Major Works
Songs
- Great Balls of Fire
- Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On
- Mean Woman Blues
- House of Blue Lights
- What’d I Say
- Little Queenie
- Jailhouse Rock
- Chantilly Lace
- Sweet Little Sixteen
- Lucille
Albums
- Jerry Lee Lewis (1958, Sun Records)
- Jerry Lee’s Greatest! (1962, Sun Records)
- Rockin’ With Jerry Lee Lewis (1963, Mercury)
- The Greatest Live Show on Earth (1964, Smash Records)
- Live at the Star Club (1964, German Philips)
- The Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis (1964, Smash Records)
- Alabama Show (1964, Mercury)
- Country Songs for City Folks/All Country (1965, Smash Records)
- The Return of Rock (1965, Smash Records)
- By Request (1966, Smash Records)
- Memphis Beats (1966, Smash Records)
- Another Place Another Time (1968 Smash records)
- Soul My Way (1967 Smash Records)
- Original Golden Hits, Vol 1. (1969, Sun Record Co)
- Original Golden Hits, Vol 2. (1969, Sun Record Co)
- Together (Duets with Linda Gail Lewis) (1969, Smash Records)
- Rockin’ Rhythm & Blues (1969 Sun Record Co)
- Jerry Lee Lewis Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 1 (1969, Mercury)
- Jerry Lee Lewis Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. 2 (1969, Mercury)
- She Still Comes Around (1969 Smash Records)
- Live at the International, Las Vegas (1970, Mercury)
- The Best of Jerry Lee Lewis (1970, Smash Records)
- A Taste of Country (1970, Sun Records Co)
- She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye (1970, Mercury)
- The Golden Cream of the Country (1970, Sun Records)
- Would You Take Another Chance on Me (1971, Mercury)
- Monster (1971, Sun Records)
- Touching Home (1971, Mercury)
- There Must be More to Love than This (1971, Mercury)
- In Loving Memories: The Jerry Lee Lewis Gospel Album (1971, Mercury)
- Who’s Gonna Play This Old Piano? (1972, Mercury)
- The “Killer” Rocks On (1972, Mercury)
- Southern Roots – Back Home to Memphis (1973, Mercury)
- Sometimes a Memory Aint’ Enough (1973, Mercury)
- The Session Recorded in London (1973, Mercury)
- Breathless Roll Over Beethoven/High Heel Sneakers (1974, Pickwick)
- I-40 Country (1974, Mercury)
- Odd man In (1975, Mercury)
- Boogie Woogie Country man (1975, Mercury)
- Country Class (1976, Mercury)
- Country Memories (1977, Mercury)
- Jerry Lee Keeps Rockin’ (1978, Mercury)
- The Best of Jerry Lee Lewis, Vol. II (1978, Mercury)
- Jerry Lee Lewis (1979, Elektra)
- Duets (1979, Sun Records)
- Killer Country (1980, Elektra)
- When Two Worlds Collide (1980, Elektra)
- The Best of Jerry Lee Lewis Vol. III (1981, Sun Records)
- The Survivors Live (With Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins) (1982, Columbia Records)
- My Fingers Do the Talkin’ (1983, MCA Records)
- I Am What I Am (1984, MCA Records)
- Class of ’55 (1986, America Records)
- Jerry Lee Lewis – 18 Original Greatest Hits (1989, Sun Record Co)
- Great Balls of Fire! Soundtrack (1989, Polydor)
- All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology (1993, Rhino Records)
- Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (1994, Pilz)
- Young Blood (1995, Elektra/Asylum)
- Live at Gilley’s (1999, Q Records Atlantic)
- Live From Austin, TX (2007, New West Records)
- A Half-Century of Hits (2006, Artist First)
- Last Man Standing (2006, Artists First)
- Last Man Standing Live (2007, Artists First)
- Mean Old Man (2010, Verve Records)
- Live at Third Man Records (2011, Third Man Records)
- Greatest Hits (2012, Time Life Entertainment)
- Rock & Roll Time (2014, Vanguard Records)
- Jerry Lee Lewis the Knox Phillips Sessions (2014, Timeless Holland)
Jerry Lee Lewis: A Biography
by Julie Tomlinson and Trey Templeton (SHS)
The legend of Jerry Lee Lewis, now 63 years old, is presented in the story of his life, including his early life, his career, and his marriages. Throughout his music and his personality, his widespread talent is unbeatable. Lewis defined a new kind of music, combining country and blues. This new type of music is virtually his own. Lewis currently resides near Nesbit, Mississippi on his ranch.
