Jerry Lee Lewis(1935-2022)
- Actor
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29, 1935 into a very religious
family . His family, though not very wealthy, sold their house when he
was a child to get their son a piano. He loved to play piano. He was
sent to a religious school, but was soon thrown out shortly thereafter
-- he did a boogie version of a song about Jesus, something the school
could not accept. At 16, he married for the first time, but it only
lasted seven months. He married a second time three weeks before his
divorce from his first wife was final. His second marriage lasted about
four years and produced his first child.
In November 1956 he moved in with a cousin, J. W. Brown, in Memphis.
They started a band together, with Jerry as singer. They sold a copy of
their first song, "Crazy Arms", to the legendary
Sam Phillips, president of Sun
Records. Phillips had become famous because of his discovery of
Elvis Presley and
Johnny Cash. Phillips liked the
song, and Jerry Lee Lewis began to establish his name in Memphis in
late 1956.
In January 1957, he recorded a new song, the self-penned "End of the
Road." It was unusual in that singers did not write their own songs at
that time. Jerry was fresh in other ways, too. He not only wrote some
of his own songs, he played piano. Other rock singer of that era played
guitar, such as Elvis Presley,
Tommy Steele,
Johnny Cash,
Chuck Berry, etc. The piano wasn't
considered a rock and roll instrument - Jerry Lee Lewis changed all
that.
Jerry got his big break in April 1957, when he went to New York and
appeared on
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956)
with the "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On". A couple of #1 hits would soon
follow -- "Great Balls of Fire" (which became his signature song),
"Breathless" and "High School Confidential". Many people predicted that
Jerry Lee would be bigger than the King of Rock-n-Roll -
Elvis Presley. In late 1957 the audiences
at one of his shows stormed the stage when he set a piano on fire.
Chuck Berry was supposed to have
ended the evening's show, but he refused to go on, wisely understanding
that he could never top what Jerry just did. Elvis went into the army
in the late winter of 1958, so Jerry Lee was now virtually alone at the
top of the rock heap. All was not rosy, however. Problems did
arise--very serious problems. In 1957, he married for a third time,
secretly, to the 13-year-old daughter of his cousin and partner J. W.
Brown, Myra Gale Brown (Myra Lewis). Her parents were deeply hurt when they found out, but after a discussion with Sam Phillips, they forgave Jerry. The marriage was unknown to the press and fans
until Jerry's arrival in England for a tour in the spring of 1958. Fans
again stormed the stage -- but this time to express their disgust. The
marriage was front-page news around the world. His career was in
shambles. He had just signed a five-year contract with Sun Records, and
he did continue to record songs until 1963. During the last years of
the contract, however, he made very few rock songs. Most of his
compositions were ballads, possibly due to his depression at the
direction his career had taken.
Jerry and Myra had one son, Steve Allen Lewis, who drowned at age
three. The couple divorced in 1970, after 13 years of bad treatment in
the press. However, Jerry's career was not completely finished. In 1968
he made his great comeback, as a country singer. During the next few
years, he performed more and more rock 'n' roll.
He married a fourth time in October 1971 but the marriage ended two
years later, after producing one child. That same year, Jerry's son
from his first marriage died in an auto accident. The combination of
divorce, personal tragedies and his career stagnation contributed to
his turning to the bottle, and for the next 15 years Jerry had a severe
drinking problem. His drinking also contributed to a rash of health
problems, and he almost died of a ruptured stomach in 1981. People
thought that The Killer was finished. But he wasn't.
Jerry Lee Lewis continued putting on brilliant concerts even in his 70s, and
with his wild life behind him. He divorced his sixth wife in the summer
of 2005, after over 20 years of marriage. He remained a wild man to the end!
family . His family, though not very wealthy, sold their house when he
was a child to get their son a piano. He loved to play piano. He was
sent to a religious school, but was soon thrown out shortly thereafter
-- he did a boogie version of a song about Jesus, something the school
could not accept. At 16, he married for the first time, but it only
lasted seven months. He married a second time three weeks before his
divorce from his first wife was final. His second marriage lasted about
four years and produced his first child.
In November 1956 he moved in with a cousin, J. W. Brown, in Memphis.
They started a band together, with Jerry as singer. They sold a copy of
their first song, "Crazy Arms", to the legendary
Sam Phillips, president of Sun
Records. Phillips had become famous because of his discovery of
Elvis Presley and
Johnny Cash. Phillips liked the
song, and Jerry Lee Lewis began to establish his name in Memphis in
late 1956.
In January 1957, he recorded a new song, the self-penned "End of the
Road." It was unusual in that singers did not write their own songs at
that time. Jerry was fresh in other ways, too. He not only wrote some
of his own songs, he played piano. Other rock singer of that era played
guitar, such as Elvis Presley,
Tommy Steele,
Johnny Cash,
Chuck Berry, etc. The piano wasn't
considered a rock and roll instrument - Jerry Lee Lewis changed all
that.
Jerry got his big break in April 1957, when he went to New York and
appeared on
The Steve Allen Plymouth Show (1956)
with the "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On". A couple of #1 hits would soon
follow -- "Great Balls of Fire" (which became his signature song),
"Breathless" and "High School Confidential". Many people predicted that
Jerry Lee would be bigger than the King of Rock-n-Roll -
Elvis Presley. In late 1957 the audiences
at one of his shows stormed the stage when he set a piano on fire.
Chuck Berry was supposed to have
ended the evening's show, but he refused to go on, wisely understanding
that he could never top what Jerry just did. Elvis went into the army
in the late winter of 1958, so Jerry Lee was now virtually alone at the
top of the rock heap. All was not rosy, however. Problems did
arise--very serious problems. In 1957, he married for a third time,
secretly, to the 13-year-old daughter of his cousin and partner J. W.
Brown, Myra Gale Brown (Myra Lewis). Her parents were deeply hurt when they found out, but after a discussion with Sam Phillips, they forgave Jerry. The marriage was unknown to the press and fans
until Jerry's arrival in England for a tour in the spring of 1958. Fans
again stormed the stage -- but this time to express their disgust. The
marriage was front-page news around the world. His career was in
shambles. He had just signed a five-year contract with Sun Records, and
he did continue to record songs until 1963. During the last years of
the contract, however, he made very few rock songs. Most of his
compositions were ballads, possibly due to his depression at the
direction his career had taken.
Jerry and Myra had one son, Steve Allen Lewis, who drowned at age
three. The couple divorced in 1970, after 13 years of bad treatment in
the press. However, Jerry's career was not completely finished. In 1968
he made his great comeback, as a country singer. During the next few
years, he performed more and more rock 'n' roll.
He married a fourth time in October 1971 but the marriage ended two
years later, after producing one child. That same year, Jerry's son
from his first marriage died in an auto accident. The combination of
divorce, personal tragedies and his career stagnation contributed to
his turning to the bottle, and for the next 15 years Jerry had a severe
drinking problem. His drinking also contributed to a rash of health
problems, and he almost died of a ruptured stomach in 1981. People
thought that The Killer was finished. But he wasn't.
Jerry Lee Lewis continued putting on brilliant concerts even in his 70s, and
with his wild life behind him. He divorced his sixth wife in the summer
of 2005, after over 20 years of marriage. He remained a wild man to the end!