BIOGRAPHY:

Jerry Lee Lewis began playing the piano at the age of nine, copying the styles of preachers and black musicians. He signed a contract with Sun Records and became a rockabilly star. In 1958, Lewis married his 13-year-old cousin, prompting a boycott of the recording, but Lewis continued performing and returned. In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the 70s of the last century, John Lennon, when meeting Jerry Lee Lewis, knelt before him and kissed his feet.

Childhood and youth:

Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, located in East Louisiana. His parents, Elmo and Mamie Lewis, were poor farmers, but they tried to give their only son everything they could afford, and even a little more. When, under the influence of cousins ​​Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Lee became interested in playing the piano, his mother and father mortgaged the farm to buy an expensive instrument.

Insisting that her son sing only gospel songs, Mamie enrolled him in the Southwest Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas. Soon Lewis, already distinguished by his impudent character in his youth, played boogie-woogie at a church meeting and was expelled from the school.

The young man returned home and began performing in local clubs. In 1954, Jerry Lee made his first demo recording and went to Nashville in search of a record deal.

Music:

At first, producers did not perceive Lewis’s work as something worthy of attention. Only in November 1956, Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, recognized the talent in the musician and signed a contract with him to release solo albums, provided that Jerry Lee would take part in the recording of other artists. As a session pianist, Lewis accompanied performances by Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Billy Lee Riley and became the first person to play rockabilly songs on the keyboard since 1957, with the hits Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, Crazy Arms and Great Balls of Fire , which brought Jerry Lee worldwide fame, the musician began an individual career. On stage, Lewis acted like a madman: pounding his heels on the piano keys, throwing aside the bench and playing without it, waving his arms for dramatic effect, sitting and even standing on the instrument.

In May 1958, during a tour of England and Scotland, a scandal erupted around the musician related to his personal life. Jerry Lee’s compositions were blacklisted on the radio, and concerts were cancelled. Sam Phillips betrayed his own client by releasing a fictitious interview with his participation, and only American DJ Alan Freed, the inventor of the term “rock and roll,” remained faithful to the musician and played his recordings.

During this difficult time, Lewis performed in bars and cafes. The desire to be in the public eye prompted him to record an instrumental boogie arrangement of Glenn Miller’s In The Mood under the pseudonym The Hawk. The deception was quickly revealed as radio hosts and listeners recognized Jerry Lee’s unique performing style.

In 1963, Lewis’ contract with Sun Records ended and he moved to Mercury Records. The collaboration began with the recording of the potential hit I’m On Fire, which was supposed to return the love and trust of the public to the musician. This did not happen, as America became acquainted with the work of The Beatles, and interest in rock and roll began to fade.

Not losing hope, Jerry Lee recorded the albums The Return Of Rock, Memphis Beat and Soul My Way, but they were not commercially successful. Fame returned to the performer with the release of Live at the Star Club in 1964, which became one of the greatest live rock and roll recordings ever released.

Lewis’s position was finally strengthened after the performance of Jerry Chesnut’s country song Another Place, Another Time, which was released as a single on March 9, 1968 and immediately soared to the top of the country charts. This was followed by a number of hits recorded in the same style, 17 of them were in the top 10 on the Billboard charts.

What’s Made Milwaukee Famous, To Make Love Sweeter For You, Since I Met You Baby and Sometimes A Memory Ain’t Enough blasted across radio stations and dance floors across America. Listeners and critics were captivated by the light, soulful vocals of the rock and roll pioneer, who had the emotional resonance on par with famous performers George Jones and Merle Haggard.

After this turn, Lewis became the highest paid singer in America. The demand for his records grew so much that the new owner of Sun Records re-released the musician’s previously recorded albums and sold them in unprecedented quantities.

In January 1973, Jerry Lee made his first and only appearance on the Grand Ole Opry radio broadcast. Live, the musician broke all the rules and traditions of the program: instead of the 8 minutes allotted for music between commercials, he played for almost an hour without a break, talked about music and life, and then invited one of the employees to sing with him. Until 1977, Jerry Lee continued to record country albums. The last hit released on Smash Records was the song Middle Age Crazy, recorded in 1977.

In 1986, Lewis became one of the first 10 inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. At the same time, the musician returned to the Sun Records studio to participate in the recording of the Class of ’55 album in the company of Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins. The record was supposed to be an analogue of the Million Dollar Quartet, but, according to critics, it lacked the atmosphere that reigned in 1956.

Three years later, there was another breakthrough in the musician’s creative biography, when he re-recorded old songs for the film “Big Balls of Fire,” based on the memoirs of Lewis’s ex-wife. The main roles in the film about the life and early work of the singer were played by Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder and Alec Baldwin. In 1990, Jerry Lee’s new song It Was The Whiskey Talkin’ (Not Me) became the soundtrack to the blockbuster film Dick Tracy starring Al Pacino, Dustin Hoffman and Madonna.

Lewis toured constantly throughout the country and abroad. The Russian public saw the idol in 1997. And although he was already in his seventh decade, at a concert in Moscow the performer still threw his leg on the electric piano. In 1998, he joined Chuck Berry and Little Richard’s star-studded tour.

On February 12, 2005, Jerry Lee received a Grammy Award for his contribution to the development of music, and a year later he released a new album called Last Man Standing, where most of the compositions were duets with world rock stars: BB King, Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and others. Receiving positive reviews, the album charted four times on the Billboard charts, including a two-week stay at number one on the indie charts.

