JERRY LEE LEWIS
BORN:29TH SEPTEMBER 1935,FERRIDAY LOUISIANA.
NICKNAME:KILLER.
OTHER THINGS THAT JERRY LEE IS CALLED INCLUDE:JLL,THE REAL KING OF
ROCK 'N' ROLL,THE LIVING KING OF ROCK 'N' ROLL,ROCKIN' JERRY LEE.
GENRES:BLUES,COUNTRY,GOSPEL.
STYLES:BLUES,COUNTRY,BOOGIE,ROCK 'N' ROLL,SOUL,GOSPEL,JAZZ,WESTERN SWING.
INFLUENCES INCLUDE:Moon Mullican,Hank Williams,Jimmie Rodgers,Gene Autry,
Jimmie Rodgers,Al Jolson,Bob Wills,Merrill E. Moore,General blues.
SIMILAR ARTISTS:Moon Mullican,Professor Longhair,Amos Milburn,Piano Red,
Jason D. Williams,Cecil Gant,Little Willie Littlefield,Merrill E. Moore,
Blind Boy Fuller,Muddy Waters,Gene Vincent,Carl Perkins,Ray Charles,
George Jones,Merle Haggard,Charlie Rich,Jimmy Ray Warren,Fats Domino,
Robert Johnson,Hank Williams Sr,Hank Williams Jr,Chuck Berry,Little Richard,
Charles Brown,Ray Smith,Mickey Gilley,Jim Reeves,Dean Martin,Champion Jack
Dupree,RoyBrown.
ARTISTS JERRY LEE INFLUENCED:
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Charlie Rich,Mickey Gilley,Jason D. Williams,Bob
Dylan,Gene Vincent,Eddie Cochran,The Beatles,The
Rolling Stones,The Nashville Teens,Carl Perkins,
The Kinks,Freddie Fingers Lee,Ricky Nelson,Elvis
Presley,Mack Vickery,Ronnie Self,Conway Twitty,
Jimmy Ray Warren,Jools Holland,Elton John,Billy
Joel,Roy Orbison,Kris Kristofferson,Tom Jones,Ray
Smith,Carl Mann,Dwight Yoakam,Cliff Richard,Chubby
Checker,The Everley Brothers,Dickey Lee,Roonie
McDowell,Ronnie Hawkins,Preacher Jack,Johnny Powers,
Moon Mullican,Billy Lee Riley,Hank Williams Jr,
Emmylou Harris,Willie Nelson.
PEOPLE JERRY LEE DID SONGS BY:
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Kokomo Arnold,Johnny Temple,George Morgan,Billy Lee
Riley,Merle Haggard,B.B King,Jimmie Rodgers,Hank
Williams,Bob Wills,Big Joe Turner,Ray Charles,Elvis
Presley,Carl Perkins,Lloyd Price,Ray Price,Little
Richard,Chuck Berry,Herman Parker Jr.,Louis Jordan,
Richard M. Jones,Bobby Bare,George Jones,Marty
Robbins,Moon Mullican,Merrill Moore,Frank Sinatra,
Al Jolson,Bing Crosby,Bill Monroe,Carson Robinson,
Piano Red,Blind Lemon Jefferson,Huey Piano Smith,
Joe South,The Drifters,Larry Williams,The Coasters,
Big Mama Thornton,Little Willie Littlefield,Chuck
Willis,Gene Autry,Lonnie Johnson,Gus Cannon's Jug
Band,Jimmy Reed,Little Walter Jacobs,Hank Williams,
Nat King Cole,Roy Brown,Stick Mc Ghee,Leadbelly,
Wynonie Harris,Willie Dixon,Big John Greer,Wilbert
Harrison,Shelton Brothers,Delmore Brothers,Bobby
Bland,Jimmie Davis,Floyd Tillman,Big Bill Broonzy,
Ma Rainey,Lowell Fulson,Jim Reeves,Leon Payne,Ernest
Tubb,Spade Cooley,Billy Ward,Johnny Cash,Roy Orbison,
Charlie Feathers,Warren Smith,Eddie Arnold,Hank
Ballard,Dean Martin,Bertha Hill,Sleepy John Estes,
Louis Armstrong,Fats Domino,Billy Mize,Chris Kenner,
Bob Crosby,Carter Family,Roy Acuff,Hank Thompson,
Furry Lewis,Eddie Fontaine,Sonny Terry,Carl Mann,
Berry Gordy,Otis Blackwell,Gene Vincent,Hoagy
Carmichael,Irving Berlin,Paul Robeson,Bill Carlisle,
Brook Benton,Tommy Tucker,Buck Owens,Jesse Stone,
