Jerry Lee Lewis
Biography
Jerry Lee Lewis was born on
September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana.
At the age of five, while playing the piano at his aunt's home, his parents
declared that
Jerry Lee was born to be a great pianist and later mortgaged their
home to buy him a piano
of his own. Soon afterwards, Jerry Lee was playing to
large crowds at grand openings,
civic centers, etc. At the age of l5, he was
playing professionally for a travelling revival.
He soon fell in love with the
preacher's daughter, Dorothy Barton. They were married, but
divorced in just a
few months.
By the age of 21, Jerry Lee had remarried and had a son, Jerry Lee Lewis, JR. (now
deceased).
The next year, Jerry Lee heard Elvis Presley on the radio and
declared to his father that the
door had finally been opened to Rock and Roll.
Jerry Lee and his father immediately
began the task of collecting 30 dozen eggs
to finance their trip to Memphis where
he hoped to meet with Sam Phillips of Sun
Records. When they arrived, they were
told that Mr. Phillips was out of town and
they should return at a later date. Jerry Lee,
however, insisted that they
record him so that Mr. Phillips could hear him upon his return.
Mr. Phillips did
listen, and ultimately signed him to Sun Records, where Jerry Lee went
on to
record such Rock and Roll hits as Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On, Great Balls Of
Fire,
You Win Again, High Shool Confidential, Breathless, and many others. In
1958, controversy
engulfed Jerry Lee's career when it was discovered that he had
married his thirteen-year
old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, daughter of his bass player.
By the late 60's, Jerry Lee made a huge comeback in the country market, where he
produced another string of hits with both Mercury and Elektra records. Songs
like
What Made Milwaukee Famous, She Still Comes Around, and To Make Love Sweeter
For You
started a long string of hits through the 70's and 80's.
Additional Top Ten hits such as
Once More With Feeling, There Must Be More To Love
Than This,
Would You Take Another Chance On Me, Chantilly Lace, Middle Age Crazy,
Over The Rainbow, Thirty-Nine And Holding, and many others have made
Jerry Lee an international star.
In 1986, Jerry Lee was unanimously voted the First Artist to be inducted
into
the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His life was profiled in 1989 in the motion
picture,
"Great Balls of Fire", starring Dennis Quaid, and in 1993
Jerry Lee wrote and published
his autobiography, "Killer", with author
Charles White. In April of 1996, Jerry Lee was
given a proclamation by the
University of Memphis naming him a Professor of Rock'n'Roll and
April 28th was
named Jerry Lee Lewis Day in Memphis by Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist.
Jerry
Lee had a new album out on Elektra/Sire titled "Young Blood" in 1995,
and is still giving
concerts in the United States and in Europe. by
Thomas Sobczak
Links
The
Official Jerry Lee Lewis Website
1st Bavarian
Jerry Lee Lewis Site
Jerry
Lee Lewis Argentinean Web-Page
Jerry Lee Lewis Rock & Roll And Excel In Vienna
Tour Information
don't
forget to have a look on the acurate
tour information section for a complete list
of all shows from 1950 to 2007