Hey my 'lil rockers!  We're still delving deeper into the first decade of rock and roll and this next artist was a fast rising star but aside from that he left a fire trail of many burned pianos...oh goodness gracious, "Great Balls Of Fire"! Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29th, 1935 to Mr. Elmo  and Mrs. Mary Ethyl "Mamie" Lewis in Concordia Parrish in Ferriday, Louisiana.  He was the second of four children (oldest brother Elmo Jr. died when Jerry Lee was four years old and he has two sisters, Linda Gail and Frankie Jean who are both musicians as well).  The Lewis' noticed a natural musical ability in their son Jerry Lee as early as eight years old with piano playing as well as singing.  Jerry Lee began showing his talent for the piano by playing around with his cousins Mickey Gilley (now famous country singer and the owner of the actual "Gilley's" bar in the 1980 movie "Urban Cowboy" with John Travolta and Debra Winger) and other famous cousin, Jimmy Swaggart (preacher/televangelist and musician).  The Lewis family was a poor family but upon discovering the talent in their son, they actually mortgaged their farm in order to buy a piano for him.  Jerry Lee's earliest musical influences were Carl McVoy (recorded with Bill Black's Combo- contributing pioneers of rock-a-billy music and McVoy later a bassist for Elvis' trio), the radio and the sounds from the African American "juke joint", Haney's Big House located across the tracks from the Lewis family farm.  One of Jerry Lee's biggest musical influences was the sound of "boogie-woogie" (piano based blues from the late '30's-early '40's that inspired a new way of dancing) and artist Moon Mullican (country and western singer/writer/pianist).  

At the age of eight, the Lewis' got little Jerry Lee piano lessons where the teacher would come to their home once a week. Upon her first visit to the Lewis home she taught him basic chords, names of keys and gave him a simple tune to practice for next week's lesson.  When the piano teacher arrived the very next week for their second lesson, Jerry said he learned the song that she gave him and played it flawlessly.  The teacher was very impressed until Jerry Lee stated, "But don't you think it'd sound better this way" and tore into the song as a precursor for his outrageous piano performances eventually earning him the nickname "The Killer" when it came to Jerry Lee and playing his piano! (1)  By the age of 14, Jerry Lee progressed so quickly that he was just as good as any adult professional piano player who performed at the time. Arguably, Jerry Lee is one of the best if not THE best piano player in the world.  As a player myself for years, I can safely say that there's no one now or ever that will ever be the caliber of piano player that Jerry Lee Lewis is.  Jerry Lee began to create a style of music from songs that African American artists were unable to play in front of white audiences such as Rhythm And Blues, added in a little bit of gospel and a pinch of country and western music.  At about the age of 16, Jerry Lee's mother enrolled him into the South West Bible Institution in Waxahahie, Texas so that Jerry Lee could be religious and only play the piano for the Lord.  Well Lord, did Jerry Lee get himself kicked out of the Bible School quickly!  During a church assembly, Jerry Lee played the gospel song "My God Is Real" in his own boogie-woogie version on the piano and was expelled from the school!  At this time, Jerry Lee began playing in local clubs in Ferriday and Natchez, Mississippi quickly fitting into the new "rock-a-billy/ rock and roll" sound and scene.  The first time Jerry Lee attempted to record a demo was in 1954.

 In 1955, Jerry Lee moved to Nashville, Tennessee and again played in clubs trying to build a following of fans.  He was turned down by the Grand 'Ole Opry and the Louisiana Hayride (radio then T.V. show from Shreveport Auditorium in Louisiana which ran from 1948-1960).  The latter show was the show that helped launch Elvis Presley's career when he appeared on the original radio version in 1954 and then for his first T.V. appearance on March 3rd, 1955.  Recording executives in Nashville attempted to advise Jerry Lee to switch to the guitar (due to Elvis "unofficially" making it the major instrument of the rock-a-billy/ rock and roll sound).