Roy Head,Webb Pierce,Mel Tillis,Pee Wee King,Bobby
Helms,Don Gibson,Jimmy Wakely,Lefty Frizzel,Harlan
Howard,Dallas Frazier,Johnny Bond,Kris Kristofferson,
Roy Hamilton,Ivory Joe Hunter,Faron Young,Woody
Guthrie,Tom T. Hall,Mickey Newbury,Hank Snow,Hank
Lochlin,Hank Cochran,The Platters,Albert Brumley,
Jimmie Swaggart,The Big Bopper,William Bell,Otis
Redding,Gordon Lightfoot,Bob Dylan,John Fogarty,
The Rolling Stones,Johnny Ace,Percy Sledge,Isaac
Hayes,Rosco Gordon,Doug Sahm,Charlie Daniels,Johnny
Ray,Mississippi Fred Mc Dowell,Troy Seals,Stuart
Hamblen,Rick Nelson,Freddie Slack,Ella Mae Morse,
Billy Swan,Ned Miller,Jimmy Kennedy,Jonhny & Jack,
Red Foley,Georgia Tom Dorsey,Rex Griffin,Slim Willet,
Arthur Alexander,Bob Seger,Jack Yellen,Roger Miller,
Stephen Foster,Boyd Bennet,Everley Brothers,Bobby
Darin,Blind Boy Fuller,Foster & Rice.
Jerry Lee Lewis' style is one that covers a lot of musical territories.His
biggest hits or most wellknown numbers have been rock 'n' roll classics like
'Great balls of fire','Whole lotta shakin' goin' on','Breathless','High school
confidential','Break up',What'd I say' & the hit that should've been 'I'm on
fire'.Certainly the king of rock 'n' roll,but that's only one side - Jerry
Lee Lewis IS the king of general music.
He scored all these rock hits in the late '50s,virtually knocking all his
rivals from the top.After dominating the rock charts,he turned to a more country
sound in the '60s,after the decline in real rock 'n' roll.He specialised in doing
country songs with a blues feel & it eventually paid dividends with such classy
country ballads as 'Another place another time','She still comes around',
'Touching home','Home away from home','There must be more to love than this' or
'What's made Milwaukee famous' hitting the top spot of the C&W charts.His
dominance of Country music lasted from 1968 right up to 1981's 'When 2
worlds collide'.He even put blues or rock tunes like 'I'll find it where I can',
'Drinkin' wine spodee odee' or 'Chantilly lace' into the country charts.
As well as this,Jerry Lee has cut albums of soul,blues,country standards,
rock 'n' roll standards & gospel during these years.His music in later years is
as good as ever,even better.His 3 albums for Elektra,his MCA albums,the soundtrack
to the 'Great balls of fire' film,the 'Rocket' album & 1995s 'Young blood'
are all classic Jerry Lee,essential to any music collection.
The music of Jerry Lee is amazing:what other artist could have gutbucket blues
like 'Milk cow blues' or 'Big legged woman',superb country ballads like 'To make
love sweeter for you' or 'When he walks on you like you have walked on me',rockers
like 'Down the line' or 'Good rockin' tonight',soul like 'It's a hang-up baby'
or gospel like 'Longing for home' all in the one career.His versatility is amazing
& it takes only a listen to a few songs to realise this.A Sun greatest hits will
displayed Jerry Lee's versatility in his early years & make you want more.There is
something for every music fan in Jerry Lee Lewis.
