Http my hit com jerry lee lewis. Jerry Lee Lewis, biography, news, photos
Lewis, Jerry Lee
"Killer" with the face of a musician
In the early 70s. The following episode took place in the life of John Lennon. Once, a close friend of the famous Beatle, Elliott Mintz, took him to the Hollywood club "Roxy" to a concert of an American rock performer. According to Mintz, after the concert, John fell to his knees backstage and... kissed the singer’s shoe, and he, condescendingly patting him on the shoulder, said: “Well, okay, son, okay.” Intrigued? Today we will talk about the one before whom even the Great John fell prostrate...
Jerry Lee Lewis was born in Ferriday, Louisiana on September 29, 1935. Legend has it that when their son was 8 years old, the Lewises mortgaged their house to buy him a piano for $900. The boy mastered the instrument within literally two weeks, but his parents were unable to pay the debt on time and lost their home. (The legend is only a legend, so that its details in the mouths of various storytellers are vague: in some musical sources there is a mention of the loss of a house, in others not, but the piano appears in all of them in childhood).
As a teenager, Lewis studied to become a priest (!) at the Assemblies of God religious institute in Texas, secretly visiting blues clubs with his cousins and watching the masters of the genre play the piano. The hobby did not pass without a trace, and in the end the young man was thrown out of the institute for “blasphemous” music. Jerry's first public performance took place in 1948 in his native Ferriday at an event dedicated to the presentation of a new Ford model, then he began playing country music in bars and clubs. The first professional recordings were still far away.
In February 1952, a 17-year-old boy got married, and we would not have mentioned this fact, which at first glance has nothing to do with music, if since then family failures and scandals had not begun to accompany the entire further personal life of the legendary rocker, directly affecting his musical career. Very soon he abandoned his first wife and, without divorcing her, married a second girl, thus becoming a “bigamist.” True, in October 1953, the loving guy finally filed for divorce. By this time, his second wife gave him a son, Jerry Lee Jr.
By the mid-50s, Jerry Lee performed as JERRY LRR LEWIS AND HIS PUMPING PIANO, raping the piano "to the fullest" and beating sounds out of the instrument not only with his fingers, but also with his fists, legs, chin and back of the body - not forgetting the this is what to sing! A few years later, when the artist gained all-American popularity, fans gave him the nickname “Killer” for his similar playing technique. (A decade and a half later, Elton John would begin to use a similar arsenal of tricks in his concerts, but he would be second, right?).
After Elvis Presley's first successes at Sun, Jerry Lee Lewis also headed there. Label owner Sam Phillips needed a good country and rock 'n' roll pianist, and after auditioning Lewis, he hired him. For some time he accompanied such artists as Carl Perkins, Warren Smith and Billy Lee Riley. Many years later, Phillips recalled that Elvis really liked Jerry Lee Lewis's playing and that he wanted to learn to play the piano as well as he did.
Over time, Phillips discovered that the young man also had good vocal abilities, and decided to release a record with him. They recorded the country song "Crazy Arms" (December 1956), but it did not receive wide publicity. Lewis was working on a song for his second single, "It'll Be Me," and during a break in the session, someone suggested that he try singing "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," which he had previously performed with the singer Johnny Littlejohn Jerry Lee didn't even remember the words to the song right away, but when he started beating out the piano in his inimitable style and shouting the lyrics about how there was a party in a country barn and "everything's shaking," those present the studio went crazy - in the best sense of the word. A comparison of the later recordings of both songs showed that "Whole Lotta...", perhaps, surpasses the number that was planned for the main side of the single.
Sam Phillips was initially against it, but at the second session the composition sounded even more convincing, and the boss was broken. In June 1957, "Whole Lotta..." became Lewis's second single for Sun.
Soon, Judd Phillips, Sam’s brother, who had helped the latter in the music business from the very founding of the Sun company, managed to arrange for the young artist to participate in the television program “Steve Allen Show” by the famous host Steve Allen (he had previously sung on the same show). Elvis). Jerry Lee performed last - but how! During the performance of "Whole Lotta...", he stood up from the piano and kicked the chair, sending it flying away. Allen, deciding to “play along,” threw the chair back at the pianist, and then threw something else at the musician. He continued to play - now using his leg for this purpose. And all this in front of a large television audience! The scandalous performance brought the singer unprecedented popularity. The album went up in the international charts, taking 2nd place in the USA and 8th in England. Lewis did not forget the service Allen provided him, but more on that below. "Whole Lotta Shakin" Goin" On", a classic "piano" rock, entered the repertoire of almost all performers of those years - Little Richard, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Bill Haley, but no one put so much frantic energy into this composition like Jerry Lee Lewis.
Having seen the latter on TV, the black composer Otis Blackwell, who had recently composed the super-popular “Don’t Be Cruel” and “All Shook Up” for Elvis, sent Phillips a demo of his new song “Great Balls Of Fire.” The composition suited the style perfectly. Lewis and was immediately recorded.The choice turned out to be correct: the single climbed the charts in the musician’s homeland to 3rd place and reached the top of the charts in England (end of 1957).
Lewis begins to tour the country, and a more than modest accompanying line-up (a bass guitarist plus a drummer with one small drum) allows him to sometimes perform directly... from the back of a car decorated with the inscription “Pay less from the Jerry Lee Lewis music truck,” which will become understandable if we mention that at the same time the musicians were selling records.
The Warner Brothers company is making the musical film "Disc Jockey Jamboree" (1957), where the maestro performs with such stars as Carl Perkins, Fats Domino, Connie Francis. At this time, the slogan “Rock and roll is the thing and Jerry Lee is the king!” was born. (Rock and roll is a thing, and Jerry Lee is its king!) - in the end, Lewis's violent behavior on stage (as well as in life) gave some reason for this.
Around the same time, Jerry Lee secretly married for the third time - to his cousin Myra Gale Brown. What made the situation even more scandalous was that the bride was only...13 years old!
