The early 1970s should have been a great time for Jerry Lee Lewis, but the beginning of the decade was marred with arrests, deaths of family members, and divorces. His behavior became volatile, fueled by alcohol and drug use. Amid all this darkness, he still managed to place singles at the top of the country charts and his concerts continued to draw large crowds. Jerry Lee had now more than proven himself as a pioneering rock & roll artist, as well as a chart-topping country star, but there was still one thing that he had not conquered. He had never played the Grand Ole Opry.
In my initial Lewis introduction, I mentioned he was spurned by Nashville recording companies before heading to Memphis and Sun Studio. Lewis didn't forget. And it took an unusually long 5 year period from when he started to churn out a long line of top 5 country hits in 1968, and not before a specific request from his manager, before he finally received the long overdue invitation to perform at The Grand Ole Opry, For his 1973 debut on the revered show, the rock-gone-country singer was invited to perform with two stipulations: refrain from rock songs and four-letter words.
“Let me tell ya something about Jerry Lee Lewis, ladies and gentlemen, I am a rock and rollin’, country-and-western, rhythm and blues-singin’ mother*er,” the music icon known as “The Killer” told the Grand Ole Opry audience (and live radio). And with that, Lewis broke Opry Rule Number 2 - no cursing. The first was broken as he stomped on all sorts of unwritten rules, playing just one of the hits that lifted him out of a career slump, 'Another Place, Another Time', followed a rip roaring rendition of his rock'n'roll staples, including 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On' (which he correctly pointed out topped the country charts in the 1950's), ignoring his allotted time constraints (thus the commercial breaks) to play for 40 minutes, finishing with his favourite song - Hank Williams immortal 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'. (The average Opry performance is two songs, for about 8 maximum minutes of stage time). The audience loved it - the Opry management not so much. To this day, 48 years later, he has never been invited back.
There's a hundred other stories to be told, about his 7 wives, family tragedies, his wild ways, legendary parties at his Memphis mansion (nicknamed "Disgraceland" as a parody on Elvis' Gracelands), his on-going fear of going to hell because of playing the "devils music", the time in 1976 he turned up in his car drunk (or on something) at Elvis' Gracelands gates, crashing the gates then hurling a champagne bottle - not realising the car window was up, smashing both the bottle and window, before Elvis ordered his arrest once he started waving a gun around - the list is endless, buts it's all out their on the net for those interested. Time for some more music, from where we left Lewis, riding high in the charts, in 1970.
Pulled from Lewis’ album "She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye", this 1970 hit 'Once More With Feeling' has Lewis lamenting his feelings about a relationship that had grown stale (at the time his fourth marriage was disintegrating). The Kristoffosen written song just narrowly missed the top spot, hitting # 2. THis live version is introduced by his old Sun Studio stablemate, Johnny Cash (on his own TV show), with strong words of praise for Lewis -
This 1971 release 'Would You Take Another Chance On Me', wound up becoming one of Lewis' finest song moments of his entire career, let alone his country numbers. Some fans might complain of the "lush" arrangements (as lush arrangements have spoiled many a good country song), but in this case, it all just works. This is such a beautifully constructed song and highlights Lewis' powerful and emotion laden voice at its best - proof he was much more than just a loud rock'n'roller. As great as the lyrics and Lewis’ performance of the song were, it wouldn't quite have had as much power were it not for the dramatic intro - straight out of the 1970's era -
Lewis handled his transition to straight-ahead country so well that one might have forgotten that he was one of the greatest pioneers of rock and roll. But this 1972 cover of the Big Bopper hit 'Chantilly Lace' reminded listeners just
how lethal 'The Killer' could be when the tempo was fast. This also somehow sounds just a little bit more "adult"
than the Bopper's original-
Sonny Throckmorton’s wistful lyrics about a man realizing that time is swiftly passing him by a little quicker each day, found the perfect interpretation in 42 year old Lewis’s heartfelt delivery, as this track 'Middle Age Crazy' which went to # 4 in 1977. Now if you're 25 and you just can't seem to relate to this song, don't worry - just revisit it again in 25 years or so time and the lyrics will all make sense. This is one of those adult country songs that reveal the truths lurking beneath our public veneer -
The last major singles hit of Lewis’s country career, this 1981 hit 'Thirty Nine and Feeling', on a similar theme to 'Middle Age Crazy', features a man in search of his lost youth. Recorded when Lewis was 45, you can almost tell the singer felt each and every word of the lyrics of this track from his album "Killer Country" -
After his major surgery in 1981, Lewis managed to clean himself up, getting off the booze and drugs that came so close to claiming his life. He continued touring and recording, mixing his country with his old rock'n'roll. In 1989, a major motion picture based on his early life in rock and roll, Great Balls of Fire!, brought him back into the public eye, especially when he decided to re-record all his songs for the soundtrack. Showing everyone who the real Killer was, Lewis sounded energetic enough to make you believe it was 1957 all over again with the pilot light of inspiration still burning bright. Lewis released "Last Man Standing" in 2007 which featured duets with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart and Jimmy Page amongst others. He followed it up in 2010 with another album of duets, "Mean Old Man", which saw him teaming with Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, John Fogerty, and Kid Rock, among others. After suffering a stroke in February 2019 which left his right hand basically useless until late 2019 when he suddenly found he could still play the piano with both hands, in 2020, still racked with uncertainty about his fate after death, he recorded a gospel album and enjoyed the all star cast that celebrated his 85th birthday on line.