In November of 1956, Jerry Lee then moved to Memphis, Tennessee to audition for Mr. Sam Phillips of the famed Sun Records.  Jerry Lee caught the attention of a producer/ engineer named Jack Clement with his rendition of "Crazy Arms" by Ray Price (country singer/writer and guitarist of the day) which was originally released in May of 1956 by Price and became a hit "honky-tonk" song. Then Jerry Lee played an original song he wrote called "End Of The Road" (You think Boyz II Men might have? Nah!).  In December of 1956 Jerry Lee began recording as a session musician as well as a solo musician at Sun Records.  He was involved in a Sun Records session where he played with Carl Perkins (a rock-a-billy musician at the time) who is best known for his original recording of "Blue Suede Shoes".  I guess Elvis and Carl might have been in just a bit too close of a proximity to each other because we all know that despite the fact the song was originally sung by Carl Perkins, it would become a memorable Elvis Presley song! OUCH!  Sorry, Carl!  Jerry Lee also met and played as a session musician for Johnny Cash as well.  You can hear his distinct piano playing on many of the Sun Records tracks between late 1956 and early 1957. You can hear Jerry Lee play on "Matchbox" by Carl Perkins, and other songs called "Your True Love", "You Can Do No Wrong" and "Put Your Cat Clothes On".  I guess Elvis and Buddy weren't the only risque singer/ song writers back in the first decade of rock and roll, huh?!  Jerry could also be heard on Billy Lee Riley's (rock-a-billy singer/producer/writer) song "Flyin' Saucers Rock And Roll".  At that time, rock-a-billy artists never really had piano accompaniment (Ahem! Elvis his guitar "rule" and also with some aiding and abetting from Buddy Holly too)!  Thus, through Jerry Lee's piano playing proved to be influential and other rock-a-billy artists on other labels started using pianists now! In the words of our friend Buddy, "Well alright"!

On Tuesday December 4th, 1956 a major piece of rock and roll history took place at Sun Records.  Elvis dropped in to say hello to Sam Phillips.  While at the studio, Carl Perkins was doing a session with Jerry Lee on the piano and Johnny Cash observing Carl Perkins.  Before anyone knew it, these four amazing musicians decided to have an impromptu "jam session" right there in the studio!  Just picture U.S.A.'s "Dream Team" that went to the Olympics and you'll be able to understand what a major event this "jam session" was with these four artists!  Sam Phillips left the tape running and the recordings that came out of this session were mostly gospel and have been released on a CD entitled "The Million Dollar Quartet" which can be found on Amazon.com  http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_26?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=the+million+dollar+quartet&sprefix=the+million+dollar+quartet.  Other tracks on this CD include Elvis' "Don't Be Cruel", "Paralyzed", a rendition of Chuck Berry's "Brown Eyed Handsome Man (later to be covered by Buddy Holly) and Pat Boone's (another influential artist during the first decade of rock and roll) "Don't Forbid Me" and Elvis doing his own impersonation of Jackie Wilson ( Wilson would later became a solo artist in transitioning R&B to Soul music and come to be known as "Mr. Excitement") on Elvis' own song "Don't Be Cruel" just to add more fun to the spontaneous "jam session".

Jerry Lee (then called Jerry Lee and his Pumping Piano- oh how original!) had a hit with his first solo single in 1957 called "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and second "Great Balls Of Fire" which would be his biggest hit that brought international fame despite some of his songs having overtly sexual undertones, and some radio stations boycotting his songs (Uh oh, there goes that "Devil Music" again!).  Johnny Cash stated that, "Lewis was devoutly Christian and also became troubled by the sinful nature of his own material, which he firmly believed was leading himself and audiences to hell" (2).  Although Jerry Lee very well may have felt this way at some point, he set a new trend for piano players of the day.  He often kicked the bench aside, played standing up, raking his hands up and down the keyboard for a dramatic accent, sitting on the keyboard and even standing on it while performing. "Well alright", Jerry Lee!  His first T.V. appearance he did some of those moves when he was on the Steve Allen Show on July 28th, 1957 (Go to YouTube.com and look up Jerry Lee Lewis/ Steve Allen Show "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On").  Jerry Lee was so daring with his performances and playing that he was even said to have lit a piano on fire at the end of a performance in protest of being billed second to last to Chuck Berry! In March 1958 during an Alan Freed concert where there was an agreement that Chuck Berry would close the show, this made Jerry Lee angry because he felt that he should close the show because his songs were getting  higher ratings at the time of the concert over Chuck Berry's.  So, he went out played his set of songs, lit the piano on fire while doing so and when he ended his set he walked off stage remarking to Chuck, "Follow That"!  Actually, at the time of the Freed concert neither Jerry Lee or Chuck had the highest ratings among their songs.  The highest song ratings by an artist/group at that time was none other than my favorite first rocker, Buddy Holly And The Crickets! No one saw Buddy complaining about being second to last or not closing the show, sheesh guys! 

