JERRY LEE LEWIS - THE REAL KING

WHY JERRY LEE LEWIS IS THE ARTIST MOST PEOPLE THINK
ELVIS PRESLEY IS:

Many music critics today have a tendancy to over-rate
certain performers & attribute qualities to them that
are not really all that true.There is no greater example
than Elvis Presley.

My views on Elvis first:I like Elvis' early work & when
he sang blues - but,certainly not his pop work.I'm not
really a pop fan & what I like best is blues & country.
Elvis is repeatedly meantioned by many critics as the
greatest exponent of early bluesy rock 'n' roll - but
it is SO obvious that this is Jerry Lee Lewis.Elvis was
certainly no Jerry Lee;he's not comparable with Lewis &
is a totally different performer.
I'm not anti-Elvis,but I do see that he's been
over-rated in a category in which he recorded very
little in.
Overall,Elvis I think didn't have the vocal ability of Jerry Lee to
express drama.Elvis was an above average vocalist (when it suited him),but he wasn't Jerry Lee.Jerry Lee was a far superior vocalist -
he could approach a song in 5 different ways,each way oozing with
drama,emotion & sheer ability.
Jerry Lee is the greatest country vocalist of all time & also the
greatest blues singer.Elvis was merely a popstar who tried to do it
all - but often not sounding all too convincing.Jerry Lee on the
other hand never showed any interest in post-'50s pop & just as
well!!But I daresay,if he wanted,he could master it bringing a new
lease of life to it.
Elvis is by no means my least favorite artist - but he's not in
my top 20 favorites,either.Jerry Lee makes most of his good work
duplicative,and his pop & film work aren't for me.

Jerry Lee on being compared to Elvis:
"I really do wish people would stop trying to compare
me to Elvis.We are entirely different performers.'Bout
the only thing we've in common is that we're both from
Tennessee"

