JERRY LEE SUN SONGS CONTINUED:
'GREAT SPECKLED BIRD'(1960)
-------------------------------
An old Roy Acuff hit.As with 'Mexicali Rose',Jerry cut this as both a
fast & slow song.The melody is identical to 'Wild side of life'.The
theme is Religious.
'BONNIE B.','BABY BABY BYE BYE'(1960)
----------------------------------------
This is one of the rare occasions that Lewis did teen-pop.However,he
plays them hard & fast & turns them into something special - so
much so that they're not teen-pop in style anymore!
'OLD BLACK JOE'(1960)
---------------------
Jerry Lee cut many excellent versions of this Stephen Foster Negroe
spiritual at Sun in 1960,further displaying his versatility.
'AS LONG AS I LIVE'(1960)
--------------------------
An excellent uptempo country rocker with shades of the blues.
'KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF OF IT'(1960)
----------------------------------
Like 'Big legged woman' & 'Hello hello baby' from 2 years earlier
& later performances like 'Milk cow blues',this great gutbucket
blues is steeped with the influence of Haney's Big House.
'WHAT'D I SAY'(1960)
--------------------
Jerry Lee turned in a great version of Ray Charles' R&B standard
twice in 1960 in Memphis - the latter one of these was WILD,to
say the least!!A slicker 1961 Nashville version was recorded &
released in 1961,giving Jerry a top 10 UK hit & a US hit that
entered all charts (R&B,R&R & C&W).
'HANG UP MY ROCK 'N' ROLL SHOES'(1960)
-----------------------------------------
Jerry Lee turns in an excellent New Orleans jazz-type version of this
Chuck Wills R&B hit.
'JOHN HENRY'(1960)
---------------------
A very old blues.Furry Lewis (no relation to Jerry Lee,by the way)was
one of the first to record it.Jerry Lee turns in a great jazzy version
of it.
'C.C RIDER'(1960)
------------------
Jerry Lee turned in a magnificent version of this old blues in 1960.The
song hails from the 1920s when Ma Rainey cut it & since then,it has become
a very popular blues standard,covered by lots of people.Jerry's version
is the definitive one,though.
'WHEN MY BLUE MOON TURNS TO GOLD AGAIN'(1960)
------------------------------------------------
An old country standard that Jerry Lee turns into a jazz/blues fusion.
The song dates back to the 1940s or so when Wiley Walker wrote it.From
then on it has become a wellknown & weel-used standard.Jerry Lee's 2
great versions on Sun are certainly among the best interpretations of
it.
'LEWIS WORKOUT'(1960)
----------------------
Between 2 versions of 'When my blue moon turns to gold',Jerry Lee turns
in a great instrumental blues,backed with a complete band.The title was
probably made up by compilers years later.
'NO MORE THAN I GET'(1960)
----------------------------
This jazzy rhythm & blues original was certainly one of the best tracks
that Jerry did at Sun - the style really suited Lewis at the time & was
a pointer to his early Mercury style,too.
'WHEN I GET PAID'(1960)
-------------------------
Great R&B original.
'LOVE MADE A FOOL OF ME'(1960)
---------------------------------
Jerry Lee shows how great an R&B balladeer he is.
'LIVIN' LOVIN' WRECK'(1960)
----------------------------
This jazzy Otis Blackwell R&B-rocker was used as the B-side to the
1961 hit version of 'What'd I say'.The style echoes 'No more than
I get' & the performance is just as satisfying.
'IT WOULDN'T HAPPEN WITH ME'(1961)
-----------------------------------
Jerry Lee jumps at a chance to denounce all the teen-idols who replaced
his own popularity on this song - and rightly so,it may be added.When
compared with Jerry Lee,none of the artists mentioned in the song have
any talent.
'SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME'(1961)
--------------------------------------
Jerry Lee turns in an excellent rendition of this Drifters R&B hit.This
is a prime example of the thin line between blues & country;the song was
an R&B hit but sounded country in style.
'HIGH POWERED WOMAN'(1961)
-----------------------------
Jerry Lee turned in 2 great versions of this Sonny Terry R&B song while
at Sun.
'RAMBLIN' ROSE'(1961)
----------------------
A fine gutbucket blues performance from the Killer.
'MONEY'(1961)
-----------------
A prime example of Jerry Lee Lewis looking ahead to the future.What
he was doing here would be popular in the '60s as Soul Music.
'ROCKING THE BOAT OF LOVE'(1961)
---------------------------------
Jerry Lee was the most eclectic artist ever to record at Sun.From the
fiery soul-R&B of 'Money' & the gutbucket blues of 'Ramblin' Rose',to
this excellent blues-derived country-jazz ballad in one session is just
one example of this.
'I'VE BEEN TWISTIN''(1961)
----------------------------
Jerry turns in an excellent version of Junior Parker's rewrite of John
Lee Hooker's 'Boogie Chillun'.Parker's name for it ('Feeling good') is
changed to 'I've been twisting' because of the early '60s Twist craze.
Jerry also did a Twist version of 'Whole lotta shakin'' (where 'twist'
replaced the 'shake').
'I KNOW WHAT IT MEANS'(1961)
--------------------------------
Excellent country-R&B-pop balladry - more proof of the versatility of
Lewis.