In the spring of 1958, Lewis went on tour to England, having another, third, hit to his name, “Breathless” (7th position in the USA, 8th in the British Isles). He is accompanied on the trip by his sister and teenage wife, even though Sam Phillips warned him not to play with fire. On May 22, 1958, a press conference was held at London Heathrow Airport. The couple stayed together, although the singer's manager tried to move Mira away when they got off the plane. One of the journalists asked who this girl was. “This is my wife Mira,” Jerry Lee announced. “And how old is she?” “Fifteen.” “God, Mrs. Lewis, isn’t it too early to get married at that age?” “Oh, no, not at all.” , - Mira chirped. - Here (in America. - I.M.) age does not play a special role. You can get married at ten if you find a husband."
The sensational news spread not only to England - in the musician’s homeland, journalists immediately discovered that the young people got married 5 months before Lewis officially divorced his second wife, and that his chosen one was not fifteen years old, as she said at a press conference, - her age was only approaching fourteen!
The musician's tour was actually disrupted. British newspapers burst out with abusive articles on the topic of the “moral character” of the overseas star, some demanded the deportation of the artist, and the audience at concerts booed him and awarded him epithets like “baby snatcher.” It was decided to stop the tour. Finally, Lewis told reporters: “In general, you English are good guys, but some of you are stifled by envy, just envy!” When asked whether this scandal would affect his career, the singer replied: “I have two excellent houses in America, three Cadillacs and a farm. What more does a person need?”/
In the United States, there was no end to the questioning of journalists. Jerry Lee had to explain that he was not deported, but that he “got bored” and returned on his own. Only once did the musician almost lose his temper - when someone again asked about Mira’s age. "You can write down that she is a woman!" - he barked.
It’s simply amazing how many musical careers were trampled by the heavy heel of fate at the turn of the 50s - 60s! Buddy Holly, Big Bopper and Richie Vallens died in a plane crash, Eddie Cochran died in a car accident, Chuck Berry went to prison, Carl Perkins was crippled in an accident and bedridden for a long time. Jerry Lee Lewis's career was also going through hard times...
Sam Phillips made desperate attempts to save the situation, even turning to such unconventional methods as, for example, releasing the single “The Return Of Jerry Lee,” on which he combined excerpts from his protégé’s songs in such a way that they seemed to answer journalists’ questions. Phillips also purchased a full page of Billboard magazine in which he and Lewis published an open letter to the public. “In the last few weeks I have gained enormous popularity,” the artist wrote. “But this popularity is entirely negative. Even the worst people must have something good, and according to reports from London, I am the worst of all and do not deserve any normal press release. This all started because I tried to tell the truth. I told the story of my past life because I thought it was getting better and I thought I wouldn't hurt anyone if I found the courage to tell the whole truth. I admit, that my life has been turbulent. I must also say that since I became popular, I sincerely wanted to be worthy of the admiration of all the people, young and old, who fell in love with my talent (if I have one). This, in the end after all, that’s all I can offer as a professional...".
But the persecution of the musician continued. The famous American disc jockey and TV presenter Dick Clark, after a call from above, refused to show Lewis in his programs. The engagement at the New York nightclub Café de Paris was canceled literally a week later, even though the establishment was in a critical financial situation. The artist's next single, "Break-Up" (August 1958), barely rose to number 52 in the United States.
And yet, Jerry Lee had another major hit - the composition "High School Confidential" became the title song of the film of the same name. The film “about drugs” gained considerable popularity, and the song reached 12th place in both the USA and England (1958).
In February 1959, Mira gave birth to a son, and Lewis named him Steve Allen - in honor of the TV presenter mentioned above, on whose program he became famous. Unfortunately, three years later the boy drowned in the pool.
The “black” period, when the artist’s records were either ignored altogether or occupied purely symbolic places, lasted about two years. It wasn't until 1961 that his interpretation of Ray Charles's classic "What'd I Say" rose to number 10 in England and number 30 in the U.S. In 1962-63, two cover versions by Lewis - "Sweet Little Sixteen" by Chuck Berry and "Good Golly Miss Molly" by Little Richard - reminded the world that the singer is alive and well (38th and 31st place in the British Isles, respectively). This was also confirmed by the artist's second album "Jerry Lee" Lewis Vol. 2", which rose to 14th place in the British bestsellers (summer 1962). Let us note in passing that in the first 8 years of his career the musician recorded only two long-playing records.
In 1963, Mira gave birth to her husband’s daughter. The girl was named Fibby Allen. The event coincided with the artist’s transfer to the Smash company: the contract with Sun ended. Finally, Jerry Lee recorded the single "Teenage Letter" on Phillips' label - this time in a duet with his sister Linda Gail. The record went unnoticed. (Linda recorded until 1974, but her career never took off).
By the mid-'60s, Lewis had largely moved away from rock 'n' roll and into country music (it should be noted that he had recorded country material before, mostly on the flip-sides of rock singles). His first country album was the disc "Country Songs For City Folks" (1965), and the hit single in this style was the composition "Another Time, Another Place", which took 4th place in the country charts in 1968. But if in Although the legendary performer settled down in music, the same cannot be said about his life - he continued to regularly find himself in scandalous chronicles with his alcoholic and drug escapades. The marriage with the “minor” Mira ended in early 1971 - oddly enough, it lasted for 13 years! (Ten years later, Mira would write a book of memoirs about her famous husband, Great Balls of Fire.) At the end of the year, Lewis married for the fourth time.
A tour of England in 1972 ended almost in failure: rock fans did not accept country numbers, country fans did not want to hear rock, and verbal altercations with the audience constantly arose at concerts. Over time, Lewis learned to find the right proportion of both. In the spring of 1973, the famous rocker recorded a double "The Session" with covers of classic rock and roll. The session featured leading guitarists of the time - Peter Frampton, Rory Gallagher, Alvin Lee and Albert Lee. The album entered the American charts for the first time in 9 years (37th place). In the same year, the artist suffered a new tragedy: his first son Jerry Lee Jr., who by this time had become a drummer in his father’s band, died in a car accident.