In my initial Lewis introduction, I mentioned he was spurned by Nashville recording companies before heading to Memphis and Sun Studio. Lewis didn't forget. And it took an unusually long 5 year period from when he started to churn out a long line of top 5 country hits in 1968, and not before a specific request from his manager, before he finally received the long overdue invitation to perform at The Grand Ole Opry, For his 1973 debut on the revered show, the rock-gone-country singer was invited to perform with two stipulations: refrain from rock songs and four-letter words.
“Let me tell ya something about Jerry Lee Lewis, ladies and gentlemen, I am a rock and rollin’, country-and-western, rhythm and blues-singin’ mother*er,” the music icon known as “The Killer” told the Grand Ole Opry audience (and live radio). And with that, Lewis broke Opry Rule Number 2 - no cursing. The first was broken as he stomped on all sorts of unwritten rules, playing just one of the hits that lifted him out of a career slump, 'Another Place, Another Time', followed a rip roaring rendition of his rock'n'roll staples, including 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On' (which he correctly pointed out topped the country charts in the 1950's), ignoring his allotted time constraints (thus the commercial breaks) to play for 40 minutes, finishing with his favourite song - Hank Williams immortal 'I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry'. (The average Opry performance is two songs, for about 8 maximum minutes of stage time). The audience loved it - the Opry management not so much. To this day, 48 years later, he has never been invited back.
There's a hundred other stories to be told, about his 7 wives, family tragedies, his wild ways, legendary parties at his Memphis mansion (nicknamed "Disgraceland" as a parody on Elvis' Gracelands), his on-going fear of going to hell because of playing the "devils music", the time in 1976 he turned up in his car drunk (or on something) at Elvis' Gracelands gates, crashing the gates then hurling a champagne bottle - not realising the car window was up, smashing both the bottle and window, before Elvis ordered his arrest once he started waving a gun around - the list is endless, buts it's all out their on the net for those interested. Time for some more music, from where we left Lewis, riding high in the charts, in 1970.
Pulled from Lewis’ album "She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye", this 1970 hit 'Once More With Feeling' has Lewis lamenting his feelings about a relationship that had grown stale (at the time his fourth marriage was disintegrating). The Kristoffosen written song just narrowly missed the top spot, hitting # 2. THis live version is introduced by his old Sun Studio stablemate, Johnny Cash (on his own TV show), with strong words of praise for Lewis -
This 1971 release 'Would You Take Another Chance On Me', wound up becoming one of Lewis' finest song moments of his entire career, let alone his country numbers. Some fans might complain of the "lush" arrangements (as lush arrangements have spoiled many a good country song), but in this case, it all just works. This is such a beautifully constructed song and highlights Lewis' powerful and emotion laden voice at its best - proof he was much more than just a loud rock'n'roller. As great as the lyrics and Lewis’ performance of the song were, it wouldn't quite have had as much power were it not for the dramatic intro - straight out of the 1970's era -
Lewis handled his transition to straight-ahead country so well that one might have forgotten that he was one of the greatest pioneers of rock and roll. But this 1972 cover of the Big Bopper hit 'Chantilly Lace' reminded listeners just
how lethal 'The Killer' could be when the tempo was fast. This also somehow sounds just a little bit more "adult"
than the Bopper's original-
Sonny Throckmorton’s wistful lyrics about a man realizing that time is swiftly passing him by a little quicker each day, found the perfect interpretation in 42 year old Lewis’s heartfelt delivery, as this track 'Middle Age Crazy' which went to # 4 in 1977. Now if you're 25 and you just can't seem to relate to this song, don't worry - just revisit it again in 25 years or so time and the lyrics will all make sense. This is one of those adult country songs that reveal the truths lurking beneath our public veneer -
The last major singles hit of Lewis’s country career, this 1981 hit 'Thirty Nine and Feeling', on a similar theme to 'Middle Age Crazy', features a man in search of his lost youth. Recorded when Lewis was 45, you can almost tell the singer felt each and every word of the lyrics of this track from his album "Killer Country" -
After his major surgery in 1981, Lewis managed to clean himself up, getting off the booze and drugs that came so close to claiming his life. He continued touring and recording, mixing his country with his old rock'n'roll. In 1989, a major motion picture based on his early life in rock and roll, Great Balls of Fire!, brought him back into the public eye, especially when he decided to re-record all his songs for the soundtrack. Showing everyone who the real Killer was, Lewis sounded energetic enough to make you believe it was 1957 all over again with the pilot light of inspiration still burning bright. Lewis released "Last Man Standing" in 2007 which featured duets with Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Willie Nelson, Rod Stewart and Jimmy Page amongst others. He followed it up in 2010 with another album of duets, "Mean Old Man", which saw him teaming with Eric Clapton, Merle Haggard, John Fogerty, and Kid Rock, among others. After suffering a stroke in February 2019 which left his right hand basically useless until late 2019 when he suddenly found he could still play the piano with both hands, in 2020, still racked with uncertainty about his fate after death, he recorded a gospel album and enjoyed the all star cast that celebrated his 85th birthday on line.
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