Lewis’s talent began to appear in his childhood. He was born on September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana. At the age of five, his talent on the piano was noticeable to his parents, Elmo and Mamie Lewis. They realized that he was born with a natural talent and mortgaged their home to buy Jerry a piano of his own. Lewis states “ My mother and dad… got me a piano and I loved it and worked at it real hard, and they backed me all the way, all their lives…They were great people.” At the age of 15, Lewis began to perform with a traveling revival. As a young adult Jerry’s two favorite singers were Jimmy Rodgers and Al Jolson; he often learned to play their songs on the piano.
Jerry Lee’s hard work and diligence paid off with his many accomplishments throughout his career. At the age of 22, Jerry and his father gathered thirty dozen eggs in order to pay for a trip to Memphis where he would meet with Sam Phillips of Sun Records. The trip was a success, and Mr. Phillips signed him to Sun Records. Lewis’s career in Rock ‘N Roll music had begun.
In 1986, he was the first artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The movie Great Balls of Fire, a profile of his life, was made in the same year. In 1993 he wrote and published his autobiography, Killer. In early April of 1996 he was named a Professor of Rock ‘N Roll by the University of Memphis. April 28th was named Jerry Lee Lewis Day in Memphis by Don Sundquist, the governor of Tennessee. Recently, Lewis has celebrated his 40th Anniversary Worldwide Tour and has a new album called Youngblood.
During his life, Lewis’s many romances influenced his career. Soon after the age of fifteen, Lewis fell in love with Dorothy Barion, a preacher’s daughter. They got married, but divorced a few months later. He then decided to marry his thirteen-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown. They had two children: a girl Phoebe and a boy Steve Allen. The son Steve drowned in a pool accident at the age of three, which drove his wife to divorce him. Lewis married Jaren Gunn in 1971, but she was found dead in a swimming pool and investigators determined that she drowned. Lewis then married Shawn Stephens, but she was found dead in their home due to an overdose. Lewis was given the nickname “Killer,” which almost ended his career in music (Cavendish 124 ). Despite all the upsets in his personal life, Lewis kept performing and launched his biggest hit ever ” Great Balls of Fire.” For a while he found himself blacklisted on radio and television. Thus, he experienced a period of many one-night-stands. Throughout this time Lewis never lost his faith in God. Lewis says “When they look back on me, I want ‘em to remember me not for all my wives, although I’ve had a few, and certainly not for any mansions or high livin’ money I made and spent. I want ‘em to remember me simply for my music…”
Lewis’s life has consisted of many glorious accomplishments, but in order to overcome his hardships he has had to keep his focus on God. By doing this, he has attained his goals and captured all his dreams. Jerry Lee Lewis has influenced the works of Rock ‘N Roll and will always be considered an important founder of this type of music. Lewis still performs today. After some problems with the Internal Revenue Service, Lewis returned from a short stay in Ireland in the 1990’s. In 1993 he published his autobiography called Killer. He now resides on his Mississippi Ranch just minutes away from the site of his former fame at Sun Studio. His continues to tour the United State and Europe. He has recorded over 1200 songs.
Timeline
- 1935 – Born on September 29
- 1950 – At age 15, he began traveling and performing, married Dorothy Barion
- 1957 – Signed a deal with Sun Records
- 1986 – First artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; the movie Great Balls of Fire was made about his life
- 1993 – Wrote and published his autobiography, Killer
- 1996 – Lewis was named a Professor of Rock and Roll by the University of Memphis
- 1997 – Lewis celebrated his Fortieth Anniversary Worldwide Tour
- 2012 – Married Judith
- 2012- Lewis continues to tour but spends his time off at his ranch in Nesbit, MS
- 2013 – Opened the Jerry Lee Lewis Cafe & Honky Tonk in Memphis, TN
- 2014 – Biography published, author Rick Bragg
Related Websites
- Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Jerry Lee Lewis
- Jerry Lee Lewis’ Official Website
- Jerry Lee Lewis’ Facebook Page
- Jerry Lee Lewis’ YouTube Channel
Bibliography
- Toshes, Nick. “Hellfire: the Jerry Lee Lewis Story”. Life Magazine. New York: 1982, 11.