In 1976, the artist's scandalous life entered a new phase - this time firearms were used. This year, Jerry Lee accidentally shot his bass player Norman Owens and was also caught waving a gun at Elvis Presley's estate (the second episode occurred just hours after he was arrested by police for drunk driving). In 1978 he signed a contract with the Elektra company, but after 3 albums he began to sue the company. In July 1981, the singer underwent a complex operation on the stomach, and his chances were estimated as “50 to 50,” but he still recovered - so much so that in 1983, at almost 50 years of age, he was able to resume performing and... marry 25-year-old Shawn Michelle Stevens. The fourth wife, Jaren Pate, with whom Lewis had not lived for some time, drowned in the pool a year earlier. In general, as we see, scandals and tragedies accompanied the life of Jerry Lee Lewis, like no other musician (or just a person), and if an individual is still somehow interested in scandals, then he certainly does not create tragedies for himself! Two months later, the artist's young wife was found drowned in their home pool. The police suspected Lewis of the incident, but could not prove anything. 22-year-old Kerrie McCarver became the sixth chosen one of the hero of our story. In 1987, she gave birth to his son, Jerry Lee Lewis III.
In 1989, a feature-biographical film about the life of Jerry Lee Lewis called "Great Balls Of Fire" was released on screens around the world. The main character was played by Dennis Quaid. The soundtrack to the tape with re-recordings of old hits returned the singer to the American pop charts for the first time since 1973. In the spring of 1997, literally following Chuck Berry, the maestro visited Russia. Two of his performances were sold out - partly due to the high cost of tickets, partly, probably, because the inexorable time has laid its heavy paw on the artist’s popularity. Oh, if only 20 years ago! It’s not for nothing that they say: a spoon goes to dinner.
This is the musician at whose feet John Lennon himself fell. And, probably, there is some kind of symbolism in the fact that in most English rock encyclopedias and reference books the surnames Lewis and Lennon are the rebels of the 50s and the rebels of the 60s. - standing nearby.
Today, as many years ago, Jerry Lee Lewis concerts attract thousands of people. But what is the secret of such impressive success? We will try to figure this out today by presenting to your attention a short story about the life and creative destiny of the great musician.
Jerry Lee Lewis' Early Life, Childhood and Family
As reported in most modern sources, our today's hero began playing the piano in early childhood. Literally from the age of ten, he methodically picked out chords, and also adopted skills from his cousin, Mickey Gilley (now a famous country singer). Sometimes he also took lessons from invited teachers, but such cases were quite rare.Due to the fact that Jerry's family was extremely religious, this quality was soon passed on to him. From the very early years he dreamed of becoming a clergyman, and therefore, after graduating from school, without hesitation, he entered the Southwestern Biblical Institute in Texas. Here he continued to improve his musical skills. However, studying at a Texas university was short-lived for him.
The reason for the expulsion, oddly enough, was music. The thing is that during one of the performances the young musician came up with the idea to perform the song “My God Is Real” in the “boogie” style. Soon he successfully brought his plan to life. But to the teachers of the religious institute, such an idea did not seem the most successful. The song was called blasphemous, and very soon our today's hero was expelled from the university.
Realizing that the career of a clergyman was, to put it mildly, “not his thing,” Jerry Lee Lewis decided to devote his life to his favorite pastime - music. In 1954, our today's hero recorded two cover songs for a Louisiana radio station. The songs were broadcast, and this small success made the young musician believe in himself.
Excerpt from the film about Jerry Lee Lewis "Great balls of fire"
In the fall of 1956, he arrived in Memphis and arranged an audition with one of the local record companies. Musical talents the young guy were appreciated, but his repertoire was considered “not relevant.” The thing is that at that time the fashionable and most popular style was rock and roll, but Jerry’s repertoire included only country-style compositions. Sun Records representatives asked the musician to reconsider his musical style a little, and Jerry Lee Lewis had no choice but to agree.
It is worth noting that our today’s hero wrote the necessary compositions quite soon. The “rock and roll” “End Of The Road” delighted the chairman of Sun Records, and he subsequently spoke of the young musician as “the new Elvis Presley.”
It is quite remarkable that the ability to easily switch from one style to another later became one of the characteristic features of Jerry Lee Lewis's musical work.
Star Trek by Jerry Lee Lewis
In 1958, our today's hero presented to the public his first studio album, which received the modest name “Jerry Lee Lewis.” Several compositions from this record very soon found themselves in active rotation on all radio stations North America and some time later they turned into real hits.At the end of the fifties, the musician went on a long tour of cities in the USA, Canada and Great Britain. The singer's career developed rapidly. However, in the second half of 1958, a serious scandal erupted around the popular musician related to his marriage to his thirteen-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown. Because of this incident, many of the singer's concerts in Europe were cancelled. Jerry Lee Lewis received an equally cold reception at home.
Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On (Live 1964)
Because of the scandal that broke out, our today's hero was blacklisted by all radio stations for a long time. His concerts were cancelled, and newspaper publications about him and his work were mostly critical.
Only in 1963 did the musician manage to get out of a protracted dive. During this period, he began giving concerts again, and US radio stations began to play compositions from the musician’s second studio album (“Jerry Lee’s Greatest”). Soon Lewis began touring a lot again. During this period, not only American and Canadian, but also German and English cities.
In the first half of the sixties, our today's hero signed a contract with Smash Records and began active studio work. Subsequently, he released several albums a year, and in 1971 he again managed to record a “golden single” with the symbolic title “Would You Take Another Chance on Me.”
From that moment on, Jerry Lewis's career developed rapidly. Between 1971 and 2013, he recorded about forty (!) new albums, the last of which, the collection “Sun Recordings: Greatest Hits,” was released in 2012. Almost each of the studio records gave the world at least two or three real hits.
Jerry Lee Lewis currently
Currently, Jerry Lee Lewis is still as full of energy as ever before. He frequently performs in various cities in Europe and North America, and is also working on several new studio projects.In 1986, our today's hero was included in the first ten members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Directly or indirectly, the life of the legendary musician is told in two biographical films.
Personal life of Jerry Lee Lewis
The novels and marital unions of Jerry Lee Lewis could easily be the topic of a separate article. The now legendary musician had the opportunity to go to the altar for the first time at the age of fifteen. His wife was the daughter of a local priest. The reason for the breakdown of this marriage was the above-mentioned affair of the performer with his young niece. 
