Jerry Lee Lewis

Jerry Lee Lewis Headshot

Singer • Songwriter • Pianist

Birth Date: September 29, 1935

Death Date: October 28, 2022

Birth Place: Ferriday, Louisiana

Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the prime architects of rock 'n' roll. Besides bursting out of the Sun Records stable in the mid '50s with a fire comparable to labelmate Elvis Presley, he helped create the template for rock piano along with Fats Domino and Little Richard. Born in Ferriday, Louisiana on September 29, 1935, and started out playing country music as a teen in the '40s. But he loved blues and R&B as much as country, and as a youngster his world was changed when he snuck in to see blues artists at local roadhouses.

By the mid '50s, like a handful of other cutting-edge artists, he'd begun blending R&B and country for a first-gen rock 'n' roll sound. He made his way to Memphis in 1956 with Sam Phillips' Sun Studio in mind, Sun having already introduced Elvis to the world. He released his first single, "Crazy Arms," on Sun that year. But it was his next single, 1957's "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On," that exploded, becoming a huge hit and a rock 'n' roll standard. Over the next year or so, "Great Balls of Fire," "Breathless," and "High School Confidential" expanded his reputation further.

Lewis was a top-tier rock star, and his performances were as explosive as his music - he would bang on the keys with his feet, stand up and fling the piano stool, and even set his piano on fire, all at a time when such behavior onstage was unprecedented. But Jerry Lee's rebellious ways proved to be a double-edged sword. In 1958 it was revealed that the 22-year-old Lewis had married Myra Gail Brown, his 13-year-old first cousin once removed. The public was scandalized, and the revelation halted Jerry Lee's momentum, basically killing his career for years.

He wouldn't have another major hit until he reached back to his beginnings and reinvented himself as a country singer in the '60s. Beginning with "Another Place, Another Time" in 1968, Lewis became a frequent denizen of the country Top 10, scoring a long string of hit singles that lasted all the way into the early '80s. By the '80s enough time separated him from his scandal that he was able to make his way back to rock 'n' roll again.

He remained a commanding presence onstage for decades to come, and by the '90s his infrequent album releases were celebrated events, often including a raft of big-name guests. He was an unstoppable force until 2019 when he was sidelined by a stroke that resulted in the cancellation of his scheduled shows. Jerry Lee Lewis died on October 28, 2022 in Nesbit, MS at the age of 87.

Credits

Skyville Live: Jerry Lee Lewis

Music Performer
Show
2021

Jerry Lee Lewis: She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye

Music Performer
Show
2020

Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls of Fire; What'd I say; Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On

Music Performer
Show
2020

Sunshine by the Stars: Celebrating Louisiana Music

Music Performer
Show
2012

Legends in Concert: Jerry Lee Lewis and Friends Inside & Out

Actor
Show
2011

Legends in Concert: Kings of Rock 'N' Roll

Actor
Show
2011

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Music Performer
Talk
2009

Jerry Lee Lewis Feat. Bruce Springsteen: Pink Cadillac

Music Performer
Show
2006

Jerry Lee Lewis Feat. Kid Rock: Honky-Tonk Woman

Music Performer
Show
2006

Willie Nelson and Friends: Outlaws and Angels

Music Performer
Show
2004

Hollywood Rocks and Rolls in the 50s

Music Performer
Show
1999

Hollywood Rocks and Rolls in the 50s

Self
Movie
1999

The View

Music Performer
Talk
1997

Late Show With David Letterman

Music Performer
Talk
1993

Jerry Lee Lewis and FriendsStream

Music Performer
Special
1989

Super Dave

Guest
Show
1987

The 10th Anniversary Johnny Cash Christmas Special

Guest
Show
1985

La Historia de Alan Freed

Actor
Movie
1978

American Hot Wax

Self
Movie
1978

Johnny Cash Christmas Special 1977

Actor
Show
1977

Police Story

Actor
Bates
Series
1973

John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band: Sweet Toronto

Music Performer
Show
1971

33 1/3 Revolutions per Monkee

Music Performer
Show
1969

Jerry Lee Lewis: Breathless

Music Performer
Show
1958

High School Confidential!

Self
Movie
1958
70%

The Big Beat

Actor
Show
1957

Disc Jockey Jamboree

Actor
Jerry Lee Lewis
Movie
1957

JamboreeStream

Self
Movie
1957

Today

Guest
News
1952

News aboutJerry Lee Lewis