Jerry Lee also took a stab at acting as well.  He made a cameo in a movie called "High School Confidential", a 1958 crime drama from which he sang the soundtrack theme from the back of a flat bed truck.  There was also a movie called "Jamboree" which was a disc jockey black and white rock and roll film in the U.K. that came out in 1957 directed by Ray Lockwood.  Jerry Lee made a cameo in this film as well with a slew of other major rock and roll stars of the day such as: Buddy Knox siging "Hula Love", Jimmy Bowen singing "Cross Over", Dick Clark acting as a host for a show in the film, Fats Domino singing "Wait And See", Charlie Grucie (a pop singer more popular in the U.K.) singing "Cool Baby" and of course Jerry Lee singing a different version of "Great Balls Of Fire", Louis Lymon and the Teenagers (later known as Frankie Lymon And The Teenagers), Carl Perkins singing "Glad All Over", Jodie Sands (pop singer from Philadelphia, PA) singing "Sayonara", Frankie Avalon singing "Teacher's Pet", Slim Whitman (country and western musician/gospel singer/writer more known for his yodeling- again a bigger hit in the U.K.) singing "Unchain My Heart", Aaron Schroeder (song writer/ music publisher and later a Jersey resident) in a cameo as "the song writer", The Four Coins (Greek boy group from Canonsburg, PA) singing "Broken Promise", Count Basie Orchestra with Joe Williams (country and western singer/ song writer) and lastly Connie Francis (pop singer topped the charts in 50's and 60's best known for the song "Who's Sorry Now"?- 1958) who overdubbed vocals for leading actress Freda Holloway in the movie.  Geez, who else was missing from that "Dream Team" cast?!  As discussed before, Buddy Holly's know-it-all manager Norman Petty probably did not want Buddy and The Crickets in the movie because he was a very poor P.R. manager for the group.  I bet Buddy was steamed because of this exclusion!  I know I would have been!

Jerry Lee's turbulent personal life was hidden until May of 1958 on a British Tour where a reporter, Ray Berry who was at the London Heathrow Airport learned about Jerry Lee and Myra Gale Brown being Jerry Lee's third wife and also first cousin once removed.  If you think that's bad, Myra was only 13 years old when they got married and Jerry Lee was about 23!  Yikes!  The publicity caused such an uproar that the tour was cancelled after only three concerts.  The scandal followed them home and as a result, Jerry Lee was blacklisted from radio and almost vanished from the music scene altogether.  Lewis felt betrayed by some supporters whom he relied upon.  It got so bad that Dick Clark dropped him from his shows, Jerry Lee felt old friend Sam Phillips sold him out when the Sun Records boss released "The Return Of Jerry Lee", a fake interview put together by Jack Clement from different lyrics to his songs which was basically a joke about his marital and publicity problems.  Only Alan Freed (a.k.a. "Moondog"- U.S. D.J., famous rock and roll show promoter, and also known for promoting African American R&B on the radio in the U.S. and Europe using the term "rock and roll") did not boycott Jerry Lee.  Freed's career shortly became destroyed when he was caught in a payola scandal in the early 60's (illegal practice of payment by record companies to broadcast recordings on radio as part of normal broadcasting).  Now under U.S. Law 47 U.S.C. & 317, radio shows can play specific songs for money but have to put over the air that they are being sponsored and played but not counted as regular airplay. "Well alright", Alan!  Jerry Lee was still under contract with Sun Records and continued to record for them releasing singles.  He went from earning $10,000 a night for a concert performance to earning $250 a night in beer joints and small clubs.  Through a friend, T.L. Meade who is also a friend of Phillips' it was possible for Jerry Lee to go back to Sun Records.  Sun Records was now a more modernized studio built in place of the original.  Here was when Jerry Lee recorded a rendition of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" in 1961.  Thus ending Jerry Lee's recording contract with Sun Records in 1963.  He joined up with Smash Records where he did a number of recordings but that did not help his career.