The marital union with a young girl lasted 12 years and subsequently also broke up. Subsequently, our today's hero decided to tie the knot five more times. Some of these marital unions fell apart on their own, and some were interrupted by chance.
Thus, the musician’s fourth wife drowned in the pool, and the fifth died of an overdose. At the beginning of 2012, the 76-year-old musician married for the seventh time. Jerry Lee Lewis's new wife was his nurse, who was 62 years old at that time.
Born in Ferriday, North Louisiana, Jerry Lee grew up in an extremely devout family, so his earliest musical experiences were related to church music. His life was destined to become a tragedy, starting from the moment when Lewis was 3 years old and his older brother Elmo Jr. (father's name was Elmo Sr.) was killed under the wheels of a car with a drunk driver behind the wheel.
His parents both loved country music, especially Jimmie Rodgers, and young Jerry Lee soon became interested in it, too. In his aunt's house, Jerry played the piano from time to time, and when his parents heard him, they were convinced that their son was gifted by nature, and even mortgaged the house in order to buy him a piano when Jerry was 8 years old. In his youth, Jerry liked everything from country, as well as some jazz, in particular two artists - Jimmie Rodgers and Al Johnson. He learned to play their songs on the piano, but believed that Johnson's songs were more suitable for him to sing.
Soon he perfectly mastered all the styles of piano playing he knew. By the end of the 40s. Jerry Lee discovered black blues and saw performances by such artists as Champion Jack Dupree, Big Maceo and B.B King. Jerry also became acquainted with new songs in the recordings of Piano Red, Stick McGhee, Lonnie Johnson and others. During his first public performance in public, he performed Stick McGee's song "Drinkin" Wine Spo-dee O"dee."
The country singer of the 40s and early 50s was Hank Williams. He was for his time what Jimmie Rodgers was in the 20s and 30s. Jerry, like many other country singers, was fascinated by Hank Williams. His favorite Williams songs were "You Win Again" and "Lovesick Blues." He incorporated these and other songs into his repertoire, combining them with other blues and country songs he had previously studied.
Another performer who had a huge influence on Jerry Lee was Moon Mulliken, a white boogie-woogie pianist who combined blues, jazz and country styles, and became famous for hits such as "I"ll Sail My Ship Alone, recorded by Jerry Lee on Sun Records, and Seven Nights To Rock.
In the mid-50s, Jerry studied theology at a Bible college in Texas, preparing to become a preacher. Like Moon Mulliken before him, Jerry couldn't resist the temptation that came from his boogie roots. And while Moon played a version of Bessie Smith's song "St Louis Blues" during a church service, Jerry interpreted the hymn "My God Is Real" in a boogie style, for which he was expelled. From that moment on, Jerry turned to music.
In 1954, Jerry recorded two songs for a Louisiana radio station. These were the then popular hits of Hank Snow “I Don't Hurt Anymore” and Eddie Fisher “If I Ever Needed You I Need You Now”. Both songs performed by Jerry combined blues and country Around the same time, Bill Haley had hits with his smoother versions of black rhythm and blues, such as “Rock The Joint” and “Shake, Rattle & Roll.” And in 1955, Haley exploded with his powerful hit "Rock Around The Clock". Rock and roll was born, but Haley was not the man who could adequately represent it. At the same time, Sam Phillips, owner of Sun Records - rhythm and blues label in Memphis - thought that if he could find a white singer singing in Negro, he would become a millionaire.
Rock and roll is really just another name for rhythm and blues, which in turn is another name for the blues, which was derived from Negro spirituals; however, it was new to the white population of the United States and Europe. Many of the Sun's first rockabilly performers were just copies of either Hank Williams or black bluesmen, and did not have their own unique style. Carl Perkins was undoubtedly a great singer and guitarist, but he was too reminiscent of Hank Williams (take his “Let The Jukebox Keep On Playing” for example). Elvis Presley was primarily a pop artist (thanks to the management of Tom Parker). Other performers were less famous and not very original.
Jerry Lee was one of the few original white bluesmen, as well as one of the few country stylists since Hank Williams. Sam Phillips noticed this when he heard Jerry Lee perform things of his own composition: ragtime “End Of The Road”, country “Crazy Arms” and “You"re The Only Star” by Gene Autry in a piano boogie arrangement, as well as blues rock "Deep Elem Blues" in 1956. Jerry Lee created a completely new style, combining country, blues, rockabilly, Al Johnson, boogie and gospel, which all together created JLL music.
Soon the world took notice of JLL's mix of country blues and boogie, and hit after hit followed. His amazing talent has earned a special place in the world of rock and roll. His style was unique. In the blues, rock and roll and country charts in 1957-1958. included killer songs like “Great Balls Of Fire”, “Mean Woman Blues”, “Breathless” and “High School Confidential”, as well as country ballads such as “You Win Again”, “Fools Like Me” and “ I "ll Make It All Up To You." Jerry Lee could sing and play anything, including: old-fashioned country (“Silver Threads”), delta blues “Crawdad Song”), jazz (“No More Than I Get"), Nashville country ("I Can"t Seem To Say Goodbye"), lowdown blues ("Hello, Hello Baby") and rock and roll ("Wild One"). So Sam Phillips found a white musician who could sing like a black man and even better.
By 1958-1959 real rock and roll was dying out. Performers like Buddy Holly and Pat Boone were good singers, but much more polished than the early rockers. Performers like Bobby Vee and Fabian became famous more for their looks than for their music. Jerry Lee found that his music was being banned (his marriage to Myra was a good excuse), and the real reason was that rock music encouraged youth to rebel. Finally, the fall of rock and roll was accelerated by racists who hated blues, country, jazz and other “roots” music, which is what rock and roll was originally. That's why the charts of that time suffered from the dominance of sweet pop music.
While Jerry Lee's friends and contemporaries such as Elvis and Roy Orbison (largely under pressure from managers like Tom Parker) switched to a new style, "Killer" continued to deliver his blues-based roots. boogie. Some of the most excellent hits in his career were recorded on Mercury Records from 1963 to 1968. Among them are “Corrine, Corrina”, “She Was My Baby”, “Whenever You"re Ready”, etc. He also performed soul at that time, for example “Just Dropped In”, “It"s A Hang-up, Baby” and “Turn On Your Lovelight”.
