Jerry Lee Lewis, the kingpin of 1950s American rock and roll who helped shape the genre’s nascent sound, has died. His age was 87 years.
The star of his classic Great Balls of Fire, known for his flowing blonde locks, sizzling piano beats and provocative stage presence, died of natural causes, his publicist told AFP on Friday. Told to
“He’s ready to go,” his publicist quoted the artist’s wife Judith as saying.
A friend and rival of Elvis Presley, Lewis’ career spanned more than half a century and generated a wealth of wild stories about his multiple wives, drunken rampages, and disputes with the government over back taxes.
It also spawned a string of indelible hits.
Born in Ferriday, Louisiana on September 29, 1935, Lewis took the ivory at the age of nine. The following year, his parents, Elmo and Mamie, mortgaged the family farm to buy him an upright piano.
Along with his cousins ​​Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart—who would go on to become an award-winning country musician and a scandal-plagued evangelist, respectively—Lewis spent hours perfecting his craft.
Killer
In 1956, Lewis moved to Memphis, Tennessee – the South American city known as the cradle of soul, blues and rock – to connect with Sun Records producer Sam Phillips, who was instrumental in Presley’s meteoric rise. Were.
Lewis, Presley, and Johnny Cash got together with Carl Perkins in the studio that year for the famous Million Dollar Quartet jam session, which was released to much acclaim.
Lewis rose to fame the following year with his breakout hit hole-in-the-wall, ‘Gin’ On’ – the provocative lyrics of which shocked some radio stations who initially refused to play it.
Its follow-up, Great Balls of Fire, is one of the best-selling singles of all time, and was also the title of a 1989 docudrama about Lewis starring actor Dennis Quaid.
By the summer of 1958, Lewis – nicknamed “The Killer” – was on his way to the top, with fans attending shows, money flowing in, and a third hit, Breathless, on the charts. was working
In an era when the rock was still wet behind the ears and even the slightest low-body movement from Presley was a thrill, Lewis took it further, hitting the keys with his hands and feet—sometimes with his own. The grand piano used to jump on top of the piano and let out squeals of joy.
“Who would have thought it would be me?” A statement from his publicist said of the rocker’s final days.