Jerry Lee is a bluesman like no other.He can cut out & out straight blues like
'Milk cow blues','High blood pressure','Hello hello baby' or 'Young blood' or
boogie it up like on 'House of blue lights' or 'Down the road apiece'.Even when
singing country,we hear that unique blues feel as on 'Wine me up' or 'When the
grass grows over me'.To boot,he's one hell of a blues ballad singer as on 'Since
I met you baby','Tomorrow night' or 'Got you on my mind'.
Many rockers grew up in conditions like Jerry Lee (an essentially country & gospel
background & then discovering the rhythms of the blues & R&B).What's different about
Jerry Lee,though,is his unique ability of showing off all these styles & mixing them
together.In one song,Jerry Lee may blend country,blues,doo-wop,
oldtime pop & swing,rock 'n' roll,Negroe spiritual & bluegrass at will.The broadness
of his influences is the thing about the Killer.You just don't know what song he'll
record next.His repetoire includes selfwritten blues boogies,country songs written
especially for him,traditional blues & country standards,Hank Williams & Jimmie
Rodgers classics,1940s & 1950s R&B,contemporary country,gospel & Western swing.
The Lewis style has been much appreciated & many owe their complete style to him,
notably Jason D. Williams& Mickey Gilley.Others like Charlie Rich & Eddie Cochran also
owe a big debt to the Killer for their style.Jerry Lee Lewis is the seminal rocker,
bluesman,country singer & allround music man of this century.And that's
a guarenteed fact.
JERRY LEE LEWIS - BACKGROUND DETAILS:
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JERRY LEE LEWIS WAS BORN ON SEPTEMBER 29TH 1935,IN FERRIDAY
LOUISIANA,AND GREW UP POOR.THE CHURCH WAS HIS FIRST SOURCE FOR
MUSIC & INDEED GOSPEL MUSIC REMAINS IN HIS REPETOIRE TO THIS
DAY.THEN,HE BEGAN TO LISTEN TO HIS FATHER'S JIMMIE RODGERS
RECORDS,THEN AL JOLSON & GENE AUTRY.AT 8,HE TOOK UP PIANO & COULD
SOON PLAY EVERY SONG HE KNEW.
By his mid teens,Jerry Lee was performing professionally in bars.Hank
Williams soon became his idol after hearing his first big hit 'Lovesick
blues' in 1949.Another record that the young Jerry Lee loved was Moon
Mullican's 1950 'I'll sail my ship alone'.Moon was a singer-pianist who
brought lots of energy to his performances & hinted at the future.
At the same time,Jerry Lee was soaking up all the blues he could get
his hands on from the Mississippi Delta via records,radio & seeing many
bluesmen live at Haney's in Ferriday.Jerry could seen the boogified rhythm
in early '50s country & blues & wanted himself to be part of it all.Artists
like Moon Mullican,Amos Milburn,Piano Red,Professor Longhair,Fats Domino &
Merrill E. Moore were all making a big impact on the young Killer.
With Jerry sneaking into Haney's to see Muddy Waters,Jack Dupree &
B.B King (among many more) anytime he got a chance,his parents knew that
music was his future - but they didn't want Jerry Lee do perform
suggestive blues or country material - they wanted him to play in church.
Jerry Lee was sent to bible college to study to be a preacher,but his
boogie & blues roots came out when he was asked to play piano,doing the
hymn 'My god is real' in a boogie style.This caused his expulsion from
the college & his commitment again to music.