So,what is all this hype over Elvis?In truth,Elvis is a
pop artist,pure & simple.90% of his work stems from pop
or pop derived material.If he wasn't pop,he wouldn't have
been as successful as he was.
Elvis occasionally sang blues,rock,country & gospel -
but not a lot when compared to his pop work.For every
blues like "Reconsider baby" there was many pop tracks
like "The girl of my best friend" or "Good luck charm".
Such tracks took up so much of Elvis' repetoire & they
outnumbered any other style.
Later in his career,most of his albums were larded with
bland,country-politan & pop ballads like "My way","Until
it's time for you to go","Always on my mind","Any day
now" & "Let me be there".There was very,very little blues
or rock 'n' roll or bluegrass,that's for sure.
Tracks like "How the web was woven" or "The wonder of
you" are unlistenable when all stacked together.The fact
is is that these kind of tracks are what make up most of
Elvis' career & if people think otherwise,they'll be very
disappointed.
Elvis was a great blues singer - but he didn't do enough
of it.Elvis was not a convincing country star after the
1950s.It's certainly true that Elvis was at his most
entertaining when he rocked,but he said himself that he
was using the rock 'n' roll as a stepping stone to being
a pop & film star in 1956.
In the background,overshadowed by the enigma of Elvis is
Jerry Lee Lewis - the holy grail of rock 'n' roll.Jerry
Lee was to all intents & purposes everything that every
single music critic had praised Elvis for - blues based,
country based,exciting & rebellious.Lewis was blues rock
personified & by no means a pop star.
Jerry Lee's entire career is made up of about 40% blues,
40% country,15% gospel & 5% jazz & swing.His music is
roots based & always entertaining.While Elvis was doing
1 bland pop song after another in the '70s,Lewis was
turning in powerful versions of blues standards like
"Big boss man","Trouble in mind","No headstone on my
grave" & "Milk cow blues".As Presley began to rely more
& more on past glories,Lewis was putting hit upon hit
on the country charts.
Unlike Presley,Jerry Lee Lewis was a great & listenable
balladeer.Presley's ballads in the '70s would put anyone
asleep - even if they had took 10 amphetamines!!!Lewis'
soulful country in the '60s & '70s was redefining where
20th century music had originated.Music was hopelessly
lost in the '60s & '70s (your choice:hippy music & bland
pop;if you didn't like either,turn to the blues & country
charts;and that's what happened).
One of Elvis' worst performances was "C.C Rider" - one
which could've been great.He used the song to open up
each of his '70s concerts & performed a sloppy version
each time.The song is a great blues classic.Jerry Lee
also did the song many times & each reaked with the blues
& showed Elvis how the song should've been done.
Elvis' best work was recorded at Sun between 1954 & 1955
but even here we have sloppiness - such as an attrotious
rip-off of Hank Williams on "I love you because",a feeble
attempt to sing country on "I forgot to remember to
forget",a jumpy & undefined country-rocker "I'm left
you're right she's gone",an equally undesirable attempt
to be Slim Whitman on "Blue moon" & an uninspired &
neither-here-nor-there version of "Good rockin' tonite".
Jerry Lee also featured some of these songs in his
repetoire (all but "Blue moon") and they were performed
far,far better.Sadly,it's Elvis' versions that are the
most famous & most-played on radio.
1956 on RCA was where Elvis made his fame with such
tracks as "Heartbreak hotel","Hound dog" & "Blue suede
shoes".Jerry Lee came through a year later with similar
blues & R&B type songs like "Whole lotta shakin" &
"Great balls of fire".Thus,for a time both were quite
similar - but from 1960 on,both drifted apart;Jerry Lee
stuck with blues & country while Elvis went pop.
Jerry Lee could do everything Elvis did - apart from
sounding bland on the ballads - & demonstrated that he
was a master of Elvis' early style when he covered such
tracks as "Hound dog" & "Don't be cruel".Elvis however
could not do all that Jerry Lee did - even when at his
best.
Early Jerry Lee Tracks like "Deep Elem blues","Honey
hush" & "Crawdad Song" immdediately showed Jerry Lee's
unique oldtime blues ability & made Elvis' canter through
"That's alright" appear like a medium tempo country song.
Jerry Lee's 1958 leer through "Hello hello baby" & "Big
legged woman" had an authentic blues feel that Elvis
could never capture.Jerry Lee sounded like a black singer
on these tracks;Elvis,despite what many say,never really
sounded black.
Even on Elvis' most bluesy tracks like "Reconsider baby",
he wasn't really in gutbucket voice.The full blues band
backing him well consealed a mild pop-blues vocal.In fact
the only time Elvis sang a real gutbucket blues like Jerry
Lee would've done was on a '70s jam on "Stranger in my
own home town" as well as 1956s "Santa Claus is back in town".
On these,the round voice Elvis is identified
with is absent;he tackles the records as tough blues that
sounds like something off Jerry Lee's "Session" album.
In Jerry Lee's repetoire,such performances are far more
common:"Hello hello baby","Big legged woman","Milk cow
blues","No headstone on my grave","High blood pressure",
"Keep your hands off of it","Big boss man","Baby what
you want me to do" & "Number 1 loving man" to name but a
few.
Note also,that Lewis could sing everything & sing it
well but with Elvis certain styles suited him & when he
drifted to other styles,he wasn't convincing.And,also,
everyone knows Elvis is a pop artist,so the blues he did
really sounded novelty & harmless overall.
Also,Elvis followed the market - thus,when he sang blues in the
'50s,he was singing what was POPULAR - Elvis was a pop artist
from day 1,if truth be told.He subsequently moved with the pop
of the times.So,if many people feel that Elvis drastically
'changed' after his army spell,he was just following the market.
Jerry Lee,on the other hand,stayed faithful to the blues & country
music that he loved.He was making fresh & inovative music when he
started off with "I don't hurt anymore" in 1954,was doing the same
2 years later with "End of the road2/"Crazy arms" on Sun,as well
as on his many hits from 1956 to 1982 & on rarer tracks like "Deep
Elem blues","My pretty quadroon" & "Milk cow blues".Elvis was damn
lucky Jerry Lee married Myra!!Else,he'd have faded into oblivion
quicker than the speed of light.
These are some of the main reasons why Jerry Lee & not
Elvis is the greatest exponent of blues-rock.
The Presley phenomenon wouldn't have existed without the following
events:
1.Having good looks.
2.Being at the right place at the right time.
3.Having a money-hungry manager.
4.The 1958 Jerry Lee Lewis scandal
5.Carl Perkins' 1956 accident.
The other major thing that boosted Elvis' popularity in more
recent times is his 1977 death at 42 years of ago in mysterious
circumstances.His manager Tom Parker callously remarked "It was
the best career move of his life".One thing for sure was that he
was right.Next thing,Greil Marcus & Peter Guralnick were writing
overblown,over-rated books about him & the rest is history.
Imagine if Marcus or Guralnick put their research into more
genuine innovators like Jerry Lee,Moon Mullican or Hank Williams?
The fact is is,unfortunately,there are very few books on Jerry
Lee (and most of those available deal with the untrue myths of
Jerry Lee & not the music) as a result of the over-rating of
Elvis Presley.
Famous Elvis 'myths':
1."The first white man to sing black" - certainly,he wasn't.Listen
to Moon Mullican,Jimmie Rodgers,Hank Williams,Jimmie Davis,Merrill
Moore,Chuck Miller & many,many more.
Jerry Lee was a blues artist & (while not the first white to sing black),he brought a whole new dimension to black music.
2."He started it all...." - Did he?No,I don't think so!What about
Bessie Smith,Robert Johnson,Jimmie Rodgers,Blind Boy Fuller & the
like?Whether there was a Presley or not,Jerry Lee,Carl Perkins &
the like would still have their talent & somehow that talent would
have to come into the open sometime.
3."The King of rock 'n' roll" - as regards record sales,yes.As regards
quality,certainly not.Jerry Lee's the REAL King!!Only for the 1958
UK tour he'd have overtaken Elvis anyway (which he was doing in 1957
& 1958).
4.A "Similar artist" to Jerry Lee - the answer is NO.Jerry Lee &
Elvis had a few things in common (and had an unbelievably similar
taste in music in their early days).They shared many musical influences,a similar background & started off with a similar style.
However,as both progressed,both became entirely different artists to
each other overall.So,when buying Jerry Lee or Elvis judge them as
very nonsimilar artists.
5."The greatest rock 'n' roller of all time??" - was he??To many,he
just doesn't fit these credentials.Only a smallish portion of his work is rock or blues,so how could he be?Elvis was pop ballad orientated -
that was his main style & that's what he did most of after rock 'n'
roll's decline in popularity.That's also what he started off doing.
Jerry Lee is the greatest "Unsung hero" of music,period.Few realise
his true greatness.Jerry Lee's the greatest rock 'n' roll blues
artist of all time,that's for sure.Carl Perkins is the greatest pure
Rockabilly artist.Gene Vincent's the best conventional rocker.
These are some of the truths about the injustices of the big & ugly
music business.If the music world was fair,Jerry Lee's name should be on every hit single ever from 1956 to 1998!

