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Jerry Lee Lewis

May 15, 2014 by strictlyrock Leave a Comment

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Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29th, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana. Inspired by his cousins, Jerry learned the piano as a young boy. After developing his skills over the years, the barely-teenaged Jerry made his debut at 14, performing the song “Drinking Wine Spo-Dee- O-Dee,” at a local Ford dealership on November 19th, 1949. By the time Jerry was 15, he had been expelled from the Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahatchie, Texas, after reportedly performing “the devil’s music.” Although still religious, Jerry continued playing and made his first demo in 1954. After a stint playing gigs in Nashville didn’t help forward his career, Jerry traveled to Memphis Tennessee.

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In Memphis, Jerry auditioned for Sun Records who, among others, represented the likes of Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and the King himself, Elvis Presley. Jerry proved that he had potential and got work as a session musician. He recorded originals as well as covers like “Crazy Arms,” which would become his first single. On December 4th, 1956, Elvis Presley dropped by the studio to visit Sun Record’s owner, Sam Philips. Presley eventually made his way into the studio that was being used by Carl Perkins who was accompanied by Lewis. With the addition of Johnny Cash, the recording session that resulted would later become known as the “Million Dollar Quartet.” Lewis then released the singles “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire” in 1957. Despite the fact that some radio stations boycotted the songs due to their sexually suggestive nature, both tracks topped the charts and Jerry’s popularity soared.

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On July 28th, 1957, Jerry made a now-legendary appearance on “The Steve Allen Show.” Jerry excited the crowd and TV audiences, by kicking the piano bench out from under him while wildly banging on the piano keys for affect, easily winning over younger fans. In May of 1958 however, 23-year-old Jerry’s career hit a wall. After touching down in England to kick off a tour, the press got wind of the fact that he had married his second cousin who, to make things worse, was only 13 years old. Upon returning home, Jerry received the same cold reception that he had faced in the UK. He stopped recording and began taking low paying gigs in bars instead of the larger venues that he had become accustomed to. Lewis started recording once again and left Sun Records when his contract expired in 1963.

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Jerry regained some of his popularity in Europe and recorded the critically acclaimed “Live at the Star Club, Hamburg,” in 1964. Lewis then began to make the tradition from rock to country music. By 1968, the single “Another Place, Another Time,” from the album of the same name, scored the #2 spot on the US Country charts. Throughout the early 1970’s Lewis found continued success on the Country charts. He returned to rock with the 1972 release of “The Killer Rocks On.” Seeming to have regained his popularity, Lewis continued to release albums and tour throughout the decade.

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On January 23rd, 1986, Jerry Lee Lewis was inducted into the newly formed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with fellow pioneers of Rock and Roll that included Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Ray Charles and of course Elvis Presley. Three years later the movie “Great Balls of Fire” was released, which was based on a book by Lewis’s ex-wife/second cousin Myra Gale Lewis. Thankfully this time around, the publicity only aided Lewis. He continued recording, and in 1995 released the rock album “Young Blood.” In February of 2005 Lewis was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy. As recently as October 29th, 2009, Lewis performed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concert. Jerry Lee Lewis, “The Killer” as he also sometimes known, still performs regularly and shows no signs of stopping. At 74 years of age Jerry Lee Lewis is a living legend who inspirers as much as he entertains.

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100 Greatest Rock & Roll Bands

  1. The Beatles
  2. The Rolling Stones
  3. Led Zeppelin
  4. Jimi Hendrix
  5. Elvis Presley
  6. The Who
  7. U2
  8. Pink Floyd
  9. The Doors
  10. The Police
  11. Elton John
  12. Metallica
  13. AC/DC
  14. Van Halen
  15. Nirvana
  16. Guns N' Roses
  17. Santana
  18. The Allman Brothers Band
  19. Bon Jovi
  20. David Bowie
  21. Grateful Dead
  22. Rush
  23. Yes
  24. Black Sabbath
  25. Bob Dylan
  26. James Brown
  27. The Beach Boys
  28. Eric Clapton
  29. Fleetwood Mac
  30. The Eagles
  31. Bob Marley
  32. Van Morrison
  33. Bruce Springsteen
  34. The Clash
  35. Queen
  36. Janis Joplin
  37. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
  38. R.E.M.
  39. The Kinks
  40. Steely Dan
  41. Steve Miller Band
  42. Jethro Tull
  43. Tool
  44. The Scorpions
  45. Coldplay
  46. Stone Temple Pilots
  47. Rod Stewart
  48. Marilyn Manson
  49. Creedence Clearwater Revival
  50. KISS
  51. The Pretenders
  52. Green Day
  53. Aerosmith
  54. Tina Turner
  55. Pearl Jam
  56. Ted Nugent
  57. Pantera
  58. Motörhead
  59. Judas Priest
  60. ZZ Top
  61. Megadeth
  62. Motley Crue
  63. Alice Cooper
  64. Def Leppard
  65. Iron Maiden
  66. Billy Idol
  67. Journey
  68. Anthrax
  69. Rage Against the Machine
  70. Blue Oyster Cult
  71. Alice in Chains
  72. Genesis
  73. Red Hot Chili Peppers
  74. Chuck Berry
  75. Buddy Holly
  76. Little Richard
  77. Elvis Costello
  78. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
  79. Sex Pistols
  80. Cream
  81. Frank Zappa
  82. Talking Heads
  83. Stevie Ray Vaughan
  84. Billy Joel
  85. The Band
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  90. Foo Fighters
  91. The Cure
  92. Soundgarden
  93. Iggy Pop
  94. Peter Gabriel
  95. The Byrds
  96. Traffic
  97. Deep Purple
  98. Blondie
  99. Velvet Underground
  100. Heart

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