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"The Killer"
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
-- inducted 1986
Jerry Lee Lewis is the musician and
singer of this century and will be remembered well into the following years. From his
early blues, gospel and country roots, he learned of the black rock and roll and white
country boogie of the early '50's and put it all together in a brand new and ferocious style. It was not exactly rock and roll or rockabilly – it
was complete different to any other style. It combined the wild sound of rock, with the
intensity of the blues and the soul of old-time country.
  Born September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana, Jerry Lee grew up to the
sounds of his parents, Jimmie Rodgers records and Al Jolson. At the age of five, while
playing the piano at his aunt's home, his parents declared that Jerry Lee was born to be a
great pianist and later mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano of his own, a Stark
Upright. Soon afterwards, Jerry Lee was playing to large crowds at grand openings, civic
centers, etc. At the age of fifteen, he was playing professionally for a traveling
revival.
He became a master of all country styles, plus the Jazz of Jolson and
others. He soon discovered the Delta blues of his region and became a master of this
style, too. Moon Mullican, an excellent country-blues pianist, was a big inspiration as
was Hank Williams and boogie bluesman Piano Red. Merrill E. Moore is another excellent
singer/pianist, who is said to have been a big inspiration (Jerry Lee did "House of
Blue Lights" and others associated with Merrill Moore).
Soon, he was a master of all styles – from country to swing to
blues to R&B to Jazz. Jerry Lee cut his first two records in 1954 and signed to Sun
Records in 1956. His first release coupled the self-written blues "End of the
Road" with a blues-drenched country song "Crazy Arms" and cemented the
Lewis' style.
All of his next releases like "Great Balls of Fire,"
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Breathless" and "High School
Confidential" entered the top positions of the country, blues and pop charts between
1957 and 1958.
However, there is a lot more to Jerry Lee Lewis than
that. He went on to become an excellent R&B singer in the late '50's, then progressed
to be a soul singer and country singer in the '60's, finding enormous success as a country
artist. He turned gospel in 1970 and returned to Southern blues in 1973 and 1979. His
later albums are as good as ever, including his "Young Blood."
In 1986, Jerry Lee was unanimously voted the First Artist to be inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His life was profiled in 1989 in the motion picture,
"Great Balls of Fire," starring Dennis Quaid. In 1993 Jerry Lee wrote and
published his autobiography, "Killer," with author Charles White.
Hit songs include --
- Chantilly Lace
- Great Balls of Fire
- Me And Bobby McGee
- There Must Be More To Love Than This
- Think About It Darlin'
- To Make Love Sweeter For You
- Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
- Would You Take Another Chance On Me
- Once More With Feeling
- One Minute Past Eternity
- She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye
- She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)
- What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out of Me)
- Breathless
- One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)
- Touching Home
- You Win Again
- Another Place, Another Time
- High School Confidential
- Don't Let Me Cross Over
Jerry Lee Lewis may be available for your next special event!
For booking information, click
HERE!
Genre: Country
Genre: Rock 1
Styles:
.Classic Rock.
.Rock & Roll.
.Traditional Country.
.Honky Tonk.
.Rockabilly.
Years active:
..50s, ..60s, ..70s, ..80s, ..90s, ..00s
Born: ..in Louisiana
..in Ferriday
Sep 29, 1935
Raised: ..in Louisiana
..in Ferriday
Based: ..in Mississippi
..in Nesbit |
