Lewis, Jerry Lee, 1935-2022

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Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935 – October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock 'n' roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made his first recordings in 1952 at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studio in New Orleans, Louisiana, and early recordings in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee. "Crazy Arms" sold 300,000 copies in the Southern United States, but it was his 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" that shot Lewis to worldwide fame. He followed this with the major hits "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless", and "High School Confidential".

His rock and roll career faltered in the wake of his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old first cousin once removed. His popularity quickly eroded following the scandal, and with few exceptions, such as a cover of Ray Charles's "What'd I Say", he did not have much chart success in the early 1960s. His live performances at this time were increasingly wild and energetic. His 1964 live album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg is regarded by many music journalists and fans as one of the wildest and greatest live rock albums ever. In 1968, Lewis made a transition into country music and had hits with songs such as "Another Place, Another Time". This reignited his career, and throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, he regularly topped the country-western charts; throughout his seven-decade career, Lewis had 30 songs reach the Top 10 on the Billboard Country and Western Chart. His No. 1 country hits included "To Make Love Sweeter for You", "There Must Be More to Love Than This", "Would You Take Another Chance on Me", and "Me and Bobby McGee".

Lewis's successes continued throughout the decades, and he embraced his rock and roll past with songs such as a cover of The Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace" and Mack Vickery's "Rockin' My Life Away". In the 21st century, Lewis continued to tour worldwide and released new albums. His 2006 album Last Man Standing was his best-selling release, with over a million copies worldwide. This was followed by Mean Old Man in 2010, another of his bestselling albums.

Lewis had a dozen gold records in rock and country. He won four Grammy awards, including a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award and two Grammy Hall of Fame Awards. Lewis was inducted into the inaugural class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and his pioneering contribution to the genre was recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He was also a member of the inaugural class inducted into the Memphis Music Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2022. In 1989, his life was chronicled in the movie Great Balls of Fire, starring Dennis Quaid. In 2003, Rolling Stone listed his box set All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology at number 242 on their list of "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2004, they ranked him No. 24 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Lewis was the last surviving member of Sun Records' Million Dollar Quartet and the album Class of '55, which also included Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Elvis Presley.

Music critic Robert Christgau said of Lewis: "His drive, his timing, his offhand vocal power, his unmistakable boogie-plus piano, and his absolute confidence in the face of the void make Jerry Lee the quintessential rock and roller.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
referencedIn Montgomery, Marvin. Oral history interview with Marvin "Smokey" Montgomery, 1997 September 7. University of North Texas Library, UNT
creatorOf Lewis, Jerry Lee, 1935-.... Jerry Lee Lewis [Multimédia multisupport] : the killer. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Fields, Adam. Adam Fields' Great Balls of Fire Collection, 1957-1989. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives
referencedIn Stephen Lacy Collection (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Library and Archives). Stephen Lacy Collection, 1957-1984, undated Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives
referencedIn Colin Escott Collection Center for Popular Music, Middle Tennessee State University
referencedIn Southern Folklife Collection radio and television files, 1930-2005. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
referencedIn Southern Folklife Collection Artist Name File, 1940-2005 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection.
creatorOf Lewis, Jerry Lee, 1935-.... Jerry Lee Lewis [Multimédia multisupport] : the killer. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Eugene Earle Collection, 1939-1980s University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Folklife Collection.
creatorOf Presley, Elvis, 1935-1977. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis et Carl Perkins [Multimédia multisupport] : the million dollar session. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
creatorOf Presley, Elvis, 1935-1977. Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis et Carl Perkins [Multimédia multisupport] : the million dollar session. Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF
referencedIn Petryszyn, Steve,. Steve Petryszyn Collection, 1950-2000, undated. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Library and Archives
referencedIn Center for Popular Music Vertical Files Center for Popular Music, Middle Tennessee State University
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Cash, Johnny, 1932-2003 person
memberOf Country Music Hall of Fame corporateBody
associatedWith Earle, Eugene. person
associatedWith Fields, Adam. person
hasFamilyRelationTo Gilley, Mickey person
associatedWith Montgomery, Marvin person
associatedWith Perkins, Carl, 1932-1998 person
associatedWith Presley, Elvis, 1935-1977 person
memberOf Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum corporateBody
associatedWith Smash Records corporateBody
associatedWith Sun records corporateBody
Place Name Admin Code Country
Louisiana LA US
Mississippi MS US
Subject
Occupation
Singers
Musician
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Person

Birth 1935-09-29

Birth 2022-10-28

Americans

English

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