By 1968, Jerry focused on country and released powerful hits like “Another Place, Another Time,” “What's Made Milwaukee Famous,” “To Make Love Sweeter For You,” and “She Still Comes Around.” From 1969 to 1981 Among Jerry's hits were wonderful ballads such as "Would You Take Another Chance", "She Even Woke Me Up", "Touching Home", "He Can't Fill My Shoes" and "When Two Worlds Collide". He was also involved in blues, his song “I"ll Find It Where I Can” entered the hit parade in the C&W category (Country & Western - country and western). His albums also sold well, especially “The Session” and “Killer Rocks On."
His years of work with Elektra (from 1979 to 1981) were also marked by success, which came with hits such as “Two Worlds Collide”, “Rocking My Life Away”, etc. By 1986, he had released over 60 hits, many of which were number 1 or in the top ten. His three albums released on Elektra became some of the best. They were followed by good albums recorded at MCA.
Meanwhile, the 60s, 70s and 80s filled Jerry's personal life with tragedies: his beloved sons, Steve Allen and Jerry Lee Jr., died in accidents in 1962 and 1973, respectively, and his death in 1970 his mother, Myra divorced him in the same 1970; his next two wives died in 1981 and 1983 in tragic accidents. Rolling Stone magazine published a monstrously false article blaming Jerry for the death of his fifth wife in 1983, without citing a shred of facts. All these and other tragic events forced Jerry Lee to become addicted to drugs and alcohol. He almost died twice: in 1981 and 1985 from ulcer bleeding. Kerry, his current wife, helped Jerry get rid of bad habits.
And yet, despite everything, Killer remains the best vocalist, pianist and showman of them all. His 1995 album Young Blood is filled with the same energy as his previous work. As Hank Cochran noted, George Jones can sing traditional country great, but nothing else; Frank Sinatra excels at his music, but Jerry Lee can do everything from blues to country to Jimmie Rodgers to gospel and do it right.
In 1996, Jerry had a heart attack, but he still continues to play rock. Jerry Lee is not only the King of Rock and Roll Boogie, but also the King of American Music in the Southern States. And he is the only one who continues to play true Southern Blues and Country in the 90s.
Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the pioneers of rock and roll, who received the nickname “killer” for his expressive style of performance that struck the listener on the spot. Surrounded by a scandalous aura, both on stage and in life, this musician was still very popular, and he was one of the first to get a place in the “Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame” that opened in the 80s. Jerry Lee was born in the provincial Louisiana town of Ferriday on September 29, 1935. The boy's talent for playing the piano emerged when he was not yet ten, and although the Lewis family did not live well, in order to purchase the instrument, the parents mortgaged the farm, and thus their son could practice as much as he liked. By the way, at first Jerry did not study alone, but together with his brothers, but he very quickly overtook them in skill. At first, Lewis copied the style of black musicians and churchmen, but when his older cousin Carl McVoy revealed to him the secrets of boogie-woogie, he began to mix new knowledge with country and gospel and thus develop an original style. And although things weren’t going well for the guy at school, his achievements in music compensated for this deficiency. At the age of 14, Jerry Lee gave his first concert at a local car dealership and was already ready to conquer new heights, but then his mother intervened. She didn't want her young son to be spoiled by show business, so she shoved her son into a Bible college in Texas. The naive woman believed that Jerry would use his gift for the glory of God, but he did not live up to her hopes and was thrown out of the charitable institution for performing the gospel song “My God Is Real” in the style of boogie-woogie.
After this incident, Lewis returned to Louisiana and began performing in small clubs, and in 1955 he paid a visit to Nashville. In the capital of country music, they did not appreciate the young man’s abilities and, as if in mockery, advised him to learn to play the guitar, but Jerry Lee continued his path and the next year found himself on the threshold of the Memphis Sun studio. In the absence of label owner Sam Phillips, he successfully auditioned and soon recorded his first record with a cover of Ray Price's "Crazy Arms". The single was a local success, and this was enough to keep Lewis at Sun. His expressive piano could be heard on many of the “sunny” records of late 1956 and early 1957, and, in addition, in the pre-Christmas days, historic sessions took place in which the musician jammed with Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. This event was spontaneous, but savvy sound engineers guessed to turn on the tape recorder in time, and subsequently a recording called “Million Dollar Quartet” was born.
1957 was a year of triumph for Lewis and his crazy piano. Unable to wobble on stage with a guitar, Jerry would jump up in the middle of a song, throw away his chair and furiously attack the keys while standing. His piano drive first appeared on the vinyl of the “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On” EP, and if Phillips initially doubted the release of the record, then upon its release he realized that he had hit the jackpot. Killer rock and roll took the highest positions in country music. - and rhythm and blues charts, entered the top three of the pop charts and announced to the world that a new superstar had appeared on the American stage. Success in recording was fueled by enchanting concerts at which Jerry Lee revealed himself as a grandiose showman. The musician played not only with his fingers , but also with his elbows, legs, head and ass, and once, in order to kill Chuck Berry, who was performing after him, he even set fire to his instrument. At the end of 1957, Lewis released one of his main hits, “Great Balls Of Fire,” and the following spring again rammed the top ten with the hit "Breathless". Unfortunately, the artist's further career was spoiled by the artist's personal life, namely his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra Gail Brown. In principle, in the southern states such marriages were considered commonplace, but when Jerry arrived on tour in England, the local press portrayed him as a child molester, and a major scandal broke out. The tour was disrupted, but even upon returning to America, the artist became an outcast, and his songs were banned from broadcasting, and fees dropped from $10,000 to $250 per concert. However, Lewis did not give up so easily and continued to boogie-woogie at small venues and release rock and roll records, and before leaving in a dive he managed to score another goal against show business with the single “High School Confidential” . Over time, the incident with Myra slowly began to be forgotten, and in 1961, a cover of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" returned Jerry to the American Top 40, and in 1964, the musician showed Europeans how to work live, capturing his energy in the back room." Live At The Star Club, Hamburg."
