JERRY LEE LEWIS: The Last Outlaw

When he finished his set at the Grand Ole Opry at his debut there in 1973, The Killer looked at the audience and said, “Let me tell ya somethin’ about Jerry Lee Lewis, ladies and gentlemen; I am a rock ‘n’ rollin’, country-and-western, rhythm ‘n’ blues-singin’ mothaf****er.”When he finished his set at the Grand Ole Opry at his debut there in 1973, The Killer looked at the audience and said, “Let me tell ya somethin’ about Jerry Lee Lewis, ladies and gentlemen; I am a rock ‘n’ rollin’, country-and-western, rhythm ‘n’ blues-singin’ mothaf****er.”

Jerry Lee Lewis ain’t never told a lie. Musical genres are too limited and confined to describe his music. He’s always done what he wanted to do, the way he wanted to do it, and to hell with the consequences. When you hear him play, there ain’t no doubt who you are listening to. There might be imitators out there, but there’s only one Jerry Lee Lewis.

There is no denying that he is extremely arrogant, especially in contrast to the majority of the acts who are hot right now, but when you are Jerry Lee Lewis, what the hell do you have to be humble about anyway? He helped to define what rock ‘n’ roll was and is. He’s a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, he’s a member of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, and if the Country Music Association didn’t have their heads shoved firmly up their asses, he would be a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame as well.

Born September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, La., Jerry Lee was drawn to the piano like a moth to a flame. When he was nine, his father bought him a beat up used piano on which he taught himself to play. At 15, his mama sent him to Bible college, where he quickly got himself thrown out due to his devilish piano playing. Primal urges tormented Jerry Lee; he believed that rock ‘n’ roll was the Devil’s music, but the music was in him and it had to come out. This constant war between the secular and the sacred only added fuel to the fire. When he showed up at Sun Records, Cowboy Jack Clement recognized the power of this conflict within Jerry Lee. The world hasn’t been the same since.

He first hit in 1957 with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On.” The power of the Lord Almighty was right there in his left hand. He fused gospel music with boogie- woogie, and his follow up hit, “Great Balls of Fire,” proved him to be the most dangerous man in rock ‘n’ roll. Jerry Lee’s sexual energy could not be denied. Elvis Presley was white bread compared to The Killer. Elvis was clean cut and respectable looking, while Jerry Lee had long hair, was wild as hell, and just plain ol’ didn’t give a damn about nothing.

The Killer had already been married a couple of times when he married his 13-year-old Cousin Myra. It almost killed his career. It would have killed a lesser person. When word got out about Myra’s age, Jerry Lee was booed off the stage, his tour was canceled and radio wouldn’t touch him with a 10-foot pole. He went from making $10,000 a night to barely making $200. What did he do? Did he whine about it?  Did he make excuses? Hell no. He kept on playing shows. He’s Jerry Lee Lewis, damnit, and Jerry Lee Lewis never made excuses to anybody. He just kept on doing what he had to do.

In 1968 Lewis hit on the Country charts with “Another Place, Another Time,” and this started a string of country hits for The Killer. Jerry Lee’s sound never really changed-it was the marketing that changed.

Jerry Lee Lewis is not really a songwriter. He is credited with writing on one of his hits, “High School Confidential,” and that’s a co-write. Instead of writing songs, Jerry Lee’s strength was in his arrangements. He’s a song stylist. His version of “Me & Bobby McGee” sounds nothing like Janis Joplin, Roger Miller or Kristofferson’s; his version is filled with an unrepentant joy that can’t be denied. His covers of “Crazy Arms,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “You Win Again” and “Working Man Blues” all have his indelible stamp upon them and are just as strong, if not stronger than the originals.

Listening to the newly released Time Life 3-CD career retrospective, A Half Century of Hits, and his newest release (the star-studded Last Man Standing), one realizes that while Jerry Lee Lewis’s voice has become only slightly less supple after 50 years of performing, his playing has actually improved. The thunder is still there in that left hand and the right is chasing the melody all over the keyboard. The Killer is still out on the road and making good, interesting music. Don’t pass up the opportunity to catch a living legend. At 71 years old, he’s still a rock ‘n’ rollin’, country-and-western, rhythm ‘n’ blues-singin’ motha****er.