Biography of Jerry Lee Lewis

Along with Elvis and Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis was the main reason to lock up your daughters in the '50s. Elvis and Gene are long gone, but old Jerry Lee, in his sixth decade of life, is still a threat to unattended young things.He is a man of prodigious energy and appetite, which is joyously reflected in his music. Just as he respects few boundaries in life, Jerry Lee has blurred the traditional categories between country, rock & roll, gospel and blues in his best music.Jerry Lee produced his finest recordings for the Sun label, working under spartan conditions with guitarist Roland Janes and teenage drummer Jimmy Van Eaton. The records are brash, incorrigible and full of life: everything rock & roll should be. A case can be made that "Great Balls of Fire" is the finest rock & roll record ever made. This is quite an achievement considering that is consists of just two instruments (piano and drums) and the religious fervor of Jerry Lee's vocals.Incredibly, after thirty years of digging, the Sun vaults have not stopped yielding Jerry Lee's recorded treasures. It is hard to find a really bad compilation. If you are more selective, the Mercury years (1963-1978) have some excitement to share as well. Signs of mellowing in his more recent work are special moments and bring the cycle full. It is a musical terrain well worth exploring.The strategy with Jerry Lee is to get to know his greatest hits for the Sun label (1957-61); then listen to the lesser-known titles for Sun (there are lots of them); then sample his Mercury/Smash material (1963-77). His later work can wait. It's not necessarily bad, it's just that there's more to be gained from listening more deeply to his earlier work. And forget about the movie! Rhino has done a credible job packaging all phases of Jerry Lee's Sun output. So has Charly (who holds the UK Sun license). The 3 volume Killer series takes you through the best of the Mercury years -- country, rock and gospel. ~ Hank Davis