One might think that by turning 75 years young over this past weekend, it would be time for this old rocker to hang up his 88’s and kick back and rest on his laurels. Not so for one Jerry Lee Lewis! “The Killer,” is THE rock n' roll singer-songwriter and pianist, whose enduring image will always be etched with him sitting at the piano, limbs flailing, hair flying, and kicking out the piano bench while he belts out songs like “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On,” and "Great Balls of Fire.” Little Richard and Chuck Berry may have “invented” Rock ‘n Roll, but Jerry Lee defines Rock ‘n Roll in all its glory…defiant, abrasive, a threat to our children’s morals, under attack from “the establishment,” and destructive. After all, Jerry Lee was the first to light his piano on fire, way before Jimi Hendrix did with his guitar at Monterey Pop or Pete Townshend did it with The Who by smashing his guitar into his amp. No my friend, Jerry Lee Lewis is the real deal. He had no predecessors. Lewis developed his style early, mixing boogie-woogie, rock, gospel, and rhythm and blues.
Life at 75 is just fine for this old rocker. Jerry Lee has just released a new album called “Mean Old Man,” he’s on tour, and there is a Broadway play about him & the others called “The Million Dollar Quartet.” With his wild flopping hair, his leopard-print smoking jacket, and his infectious anthem pounded out on a piano, it's hard not to love Jerry Lee Lewis. He’s an original, one of the few left for all of us to get a feel for what it was really like back in Memphis, at the Sun Records studio. Imagine being a fly on the wall at Sun Studios while listening to recording sessions of hit after hit by Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and a Tupelo, Mississippi boy named Elvis Presley.
Jerry Lee’s newest release, “Mean Old Man”, on Verve Records, is in the stores now. It includes guest appearances by many of music’s royal acts. If fact, it's hard to think of another artist who could bring together so many collaborators from different corners of the music world as those who turn up on the Killer's latest outing. They include the likes of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ron Wood (on separate tracks, duh), Slash, Kid Rock, Tim McGraw, Sheryl Crow, Gillian Welch, Solomon Burke, Willie Nelson, and Robbie Robertson. There’s a “killer” remake of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On,” along with a gaggle of other rockin’ songs. One would never know that the man is well past AARP age…but then again, so are some of his guest players (no reflection on Slash, Kid Rock, Sherly, Tim, or Gillian)
After a recent performance of the “Million Dollar Quartet” Broadway play, Levi Kreis, who plays Jerry Lee and is the Tony Award-winning star of Broadway’s “Million Dollar Quartet,” made a pilgrimage to the hotel suite of Jerry Lee Lewis. It was only fair that Mr. Lewis return the favor. On the next night, Jerry Lee Lewis, the last surviving principal member of a legendary 1956 jam session that also included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, came to Broadway’s Nederlander Theater to play three encores with his “Million Dollar Quartet” counterparts. It was the first time that the two Jerry Lee Lewises have shared the same piano together. It was also the night that Bill Clinton, along with daughter Chelsea (and new husband) were seated in the theater. It would seem that a good time was had by all.
At his live shows, one might not find a concert crowd with a wider age span than the one that turns out for Jerry Lee Lewis. It ranges from silver-haired veterans, with their classic '50s cars parked out front, who used to put a penny on their turntable needle to keep it from skipping, to pre-K kids that simply enjoy the sounds. But they and everyone in between were there for the same reasons: A love of good ol' rock 'n' roll and the chance to experience one of its true legends. Expectations of his legendary wildman antics are low, but the opportunity to hear that singular voice lay out those iconic songs always draws a solid crowd….few of which likely went home disappointed.
At his Pomona, CA. show, celebrating his birthday this past weekend, psycobilly stalwart, the Reverend Horton Heat opened up with a fiery set, during which Heat called the headliner his biggest influence. “The Killer” and band cranked the up the meter on the way-back machine. In true old-showbiz fashion, the four-piece backing band played an intro set while the star waited backstage. The four-song, 15-minute preamble included Little Richard's 1956 nugget "Slippin' and Slidin’,” appropriately followed with Jimmy Reed's "Big Boss Man." Then Jerry Lee took the stage with a decidedly unrushed walk. Lewis sat down at the piano and dug in. Throughout the set, his arms and hands were in constant motion, fingers pounding away, but his head and body remained almost eerily still. His voice didn't wail, but that “Killer’ distinction remains. The show was a mix of early rock and country blues, the latter often slow as molasses and lyrically far from sweet. "You Win Again," the Hank Williams classic that was a the B-side of "Great Balls of Fire," fed into Stick McGhee's rock staple "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-o-Dee," Lewis' last record to hit the national charts in 1973.
"Let's go way back," the Killer said before launching into the 1957 mega classic "Great Balls of Fire." It was too much to expect the ruckus of the 45 rpm single (little record, big hole), but it got the place jumpin' and drew a standing ovation. The set closer was "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and it turned into an extended jam during which Lewis stood up for the first time and made his signature kick of the piano stool. It didn’t matter that it only launched the stool a foot or so. He finished a furious solo, casually turned and slowly sauntered offstage, stopping at the wings for a final wave as the band played on. There was no "Breathless" or "High School Confidential," and Lewis was only onstage for 40 minutes, but his show was a reminder about this too-often-overlooked rock 'n' roll icon. Celebrate him while you can, you won’t be sorry that you saw a living legend.
www.jerryleelewis.com
www.milliondollarquartetlive.com/
/www.vervemusicgroup.com/
Contact Mark Cope at: moandbee@pacbell.net
Comments
I worked with him in 2009. He is about as cool as they come.
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