Lewis has been married six times and stated in a 1978 People Magazine interview that, "I was 14 when I first got married and my wife was too old for me because she was 17".  Jerry Lee had two children with his wife/cousin Myra Gale Brown and they divorced in December of 1970.  Jerry Lee had four children.  In 1962 his son Steve Allen Lewis (mother: Myra Gale Brown) drowned in a pool at three years old in an accident.  In 1973 Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. was killed at the age of 19 (mother: Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate who died also after drowning in a pool at their home) when Jr. overturned his jeep.  His only current living children are Jerry Lee Lewis III (mother: Kerrie McCarver, divorced after 20 years in 2004) and daughter Phoebe Allan Lewis, also his manager (mother: Myra Gail Brown).

The 1989 move "Great Balls Of Fire" starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder has the movie end with the scandal of the late 50's.  If they let it go on longer, it would have probably been longer than the movie "Titanic"!

Let's discuss Jerry Lee's musical style, shall we?  We all know that  he was a standout piano player and he also had the same unique ability as Elvis to grasp on how to mold a song to suit his own personality.  He had a startling ability to change keys, tempo and improvise lyrics on a whim to come up with something new.  Also, like Elvis he had the rare ability to sing any genre of music from pop, hillbilly country, rock-a-billy/ rock and roll/ R&B and gospel.  Jerry Lee had a tenor voice which is the highest of the male vocal types.  The typical range is between a "C" note 1 octave below middle "C" (C3) to "C" note 1 octave below to middle "C" (C5).  Tenors sing most high notes with ease and vocalize notes with strength and brightness.  At  mid voice- "D" or "E" notes above middle "C" (D4 or E4) and can then shift into head voice around "F" sharp or "G" above middle "C" (F4 or G4).(3)  As for his music he was proficient with pop/rock/country genres.  His styles ranged from rock and roll, traditional country, rock-a-billy and honky-tonk.  Also like Elvis, he could covert his mood ranges to fit his songs.  He could go from confident, joyous, passionate, rambunctious, bravado, confrontational, earthy, fiery, outrageous and playful at any given moment in any given song.  Rock and Roll's first "Wild Man" ignored all music boundaries allowing a wide variety of musical experiementation and he survived fads and fashions throughout the years as well.

 Jerry Lee has been given many awards and accolades for his musical career.  He was among the first inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1986, on November 5th (Hey, that's my birthday!) of 2007 the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and Case Western University in Cleveland, Ohio honored Jerry Lee with six days of interviews/DVD premiers/ film clips dedicated to him called "The Life And Music Of Jerry Lee Lewis".  In 1989, Jerry Lee stated that he did not like the movie "Great Balls Of Fire" about his life at all! He hated it.

Between 1957 and 2006 "Last Man Standing" (last release) he had 47 singles, plus 22 albums, made the Top 20 Pop Charts, Jukebox, Rock, Indie and Country and Western Charts in the U.S. and the U.K.  14 of those songs reached number one and he earned 10 gold records with the last being in 2006 for "Last Man Standing" which sold over half a million copies worldwide!  This was to be his biggest selling album ever.  He is among the All-Time Top 50 Billboard Country Artists and even the soundtrack to "Great Balls Of Fire" sold over a million copies when it was released in 1989.  The original "Great Balls Of Fire" was elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, the Sun Records recording of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" received the same honor in 1999.  On February 12th, 2005 he received the Record Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, and on October 10th, 2007 he received the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's American Music Masters Award.  He also received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on June 13th, 1989.

Despite his rise and fall to and from stardom, Jerry Lee is still worthy of the nick name he was given so many years ago by his peers,"The Killer". "The Killer" achieved so much during his career despite scandals, divorces, career plummets, and tragic deaths in his family that it's the only nickname that is befitting for this amazing singer and pianist who would "never say die" no matter what obstacle he had to face.

Okay my 'lil rockers, until next time...."Rave On"!!!!!

(1) Source:  http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com/pages/best_artists-bio/Jerry_Lee_Lewis.html

(2) Source:  Cash: The Autobiography, 1997

(3) Source:  http://www.your-personal-singing-guide.com/vocal-range-1.html