Jerry Lee Lewis
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Transcript of Jerry Lee Lewis
By: Jessica Cervantes
Jerry Lee Lewis
Born September 29, 1935, in Ferriday,
Louisiana.
Began playing the piano at age 9.
Got his first piano at age 10.
He taught himself to play piano and
sang in church growing up.
Jerry Lee Lewis
He gave his first public performance at the age of 14 for
the opening of a Ford dealership in Ferriday.
Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams and Al Jolson were some of
his early big influences.
Lewis didn’t write much himself, but he transformed other
people’s songs into rock and roll that even he called “the
devil’s music.”
Biography
In 1956 Lewis headed for Memphis,
Tennessee.
He signed with Sun Records and became a
rockabilly star.
In 1956, he recorded his first single, "Crazy
Arms."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9LKSOM2R
sE
Biography
"Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" became a hit on
the pop, country and R&B charts.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yRdDnrB5kM
By this time, Lewis developed some of his famous
stage actions, such as playing standing up and
even lighting the piano on fire.
Top Hits
His next single, "Great Balls of Fire," proved
to be another big hit in December 1957.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGIsx2r9G
-E
Lewis struck again with "Breathless," which
made it into the Top 10 of the pop charts.
Top Hits Cont.
He earned the nickname "The Killer" for the
way he knocked out his audiences.
"The Killer"
Lewis' career came to a stop, after he
married his third wife.
His 13-year-old second cousin,
Myra Gale Brown, in December 1957.
The Downfall of His Career
News of his underage bride broke as Lewis
started a tour of the United Kingdom in 1958.
Radio stations refused to play his songs, and
Lewis had a hard time lining up any live
performances.
The Downfall of His Career
Jerry Lee Lewis managed to get one more hit with
"High School Confidential" in 1958 before his
career took the drop.
His career ran dry for nearly a decade.
In 1963 he left Sun for Smash/Mercury.
The Downfall Cont.
Eventually, Lewis and his producer, Jerry Kennedy,
decided to abandon rock & roll for country music.
In 1968 he came back with "Another Place,
Another Time" (Number Four country).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEXEhUO7npo
Later Albums
Lewis recorded several country albums over
the next few years.
Including 1970's Olde Tyme Country
Music and 1975's Boogie Woogie Country
Man.
Later Albums Cont.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame in 1986.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
For 2006's,”Last Man Standing,” Lewis sang a lot
of rock, blues and country classics with help from
famous admirers such as Mick Jagger, Keith
Richards, Kris Kristofferson, Wille Nelson and
Buddy Guy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j1OU9aqq08
Recent Music
Lewis and Kristofferson worked together
again in 2010's ”Mean Old Man”.
Recent Music Cont.
He is currently married to his seventh wife,
Judith Brown.
Personal Life
http://www.jerryleelewis.com/"Jerry Lee Lewis." 2012. The Biography Channel
website. Nov 27 2012, 05:19http://www.biography.com/people/jerry-lee-lewis-9381145.
"Jerry Lee Lewis." Rollingstone.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Nov. 2012. <http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/jerry-lee-lewis/biography>.
Bonomo, Joe. "Lost." Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found. New York: Continuum, 2009. 14-20. Print.
"The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum." Jerry Lee Lewis Biography. Web. 5 Nov. 2012. <http://rockhall.com/inductees/jerry-lee-lewis/bio/>.
Works Cited