JERRY LEE LEWIS - ANOTHER UNSUNG HERO OF ROCK 'N' ROLL:
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Jerry Lee Lewis is a name known to virtually everyone in the Western
World & by many outside of the West,as well.He has toured many
different countries & had dozens of hits.He also had 2 of the
biggest hits of all time.You may then ask,how is he an unsung hero.
The fact is is that the hits of Jerry Lee Lewis are only the tip
of the iceberg.There's so much more.The fact that Lewis is adored
for being the hitmaker with "Whole lotta shakin'" (regarded by many
as the greatest rock 'n' roll record) doesn't do much for Jerry Lee
himself (it only pays tribute to that one record).
Take rarer tracks like "Deep Elem blues","Crawdad song","I don't
love nobody","My pretty Quadroon","You're the only star","Silver
threads among the gold","Tomorrow night","You are my sunshine" &
the like & you'll see Jerry Lee's fully abilities & versatility
that was part of his style even during his earliest sessions.
Such tracks demonstrate just how rock 'n' roll was born out of
blues & country music better than a million words on the subject.
Jerry Lee was & is the bridge between blues,country & rock & can
blend them together (as tracks like "The hole he said he'd dig for
me" demonstrate).
Compare & constrast "All the good is gone" with "Milk cow blues"
with "Too young" with "How great thou art" with "Revolutionary man".
What other artist could do all these styles so convincingly?No one
except the Killer.
Lewis could shout the blues one minute,then slip into a soulful
country ballad & then get into tent-rivaval mode for an uptempo
gospel number.Sometimes,like on "Wine me up" or "When the grass
grows over me",he'd turn country songs into bluesier songs &
experiment with different styles until he got something that
was uniquely his own.
The rare early Sun tracks,as well as the pre-country Mercury material is always overlooked & under-rated by many - the music
Lewis created in his early days set the platform for all to come.
The hits Lewis had only showed one side of Jerry Lee (either rock
'n' roll/R&B or country).To see Jerry Lee's potential as a jazz,
blues,swing,gospel,soul,etc. you have to dig deeper.
Lewis should therefore not be just recognised for "Whole lotta
shakin'",but for all his great records - which are so consistant.
Jerry Lee's influences are as diverese as his styles - they include
artists as different as Moon Mullican,Nat King Cole,Wynonie Harris,
Hank Williams,Muddy Waters,Merrill Moore,Chuck Willis,Roy Hamilton,
Jimmie Rodgers,Al Jolson,Piano Red,Fats Domino,B.B King,
Stick Mc Ghee & Chuck Berry.
Lewis did not ever copy these artists' songs directly - instead,he
redefined them in his own style,just like he did his originals,and
created a totally different style performance.


Patrick Wall,
15th/16th/17th February/10 March,1998.

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