When Lewis's rock 'n' roll career stalled after moving from Sun to Smash Records, he remembered his youth and switched to country music. His first success in this new direction came in 1968, when the song “Another Place, Another Time” hit the top ten. This EP was followed by a number of other hits in the Top 10, and in the same 1968, the composition “To Make Love Sweeter For You” went to the very top of the specialized chart. For the next few years, Lewis regularly made country albums, and sometimes even made nods to the gospel style (as in the case of “In Loving Memories”), but in the early 70s he was again drawn to rock and roll during a visit to London he cut the program "The Session". In recording this double, he was helped by local stars such as Jimmy Page, Peter Frampton, Alvin Lee, Rory Gallagher, Matthew Fisher, etc. And although the album was somewhat inferior to the energy of the earlier records, the public received it well, and “The Session” ended up in the Billboard top forty.
The return to the charts coincided with another tragedy in the Lewis family - his 19-year-old son died in an accident. It must be said that the musician’s personal life was generally full of dark moments - back in 1962, his first son drowned in a swimming pool, later a similar accident happened to his fourth wife, and his fifth wife died from a methadone overdose. In 1976, Jerry almost killed his bassist (he pulled the trigger of a revolver, thinking it was not loaded), and just a few weeks later he was tied up with a gun at Elvis Presley's residence. Many of these misfortunes could have been avoided if the musician had led a more correct lifestyle, but alcohol and drugs brought such turbulent chaos into it that misadventures were inevitable. In 1978, Lewis struck a deal with Elektra Records and the following year released the radio hit "Rockin' My Life Away", but soon fell out with the company, and the matter ended in a scandalous trial. The last major country hit from Jerry ("Thirty -Nine And Holding") was released in 1981, when the musician almost went to the next world due to a bleeding ulcer. Fortunately, doctors managed to save Lewis, and in 1986, after a period of further adversity, he found himself in the “Hall of Fame Rock and Roll." Another surge of interest in the artist's work occurred in 1989, when the film "Great Balls Of Fire" appeared on world screens, telling about his early career. Jerry Lee performed all the songs for the soundtrack personally, and all the songs sounded as energetic and fiery as in the 50s.
Once again, Lewis proved that young blood still flows in his veins by releasing an appropriately titled album in 1995. And although both the vocal delivery and the keyboard pressure were at a fairly high level, the impression of “Young Blood” was blurred by the not very successful selection of accompanists. Over the next decade, avoiding studio visits, Jerry toured sporadically, and his new album was released only in 2006. On "Last Man Standing" Lewis managed to gather almost the entire elite of rock and roll (Jimmy Page, Rolling Stones, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, etc.), and four years later he repeated the idea of duets in the program "Mean Old Man". On the eve of his 80th birthday, “The Killer” again used the help of some of his friends, but now he left them behind the scenes and, photographed alone in front of the Sun company building, presented the album “Rock & Roll Time” as a real solo album.
Last update 01.11.14Jerry Lee Lewis |
|
|---|---|
|
Lewis publicity photo, circa 1950s |
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
(1935-09-29
)
September 29, 1935 (age 83) Ferriday, Louisiana, USA |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| tools | |
| active years | 1954-present |
| Labels | |
| Related actions | |
| Web site | jerryleelewis.com |
Jerry Lee Lewis(born September 29, 1935), American singer-songwriter, musician and pianist, often known by his nickname, Murderer. He has been described as "rock and the first great wild man - roll."
Lewis's successes continued for ten years, and he embraced rock and roll's past with songs such as covers of the Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" and Mack Vickery's "Rockin' My Life Away". Into the 21st century Lewis continues to tour around the world and is still releasing new albums. Last Man Standing its best-selling to date, with over a million copies sold worldwide. This was followed Mean Old Man, which received some of the best sales of Lewis' career.
Lewis has a dozen gold records in both rock and country. He has won several Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award. Lewis was inducted into Rock and Roll in 1986, and his pioneering contributions to the genre were recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. In 1989, his life was depicted in a film Big fireballs, starring Dennis Quaid. In 2003 Rolling Stone his box set is listed All Killer, No Filler: An Anthology number 242 on their list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2004, they ranked him number 24 on their list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Lewis is the last surviving member of Sun Records' Million Dollar Quartet and class "55" album, which also included Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley. Music critic Christgau told Lewis: "His drive, his timing, his impromptu vocal power, his unmistakable boogie-plus piano, and his absolute confidence in the face of emptiness make Jerry Lee the quintessential rock roller."
early life
Jerry Lee Lewis Drive in Ferriday, Louisiana
Lewis was born in 1935 to a poor farming family, Elmo and Mamie Lewis, in Ferriday, Concordia Parish, in eastern Louisiana. In his youth, he began playing piano with two of his cousins, Mickey Gilley (later a popular country music singer) and Jimmy Swaggart (later a popular television evangelist). His parents mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano. Lewis was influenced by the pianism of his older brother, Carl McVoy (who later recorded with Bill Black's Combo), radio, and sounds from Haney's Big House, Black Jukebox Joint through the tracks. On the live album on demand, more of the Greatest Live Show on Earth Lewis has heard Moon Mullican named as the artist who inspired him.
His dynamic performance style can be seen in films such as High School Confidential(he sang the theme song from the back of a flatbed truck), and Jamboree. It has been called "rock and roll's first great wild man" as well as "rock and roll and the first great eclectic". Classical composer Michael Nyman has also cited Lewis's style as a progenitor of his own aesthetic.
Marriage controversy
Lewis's turbulent personal life was hidden from the public until a May 1958 British tour, where Ray Berry, a news agency reporter at London Heathrow Airport (the only journalist present), became aware of Lewis's third wife, Myra Gail Brown. She was Lewis's first cousin after removal and 13 years old (even if Brown, Lewis and his management all insisted that she was 15) - while Lewis was 22 years old. The publicity caused an uproar, and the tour was canceled after only three shows.
