Posted on 09/14/2006 2:13:45 PM PDT by kiriath_jearim
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Jerry Lee Lewis' hardheaded life of self-destructive recklessness -- filled with drugs, booze, scandal and broken marriages -- didn't seem like it would be the formula for a long career. But "The Killer" is still rocking.
Just shy of his 71st birthday, Lewis -- who had his first hell-raising hit 49 years ago with "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" -- is releasing his first studio album in more than a decade.
"I just felt like I was ready to do it again," Lewis said with a smile.
Its title? "Last Man Standing."
As a pioneer rock 'n' roller for Sam Phillips' legendary Sun Records, Lewis was a member of the so-called "Million Dollar Quartet" with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. Together, the young Sun stars carved a special place in the history of American music for Phillips' label and influenced generations of future rock 'n' rollers.
Of course, though they toured together in the early days, they never really performed together as a quartet -- even though a photo from Dec. 4, 1956, shows them gathered together at a Sun Studio piano, with Presley, not Lewis, at the keys.
Now, Lewis is the only one left.
Presley died in 1977, Perkins in 1998 and Cash and Phillips in 2003.
"I AM the last man standing," Lewis said. "And the last one breathing."
Though Lewis didn't have the popularity of the King of Rock 'n' Roll or the critical legacy of Cash, he is still one of more important figures in the history of rock 'n' roll. His rollicking piano licks, along with his own fiery voice, fueled a few of rock's most influential songs -- most notably, the ultimate classic, "Great Balls of Fire."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsday.com ...
"Great Balls of Fire!!!"
"But he set off one of the great rock 'n' roll scandals by marrying his 13-year-old cousin in 1957, while still married to someone else."
Yikes!
You shake my nerves and you rattle my brain!
He was great in his time,but the thought of a 70 year old playing rock and roll saddens me greatly.
Jumpin' Jesus!
This genius still breathes...
He could sit on the piano and play it backwards. He could stand on his head and play. He could not just sit and play.
In retrospect, Jerry Lee Lewis' mess of a personal life seems ridiculous but he did make some great rock and roll back in the day and I hope he stll has a bit of fire left in him. However, the NewsDay article paints a portrait that strongly infers 'The Killer', at 71, is definitely showing the effects of his somewhat dissipated life, even if he can still sing rock and roll. Mortality does this to all of us, sooner or later, and Jerry Lee Lewis seems to be learning, if not fully accepting, that harsh reality of life. I don't see 'The Killer' going gently into that good night if he can help it (he can't).
I wish Jerry Lee Lewis the best and hope he is around for awhile longer. He may have lived foolishly but he certainly did it 'his way' and his contribution to 'early rock' is undeniable.
There is a story, true or not, that Jerry Lee and Chuck Berry were touring together. Jerry Lee insisted that Chuck open every night. Chuck finally convinced Jerry to open one night. Jerry had his coke bottle of bourbon on the piano but did not drink any. When he finished his set, he waited til Chuck came on the stage and poured the bottle, which was gasoline, and lit it with his lighter. As he walked off he said to Chuck "It is all yours"
"I chew my nails and I twiddle my thumbs!"
LOL -- stop that right now!
They call me the meat man, You oughta see me eat, man!
Jerry Lee Lewis was a great talent , and he knew it, he was an arrogant prick, and the biggest asshole I ever heard perform. All of that aside he made great music.
Bad news. Guests have a way of spoiling the party.
This is the story I was laughing at.
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