This nearly lifelong musician and singer continues to record new music and perform around the world.
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A new generation of listeners got introduced to Lewis through the 1989 biopic “Great Balls of Fire”, when Lewis was played by actor Dennis Quaid. When he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s first class in 1986, there was a strong resurgence in his rock & roll career and music.
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He revisited some of his older songs as well as the works of Chuck Berry and John Fogerty on this popular recording. In 1973, he did well on the album charts with “The Session”. Lewis never left the rock world completely. He found a new career as a country artist, scoring a hit with 1968’s “Another Place, Another Time.” Lewis recorded several country albums over the next few years, including 1970’s Olde Tyme Country Music and 1975’s Boogie Woogie Country Man. In the 1960s, Lewis returned to the music of his youth. The following March, Lewis struck again with “Breathless,” which made into the Top 10 of the pop charts. Lewis was on a roll with his next single, “ Great Balls of Fire,” proving to be another big hit in December 1957. He had such energy and enthusiasm in his performances that he earned the nickname “The Killer” for the way he knocked out his audiences. By this time, Lewis had also developed some of his famous stage antics, such as playing standing up and even lighting the occasional piano on fire. “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” became a hit on the pop, country and R&B charts. In 1957, Lewis became a star with his unique piano-driven sound. This session by the “Million Dollar Quartet” was recorded at the time, but it was not released until much later. While working at Sun, he and Perkins jammed with Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Lewis also worked on some recording sessions with Carl Perkins. In 1956, he recorded his first single, a cover of Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms,” which did well locally. Lewis eventually ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, where he found work as a studio musician for Sun Studios. With little formal education, he basically gave up on school around this time to focus on his music. He gave his first public performance at the age of 14, wowing the crowd gathered for the opening of a local car dealership with his piano prowess. When he was 10, Lewis’ father mortgaged the family farm to buy Jerry Lee his first piano.
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Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams and Al Jolson were some of his early influences. Lewis listened to such radio shows as the Grand Ole Opry and Louisiana Hayride. He taught himself to play piano and sang in church growing up. His musical talents became apparent early on in life. With his innovative and flamboyant piano playing style, Jerry Lee Lewis emerged as one of rock music’s early showman in the 1950s. He was the first person inducted into the first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He signed with Sun Records in 1956 and quickly became a star. He began playing the piano at age 9, copying the styles of preachers and black musicians that traveled through the area. Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29th, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana.