Remember When: Jerry Lee Lewis’ Electrifying TV Debut

When Jerry Lee Lewis first appeared on TV, it sent shock waves through rock music. Lewis made his TV debut on The Steve Allen Show on July 28, 1957, where he performed what would be one of his signature hits, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.”

Lewis was signed to Sun Records at the time and was a brand new artist, having only released one prior single, a cover of Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms,” that had failed to chart. But his life changed with the release of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” in April 1957. Before he was a solo artist, Lewis also played piano on songs by his Sun Records labelmates such as Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox” and Billy Lee Riley’s “Flyin’ Saucers Rock’n’Roll.”

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Prior to “Whole Lott Shakin,’” Lewis’ future superstardom was foreshadowed by the Million Dollar Quartet, an album of songs recorded during an impromptu jam session at the Sun Records studio between Lewis, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Perkins that features nearly 50 songs including Presley’s “Don’t Be Cruel” and “Paralyzed” and Chuck Berry‘s “Brown Eyed Handsome Man.”

Lewis proved he had star power all on his own with his set on The Steve Allen Show. The performance puts Lewis’ incomparable piano playing on full display. As if electricity is running through his fingers, Lewis doesn’t miss a beat as he tickles the ivories with velocity. Even though he’s seated at the piano, Lewis still manages to dance as he sings, You can shake one time for me / Well, I said come over baby / Whole lot of shakin’ goin’ on, with his voice and mannerisms akin to that of Presley’s. The performance builds to a climactic finish where Lewis kicks the chair out of the way and pounds the piano, sending the audience into frenzied applause.

“Shakin’” was written by Dave Williams and originally recorded by R&B singer Big Maybelle and released as a single in 1955. The song was a massive success for Lewis, as his version reached No. 3 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Country Songs charts.

“I remember it very distinctly…I knew it was a hit when I cut it,” Lewis recalled to NPR about recording “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” “[Sun Studio founder] Sam Phillips thought it was gonna be too risque, it couldn’t make it. If that’s risque, well, I’m sorry.”

In 2005, his version of the song was inducted into the National Recording Registry. Lewis passed away in October 2022 at the age of 87 at his home in Mississippi.

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