All this was going on in Jerry's life in the early to mid '50s,a time
also that saw the music world change dramatically.Bill Haley was hitting
big with covers of R&B songs & suddenly black bluesmen were household
names.Big Joe Turner was crossing over to new white audiences.Then,many
younger whites followed in Haley's footsteps to produce their own brands
of rock 'n' roll.Jerry Lee cut 2 bluesy demos for the Louisian Hayride
in 1954,while rock 'n' roll was being 'born'.
Sam Phillips' Sun records was the main attraction for such people &
Sam Phillips often said 'if he could find a white man who could sing
black,he'd be a millionaire'.On hearing Jerry Lee's first composition,
'End of the road',he knew he had found a white man who could sing black.
Jerry's first Sun release was 'Crazy arms',a bluesy version of a country
standard,backed with the 'End of the road',which was a ragtimey blues
boogie.Sun often decided to let the tape roll & let Jerry Lee sing &
play at will.One could only sit back & listen in amazement as Jerry could
go from blues like 'Deep Elem blues','Honey hush' or 'Crawdad song' to
oldtime country like 'You're the only star in my blue heaven' & then
onto gospel like 'Old time Religion'.He could sing & play anything.
Jerry Lee's adaption of an old blues standard produced his first big
hit in 1957:'Whole lotta shakin' goin' on',which was a No.1 R&B,C&W &
Pop record.It could please everyone:Blues,Western Swing & rock 'n' roll
fans alike.The B-side 'It'll be me' was just as good.The follow-up single
was even more of a success:'Great balls of fire' hit big again on all 3
charts,even going number 1 in the U.K as well.The b-side 'You win again'
was a big country hit,reaching No.2.
1958 saw more big top 10 R&B & C&W hits with 'Breathless','Highschool
confidential','Down the line','Fools like me' & 'Mean woman blues'.Other
hits included 'Break up' & 'I'll make it all up to you'.Then,came a ban
on his music,because of it's wildness,using the excuse of his marriage
to his cousin as an excuse.Real rock 'n' roll was dead & tamer pop came
in to replace it.Jerry Lee kept on rocking & occasionally had a few hits
like 'I'll sail my ship alone',a version of Moon Mullican's 1950 hit,
'Big blon' baby','Lovin' up a storm','Cold cold heart' & 'What'd I say'
from 1958 to 1963.
Then,he left Sun for Smash/Mercury in 1963 & rocked on.He became an
excellent soul singer in the mid '60s & produced some really wild live
albums as well.
By 1968,Jerry Lee was back as a major hitmaker after the country ballad
'Another place another time' hit No.4 in the country charts.Then,he
followed that with another:'What's made Milwaukee famous',which reached
No.2.From 1968 to 1973,the major hits kept coming.'To make love sweeter
for you' in 1969 was a No.1 C&W hit & others like 'She still comes around'
& 'She even woke me up' were in the top 2.In the early '70s,Jerry Lee's
No.1 & Top 10 c&W hits continued with titles like 'There must be more to
love than this','Touching home' & 'Would you take another chance on me'.
In 1973,Jerry Lee cut his biggest selling album,the blues-based 'Session'.
He followed it with another bluesy album,'Southern roots'.The mid-to-late
'70s saw more big hits & in 1979,he changed labels to Elektra,where he
cut 3 great bluesy albums & had hits like 'Rockin' my life away','Folsom
prison blues','39 & holding' & the No.1 hit 'When 2 worlds collide'.
IN THE '80S,JERRY LEE CONTINUED AS GOOD AS EVER,CUTTING
MANY MORE ALBUMS,BUT HIS CHART SUCCESS WASN'T AS GREAT.1995s
'YOUNG BLOOD' ALBUM IS AS GOOD AS ANYTHING EVER RECORDED BY
THE KILLER & HIS CONCERTS ARE STILL AS ELECTRIFYING AS EVER.JERRY
LEE LEWIS IS THE GREATEST,GREATER THAN EVERYONE ELSE PUT TOGETHER.
AND THAT'S A GUARENTEED FACT.
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Jerry Lee music bio