him, including Peter Frampton and Rory Gallagher. Lewis was one of the first people inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1986. In 1989, a biopic of his early career, Great Balls Of Fire, starring Dennis Quaid, brought him briefly back into the public eye. In 1990, a much-awaited UK tour had to be cancelled when Lewis and his sixth wife (who was not even born at the time of his fateful first tour) failed to appear. He moved to Dublin, Eire, to avoid the US tax man, but eventually returned to Memphis. In 1995, he jammed with Bruce Springsteen at the opening of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame building in Cleveland. Over a decade later, he completed a new studio album (Last Man Standing) with a star guest list including Jimmy Page, Rod Stewart, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen. Lewis' cousin Mickey Gilley is an accomplished country artist, while another cousin, Jimmy Lee Swaggart, has emerged as one of America's premier television evangelists. Any understanding of the career of Jerry Lee Lewis is inextricably linked with the parallel rise and fall of Swaggart. They were both excellent piano players, but whereas Lewis devoted his energies to the "devil's music", Swaggart damned rock 'n' roll from the pulpit and played gospel music. Lewis has often described his career as a flight from God, with Swaggart cast in the role of his conscience and indefatigable redeemer. The relationship, however, was more complex than that, and the spirits of these two American institutions were latterly revealed as more complementary than antithetical. When Swaggart was discovered with a prostitute in a motel, the evangelist created a scandal that surpassed even his cousin's series of dramas. Tragedy, scandal and, above all, rock 'n' roll have seldom played such an intrinsic role in one musician's life. DISCOGRAPHY: Jerry Lee Lewis (Sun 1957)****, Jerry Lee Lewis And His Pumping Piano (London 1958)***, Jerry Lee's Greatest (Sun 1961)****, Rockin' With Jerry Lee Lewis (Design 1963)***, The Greatest Live Show On Earth (Smash 1964)***, with the Nashville Teens Live At The Star Club, Hamburg (Philips 1965)***, The Return Of Rock (Smash 1965)***, Country Songs For City Folks (Smash 1965)***, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (London 1965)****, Memphis Beat (Smash 1966)***, By Request - More Greatest Live Show On Earth (Smash 1966)***, Breathless (London 1967)***, Soul My Way (Smash 1967)***, Got You On My Mind (Fontana 1968)***, Another Time, Another Place (Mercury 1969)***, She Still Comes Around (Mercury 1969)***, I'm On Fire (Mercury 1969)***, Jerry Lee Lewis' Rockin' Rhythm And Blues (Sun 1969)***, with Linda Gail Lewis Together (Mercury 1970)***, She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye (Mercury 1970)***, A Taste Of Country (Sun 1970)***, There Must Be More To Love Than This (Mercury 1970)***, Johnny Cash And Jerry Lee Lewis Sing Hank Williams (Sun 1971)***, Touching Home (Mercury 1971)***, In Loving Memories (Mercury 1971)***, Would You Take Another Chance On Me (Mercury 1972)***, The Killer Rocks On (Mercury 1972)***, Old Tyme Country Music (Sun 1972)***, with Johnny Cash Sunday Down South (Sun 1972)**, The Session (Mercury 1973)****, Live At The International, Las Vegas (Mercury 1973)***, Great Balls of Fire (Hallmark 1973)***, Southern Roots (Mercury 1974)****, Rockin' Up A Storm (Sun 1974)***, Rockin' And Free (Sun 1974)***, I'm A Rocker (Mercury 1975)***, Odd Man In (Mercury 1975)***, Jerry Lee Lewis (Elektra 1979)***, Killer Country (Elektra 1980)***, When Two Worlds Collide (Elektra 1980)***, with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins The Survivors (Columbia 1982)***, My Fingers Do The Talking (MCA 1983)***, I Am What I Am (MCA 1984)***, with Webb Pierce, Mel Tillis, Faron Young Four Legends (Pulsation 1985)***, with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison Class Of '55 (America 1986)***, Interviews From The Class Of '55 Recording Sessions (America 1986)**, Keep Your Hands Off It (Zu Zazz 1987)***, Don't Drop It (Zu Zazz 1988)***, Live In Italy (Magnum Force 1989)**, Great Balls Of Fire! film soundtrack (Polydor 1989)***, with Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley The Million Dollar Quartet (RCA 1990)****, Rocket (Instant 1990)***, Live At The Vapors Club (Ace 1991)***, Young Blood (Sire/Elektra 1995)***, At Hank Cochran's 