'SWEET LITTLE 16'(1962)
-----------------------
This is one of Chuck Berry's more country-influenced compositions.
Lewis cuts it as a medium tempo country tune & also as a boogified
rocker while at Sun & the song was a minor hit.It still remains a
part of Jerry's live shows to this day.
'HELLO JOSEPHINE'(1962)
------------------------
Chuck Berry was one black man with country leanings;Fats Domino was
another.Jerry Lee effortlessly stolls through 2 versions of Fats'
country-styled version of the song,but the 3rd (& best) version
has Lewis reincarnating the song as a powerful blues.
'SET MY MIND AT EASE'(1962)
------------------------------
Excellent country-blues.
'WAITING FOR A TRAIN'(1962)
------------------------------
One of Lewis' alltime favorite country tracks.He has turned in many
fine versions of this Jimmie Rodgers hit.
'HOW'S MY EX TREATING YOU','I CAN'T TRUST ME'(1962)
------------------------------------------------------
2 excellent country performances.On the latter,Jerry incorporates a
little bit of blues feeling.On a live version of the former,Jerry
Lee turned it into a soul song in 1966.
'GOOD GOLLY MISS MOLLY'(1962)
------------------------------
Sam Phillips released this as a single - it became a minor hit.The
material is the kind of R&B-based rock that Jerry Lee could do in
his sleep.The alternate takes are far superior to the released
version.
'BE BOP A LULA'(1962)
-----------------------
Gene Vincent had hit big with this selfwritten blues in 1956 & the song
was certainly the right material for a Jerry Lee Lewis.Jerry Lee did a
great version in 1962,but his 1973 gutbucket blues version is better
again.Like Jerry Lee,Gene Vincent never gave up on rock 'n' roll.
'MY PRETTY QUADROON'(1962)
----------------------------
This is a prime example of Jerry Lee at his most inventive.He
takes an old bluegrass standard,sings it as a blues & has a jazz
backing.The result is one magnificent piece of music.
'HONG KONG BLUES'(1963)
------------------------
An old Hoagy Carmichael standard.Again,this was further evidence
of Lewis' unique versatility - even early on in his career,Jerry
Lee could go back or hint forward as regards musical styles.
'TEENAGE LETTER'(1963)
-----------------------
Jerry Lee Lewis was recording 'Soul' ever before the genre was
really identifiable.3 to 4 years after Lewis recorded this
soulful version of a Big Joe Turner R&B hit,this type of
music was dominating the pop & R&B charts.
'SEASONS OF MY HEART'(1963)
----------------------------
The first Jerry Lee/Linda Gail Lewis (sister) duet.This blues was
written by the most unlikely person - pure country singer George Jones.
'YOUR LOVIN' WAYS','JUST WHO IS TO BLAME'(1963)
-------------------------------------------------
Jerry Lee turns these pop-rockers into gospelly blues.
'LOVE ON BROADWAY','ONE MINUTE PAST ETERNITY','INVITATION TO
YOUR PARTY','I CAN'T SEEM TO SAY GOODBYE'(1963)
------------------------------------------------------------
Jerry Lee recorded these 4 original country songs in 1963,towards the end
of his days at Sun.When Jerry Lee was a hot C&W star in the early '70s,
Sam Phillips released these - some even reached the country top 2,thus
achieving the same kind of success as the new Mercury country hits of
Jerry Lee.
'CARRY ME BACK TO OLD VIRGINIA'(1963)
----------------------------------------
The last known songs that Jerry Lee ever performed at Sun were many versions
of this old standard.This sort of song was a typical old Southern song
that predated most blues,country & gospel music.Jerry Lee effectively
turned in some great boogie versions of it,hinting that Jerry Lee was to
be around for a long time more.
Also recorded during this period:
'WE THREE'(1961)
--------------------------------
Jerry Lee cut this live in 1961.On this live version,he said that this
track was going to be included on his forthcoming album (but it never
did).This live version of the song is the only available version of one
of Lewis' long lost Sun tracks.Excellent jazzy blues similar to certain
Moon Mullican or Merrill Moore tracks in that genre.
'MY BABE'(1962)
---------------------------
Also recorded live,this 1962 track is not of great sound quality but
the Killer gives an excellent performance.This track was a staple of
his live shows during the '60s & this is one of the few available
versions that are actually on disk today.
The song dates back to the '20s,when he was a much used blues
standard.The melody owes much to gospel music.It was rewritten by
Willie Dixon in the '50s & was an R&B hit for Little Walter (Jerry Lee's
probable source for it).It was recorded by many rock 'n' roll singers,
too (Gene Vincent,Dale Hawkins).Jerry's version owes a lot more
to blues & soul,though.
(other live tracks Jerry Lee recorded in the early '60s include:
"Long tall Sally"/"Tutti frutti", "I could never be ashamed of you",
"Mexicali Rose", "Georgia on my mind").
All the above are available on "Rock 'n' roll with Jerry Lee".
Jerry Lee recorded "Breathless" live in 1958 & "Whole lotta shakin"
live in 1959 (on radio/TV shows) (these are available on "That
breathless cat").
This page created using the webpage creation facilities of Webspawner.
Copyright © 2000 . All Rights Reserved
WebSpawner Page Machine