A scandal followed Lewis's home in the United States; he was blacklisted from radio and almost disappeared from the music scene. Lewis felt betrayed by many people who were his supporters. Dick Clark dropped him from his show. Lewis even felt that Sam Phillips had sold him out when the Sun Records boss released "The Return of Jerry Lee," a fake "interview" splicing together Jack Clement from excerpts of Lewis' songs about the "answers" to interview questions that made the light of his marriage and advertising tasks. Only Alan Freed remained loyal to Lewis, playing his records until Freed was airlifted due to bribery allegations.
Lewis was still under contract to Sun Records and he continued to record, regularly releasing singles. He went from $10,000 a night for concerts to only $250 a night for battles in speakeasies and small clubs. At that time he had several friends whom he felt he could trust. It was only through Kay Martin, president of the Lewis fan club, TL Mead (also known as Franz Daska), occasional Memphis musician and friend of Sam Phillips, and Gary Skala that Lewis returned to recording at Sun Records.
In 1960, Phillips opened a new state-of-the-art studio at 639 Madison Avenue in Memphis, abandoning the old Union Avenue studio where Phillips recorded B.B. King, Howlin' Wolf, Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins, Lewis, Johnny Cash and others, as well also opened a studio in Nashville. It was in the latter studio that Lewis recorded his only major hit during this period, a rendition of Ray Charles's "What I Say" in 1961. In Europe, other updated versions of "Sweet Little Sixteen" (September 1962 UK) and "Good Golly Miss Molly" (March 1963) entered the hit parade. On the popular Oh, "Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes", "I'm Twistin", "Money" and "Hello Josephine" also became TURNTABLE hits, especially in the nascent discotheques.Another recording of Lewis playing an important boogie arrangement of the Glenn Miller Orchestra favorite "In the Mood" was released on Phillips International labels under the pseudonym "The Hawk", but disc jockeys quickly realized the distinct piano style, and this gambit failed
Impact reports
Sun Lewis's recording contract ended in 1963, and he joined Impact Records, where he made a series of rock recordings that continued his career. Team Impact (a division of Mercury Records) came up with "I'm on Fire", a song they felt would be perfect for Lewis and, as Colin Escott writes in a retrospective sleeve half-century Hits"The Mercury spent the press thinking they had discovered the return of Lewis's hit, and it might have happened if the Beatles hadn't come to America, changing radio playlists almost instantly. Quicksilver didn't know what to do with Lewis after that." One of SMASH's first decisions was to record RETREAD of their Sun hits, Golden Hits by Jerry Lee Lewis, which may have been inspired by the ongoing enthusiasm of European audiences to show for Lewis's brand of rock and roll. However, none of the early Beat Lewis albums, including Returns of Rock , Memphis Impact And Soul My Way, were commercially successful.
Live at the Star Club, Hamburg
One of the main successes during these lost years was the live album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, recorded with the Nashville Teens in 1964, which is considered one of the greatest live rock and roll albums ever. In Joe Bonomo's book Lost and Found Producer Siggi Loch stated that the recording setup was uncomplicated, with microphones placed as close to the instruments as possible and a stereo microphone placed in the audience to capture the atmosphere. The results were acoustically astonishing, with Bonomo observing, "Detractors complain about the album's glitch noise, the lack of finesse with which Jerry Lee re-imagines the songs, the fact that the pianos mix too loudly, but it's true that Ziggy Loch on this spring evening captured that - then honest about the killer, about the primal and timeless center of the very best rock & roll..." the album demonstrates Lewis's skills as a pianist and singer, honed by the relentless tourism. In a 5-of-5-star review, Milo Miles wrote in Rolling Stone magazine that " Live at the Star Club, Hamburg Not an album, it's a crime scene: Jerry Lee Lewis kills his rivals in a thirteen-song set that feels like one long spasm." Due to legal restrictions, the album was not released in the United States.
Comeback country
Frustrated by SMASH's inability to score a putt, Lewis was close to the end of his contract when promotions manager Eddie Kilroy called him out and crushed the idea of cutting a clean country record in Nashville. With nothing to lose, Lewis agreed to record the Jerry Chestnut song "Another Place, Another Time", which was released as a single on March 9, 1968, and, to everyone's surprise, topped the country charts. At the time of release, Lewis was playing Iago in the adaptation of Rock and Roll from Othello entitled Catch My Soul in Los Angeles, but was soon brought back to Nashville to record another batch of songs with producer Jerry Kennedy. What followed was a string of hits that no one could have ever predicted, although country music remained a large part of Lewis's repertoire. As Colin Escott notes in Sleeve in the 1995 compilation Killer Country, the transformation in country music in 1968 “looked like a radical shift at the time, but it was neither as drastic nor as unexpected as it seemed. Jerry always records country music, and his country breakthrough "Another Place, Another Time" was preceded by many, many country records, starting with his first, "Gun Crazy," in 1956." The last time Lewis had a song on the country charts was with " "Pen and Paper" in 1964, which peaked at number 36, but "Another Place, Another Time" would go all the way to number 4 and remain on the charts for 17 weeks.
Between 1968 and 1977, Lewis had 17 Top 10 singles on the Billboard country chart, including four Rhinestone charts. Hits include "What Made the Milwaukee Famous (Who Made the Loser Out of Me)", "To Make Love Sweeter For You", "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)", "Since I Met You Baby ", "Once More With Feeling", "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)", and "Sometimes the Memory Isn't Enough". Production on his early country albums such as another place, another time And she even woke me up to say goodbye, was rare, quite different from the spot "Nashville sound" that was prevalent on country radio at the time, and also expressed Lewis's complete commitment to the country audience. The songs still featured Lewis's inimitable piano flourishes, but critics were most taken aback by the rock 'n' roll pioneer's effortlessly soulful vocals, which possessed an emotional resonance on par with the country's most respected singers of the time, such as George Jones and Merle Haggard. In his book Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story Biographer Rick Bragg notes that the songs Lewis recorded "were of the sort they were beginning to call 'hard country,' not because it had a rock rhythm or went rock in a real way, but because it was more significant than cloying, redundant mess there on country radio.”