In March 2007, director Jim Gable released a DVD entitled Last Man Standing Live, featuring concert clips of Lewis and many guest artists, including Tom Jones, Chris Isaac, John Fogerty and others. The disc went gold in the United States, where it sold more than half a million copies.

Later albums Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On and Great Balls of Fire:

Lewis eventually ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, where he found work as a studio musician at Sun Studios. In 1956, he recorded his first single, a cover of Ray Price’s Crazy Arms, which was a local success. Lewis also worked on several recording sessions with Carl Perkins. While at Sun, he and Perkins jammed with Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. This Million Dollar Quartet session was recorded at that time but released much later.

In 1957, Lewis became a star thanks to his unique piano sound. Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On became a hit on the pop, country and R&B charts. By this time, Lewis had also mastered some of his famous stage tricks, such as standing up and even setting the piano on fire. There was such energy and enthusiasm in his performances that he earned the nickname Killer for the way he wowed audiences.

In the 1960s, Lewis returned to the music of his youth. He launched a new career as a country singer with the 1968 hit “Another Place, Another Time.” Over the next few years, Lewis recorded several country albums, including 1970’s Old Tyme Country Music and 1975’s Boogie Woogie Country Man.

Lewis never completely left the rock world. In 1973, he achieved album chart success with The Session. He revisited some of his old songs, as well as the work of Chuck Berry and John Fogerty, on this popular record. However, Lewis seemed to be struggling in his personal life. He was arrested for drunk driving in Memphis in 1973, and a bleeding ulcer nearly cost him his life in 1981.

Luckily, the rest of the 1980s turned out much better for the music legend. In 1986, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, one of the first performers to receive this honor. A new generation of music listeners were introduced to Lewis through the 1989 biopic Big Balls of Fire. Lewis was played by actor Dennis Quaid.

Latest projects:

He has been recording music and performing almost his entire life. He has released two well-received albums in recent years. For the 2006 album Last Man Standing, Lewis performed several classic rock, blues and country songs with some help from famous fans such as Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Buddy Guy. Co-writer Kristofferson described Lewis as “one of the There are few who can do rock ‘n’ roll, country or soul, and every song is authentic.” He told USA Today that Lewis is “one of the best American voices of all time.”

Lewis and Kristofferson worked together again on Lewis’s next work, the 2010 film Mean Old Man. Celebrity guests for the release included Eric Clapton, Tim McGraw and Sheryl Crow, among others.

Personal life:

Jerry Lee Lewis was married 7 times and had six children. His first marriage to Dorothy Barton lasted for 20 months, from February 1952 to October 1953. The musician lived with his second wife Jane Mitchum for 4 years. During this time, the couple had two children.

Jerry Lee’s turbulent personal life was hidden from the public until May 1958, when, while on tour in Britain, reporter Ray Berry learned of the musician’s marriage to a great niece named Myra Gail Brown, who was 13 years old. The publicity caused an uproar and the tour was abandoned after 3 dates. The couple married in December 1957 and soon had a son, Steve, who lived only 3 years, and then a daughter, Phoebe. In 1970, the couple divorced because Myra was tired of the endless insults and cruelty from her husband.

Jerry Lee’s next wife was Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate, who gave birth to a daughter for the musician. The relationship did not work out, and the wife went to live with another man. A few weeks before the divorce, she drowned in a swimming pool. There were rumors that this death was not accidental, but Lewis denied involvement in the tragedy.

A year after Jaren’s death, the musician decided that he had found his soulmate, but again he made the wrong choice. The marriage with Shawn Stevens lasted 77 days, and then the wife died of a drug overdose. The public again suspected Jerry Lee of what had happened, but, having found no evidence, they soon calmed down.

The longest marriage was with Kerry McCaver, who became the singer’s life partner for 21 years. The couple had one child, Jerry Lee Lewis III, born in 1973. Jerry and his sixth wife first lived in the USA, and when problems with taxes began, he left for Dublin. In 1997, the couple returned to their homeland after Irish promoter Kieran Kavanagh settled financial issues. In 2004, the couple divorced, and Jerry became a bachelor for some time.

The musician last married at the age of 76 to 62-year-old Judith Brown, the former wife of his cousin Rusty Brown. The ceremony took place on March 9, 2012 in Natchez, Mississippi, and for some time was a secret not only for journalists, but also for close friends and relatives.

Lewis lived on a ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi with his family. He ran his own club, which opened in 2013 on Beale Street in Memphis. The interior of the establishment had the spirit of rock and roll: rare photos of the musician and his star colleagues were hung on the walls, and there was also a piano on which Jerry Lee occasionally played compositions from different times.

Death:

The musician’s health problems began in 2019, when he suffered a stroke. However, a break from work helped him fully regain his strength.

Jerry Lee Lewis died on October 28, 2022, due to complications from pneumonia. According to media reports, the musician died at home in Mississippi, with his last wife Judith by his side.

Discography:

1963 – The Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis
1967 – Soul My Way
1970 – She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye
1972 – Who’s Gonna Play This Old Piano?
1975 – Boogie Woogie Country Man
1976 – Country Class
1980 — When Two Worlds Collide
1982 – The Survivors
1986 – Class of ’55
1989 – Great Balls of Fire
2006 – Last Man Standing
2010 – Mean Old Man