1987 recording (Trend 1996)***, Live At Gilley's (Connoisseur Collection 2000)**, with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash The Complete Million Dollar Session (Charly 2003)****, Last Man Standing (Art1st 2006)***, Live From Austin TX (New West 2007)***. COMPILATIONS: Golden Hits (Smash 1964)****, Country Music Hall Of Fame Hits Volume 1 (Smash 1969)****, Country Music Hall Of Fame Hits Volume 2 (Smash 1969)****, Original Golden Hits Volume 1 (Sun 1969)****, Original Golden Hits Volume 2 (Sun 1969)***, The Best Of Jerry Lee Lewis (Smash 1970)****, Original Golden Hits Volume 3 (Sun 1971)***, Monsters (Sun 1971)***, Rockin' With Jerry Lee Lewis (Mercury 1972)****, Fan Club Choice (Mercury 1974)***, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (Hallmark 1974)****, Good Rockin' Tonight (Hallmark 1975)***, Jerry Lee Lewis And His Pumping Piano (Charly 1975)***, Rare Jerry Lee Lewis Volume 1 (Charly 1975)***, Rare Jerry Lee Lewis Volume 2 (Charly 1975)***, The Jerry Lee Lewis Collection (Hallmark 1976)****, Golden Hits (Mercury 1976)****, The Original Jerry Lee Lewis (Charly 1976)****, Nuggets (Charly 1977)****, Nuggets Volume 2 (Charly 1977)***, The Essential Jerry Lee Lewis (Charly 1978)****, Shakin' Jerry Lee (Arcade 1978)***, Back To Back (Mercury 1978)***, Duets (Sun 1979)***, Jerry Lee Lewis (Hammer 1979)***, Good Golly Miss Molly (Bravo 1980)***, Trio Plus (Sun 1980)***, Jerry Lee's Greatest (Charly 1981)****, Killer Country i (Elektra 1981)****, Jerry Lee Lewis (Mercury 1981)***, The Sun Years 12-LP box set (Sun 1984)****, 18 Original Sun Greatest Hits (Rhino 1984)****, Milestones (Rhino 1985)***, The Collection (Deja Vu 1986)****, The Pumpin' Piano Cat (Sun 1986)***, Great Balls Of Fire (Sun 1986)****, The Wild One (Sun 1986)***, At The Country Store (Starblend 1987)***, The Very Best Of Jerry Lee Lewis (Philips 1987)****, The Country Sound Of Jerry Lee Lewis (Pickwick 1988)**, The Classic Jerry Lee Lewis 8-CD box set (Bear Family 1989)****, The Classic Jerry Lee Lewis (Ocean 1989)***, Killer's Birthday Cake (Sun 1989)***, Killer's Rhythm And Blues (Sun 1989)****, Killer: The Mercury Years, Volume One, 1963-1968 (Mercury 1989)***, Killer: The Mercury Years, Volume Two, 1969-1972 (Mercury 1989)****, Killer: The Mercury Years, Volume Three, 1973-1977 (Mercury 1989)****, Great Balls Of Fire (Pickwick 1989)**, The EP Collection (See For Miles 1990)****, The Jerry Lee Lewis Collection (Castle 1990)***, The Best Of Jerry Lee Lewis (Curb 1991)***, Rockin' My Life Away (Warners 1991)****, Pretty Much Country (Ace 1992)***, All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology (Rhino 1993)****, The Complete Palomino Club Recordings (1993)***, The EP Collection Volume 2 ... Plus (See For Miles 1994)****, The Locust Years . . . And The Return To The Promised Land 8-CD box set (Bear Family 1995)****, Sun Classics (Charly 1995)****, Killer Country ii (Mercury 1995)***, The Country Collection (Eagle 1997)***, Sings The Rock 'N' Roll Classics (Eagle 1997)***, The Killer Collection (Spectrum 1998)***, Mercury Smashes ... And Rockin' Sessions 10-CD box set (Bear Family 2001)****, I've Always Been Country: The Sun Hillbilly Sessions (Westside 2002)***, A Half Century Of Hits 3-CD box set (Time Life 2006)***. VIDEOGRAPHY: Carl Perkins & Jerry Lee Lewis Live (BBC Video 1987), Jerry Lee Lewis (Fox Video 1989), I Am What I Am (Charly Video 1990), The Killer (Telstar Video 1991), Killer Performance (Virgin Vision 1991), The Jerry Lee Lewis Show (MMG Video 1991), Last Man Standing Live (Artists First 2007), Live From Austin TX (New West 2007). BIBLIOGRAPHY: Jerry Lee Lewis: The Ball Of Fire, Alan Clark. Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Palmer. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On: Jerry Lee Lewis, Robert Cain. Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story, Nick Tosches. Great Balls Of Fire: The True Story Of Jerry Lee Lewis, Myra Lewis. Rockin' My Life Away: Listening To Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Guterman. Killer!, Jerry Lee Lewis And Charles White. The Devil, Me, And Jerry Lee, Linda Gail Lewis with Les Pendleton. FILMOGRAPHY: Jamboree aka Disc Jockey Jamboree (1957), High School Confidential! aka Young Hellions (1958), Be My Guest (1965), Keep On 'Rockin (1969), American Hot Wax (1978). Encyclopedia of Popular Music Copyright 2008 by Muze Inc.; all rights reserved.|