In a remarkable turnaround, Lewis has become the country's most star bankers in the world. He was so huge in 1970 that his former Smash producer Shelby Singleton, who acquired Sun Records from Sam Phillips in July 1969, wasted no time in repackaging many of Lewis's old country records with such efficiency that many fans speculated that they were recent releases. One of his last unreleased Sun recordings, "One Minute Past Eternity" was released as a single and soared to number 2 on the country chart, following Lewis's recent Mercury hit "She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye." Singleton would milk these unpublished recordings for years after Golden Country Cream With Taste of the Country later in 1970.
Grand Ole Opry appearance
In August 2009, in anticipation of his new album, a single entitled "Mean Old Man" was released for download. It was written by Kris Kristofferson. An EP featuring this song and four others was also released on November 11. On October 29, 2009, Lewis opened the Rock and Roll 25th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
Family and personal life
Lewis was married seven times.
His second marriage, to Jane Mitchum, was of dubious validity because it occurred 23 days before his divorce from Barton was final. This continued for four years (September 1953-October 1957). They had two children: Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. (1954-1973) and Ronnie Guy Lewis (b. 1956).
His third marriage was to 13-year-old Myra Gail Brown, his first cousin once removed. Their marriage lasted 13 years (December 1957-December 1970). The couple went through a second wedding ceremony because his divorce from Mitch's Jane was not finalized before the first ceremony took place. They had two children: Steve Allen Lewis (1959-1962) and Phoebe Allen Lewis (b. 1963).
His fourth marriage was to Jaren Elizabeth Hanna Pate (October 1971 – June 8, 1982). Pate drowned in the pool at the house of a friend she was staying with, a few weeks before the divorce the procedure could be completed. They had one daughter, Laurie Lee Lewis (b. 1972).
His fifth marriage, to Shawn Stephens, lasted 77 days, from June to August 1983, ending with her death. Journalist Richard Ben Cramer claims that Lewis abused her and may have been responsible for her death, but these claims have not been verified.
His sixth marriage, to Kerry McCarver, lasted 21 years, from April 1984 to June 2005. They have one child: Jerry Lee Lewis III (b. 1987).
Lewis had six children during his marriage. In 1962, his son Steve Allen Lewis drowned in a swimming pool accident at age three, and in 1973, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jr. died at age 19 when he canceled the Jeep he was driving.
In 1993, Lewis moved to Ireland with his family in what was suggested (but denied) to be a move to avoid problems with the tax office. He lived in a rented house in Westminster Road, Foxrock, Dublin, and during his stay there was sued by the German company Neue Constantin Film Production GmbH for failing to appear at a concert in Munich in 1993. Lewis returned to the US in 1997 after his tax issues were resolved by Irish promoter Kieran Kavanagh.
Graceland arrest
On November 22, 1976, Lewis was arrested outside Elvis Presley's Graceland home, allegedly intending to shoot him. Lewis had nearly killed his bassist, Butch Owens, on September 29, 1976 (Lewis's 41st birthday) when a .357 Magnum accidentally went into his hand. In the 2014 authorized biography of Rick Bragg, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story Lewis said the reclusive Presley was trying to contact him and finally did on November 23, begging him to "come out to the house." Lewis replied that if he had time, but he was busy getting his father, Elmo, out of jail in Tunica for drunk driving. Later that night, Lewis was at a Memphis nightclub called Vapors drinking champagne when he received a gun. Lewis suddenly remembered that Elvis would like to see him, and, climbing aboard his new Lincoln Continental with a loaded gun on the dashboard and a bottle of champagne under his arm, he tore off to Graceland. Just before three o'clock in the morning, Lewis accidentally crashed into the famous gates of Graceland.
Graceland at the music-themed gate
Presley's astonished cousin Harold Lloyd manned the gate and watched Lewis attempt to throw a bottle of champagne through the car window, not realizing that it was rolled up, breaking both. Bragg reports that Lewis denied that he intended to harm Presley, that the two were friends, but "Elvis, watching the closed-circuit on television, told the guards to call the police. Memphis police found a gun in the car and put Lewis in handcuffs, protesting, screaming, threatening them." Lewis said, "The cops asked Elvis, 'What do you want us to do?' And Elvis told them, 'Lock him up.' It hurts my feelings to be afraid of me. - me, learning about how he did - it's funny." Lewis was charged with carrying a pistol and public drunkenness. Released for $250, his cheeky Mugshot was connected worldwide. Presley himself died at Graceland eight months later.
Religious Beliefs
As a teenager, Lewis attended Southwest Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas, before being thrown out for daring to play a boogie-woogie version of "Oh My God Is Real", and that early incident foreshadowed his lifelong conflict over his faith in God and his love to play "the devil's music". Lewis had a recorded argument with Sam Phillips during the recording session for "Great Balls of Fire", a song he initially refused to record because he considered it blasphemous ("How... How does the devil save souls? What are you you say "oh"? he asks Phillips during one flare-up). During the famous Million Dollar Quartet jam featuring Lewis, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash, they performed several gospel songs. Lewis biographer Rick Bragg explains that part of the reason the recording only shows Lewis and Elvis singing is because "only Elvis and Jerry Lee [were] raised in the Assembly of God," and "Johnny and Carl didn't know the words... they were Baptists "[Lewis] said, and therefore deprived."
In 1990 documentary Jerry Lee Lewis Story Lewis told an interviewer, “The Bible doesn't even talk about religion. There is not a word about religion even in the Bible. Consecration! Are you sanctified? You were saved? Look, I was a good preacher, I know that my Bible... I believe I fall to the glory of God."
Gospel music was a major part of his performing repertoire. After a string of hit country albums, he decided to record a proper gospel album for the first time in 1970.
piano style
Lewis is widely recognized as one of the most influential pianists in the history of rock and roll. In an oft-quoted tribute, Elvis Presley once said that if he could play the piano like Lewis he would quit singing. Lewis's key role in popularizing the piano in rock and roll is undeniable. Before his arrival, music was mainly associated with guitars, but his early Sun recordings and television appearances pushed the instrument to the forefront. Lewis was also a fiery showman who often played with his fists, elbows, legs, and butts, sometimes rising on the piano during concerts and even
