Rest in Peace Jerry Lee Lewis

That's it. The last nail in the coffin of rock'n'roll has been hammered in. On Friday, October 28th 2022, Jerry Lee Lewis passed away at his home in Nesbit, Mississippi. At 87 years old, the one who was nicknamed 'the Killer' joins all the pioneers of this musical genre that they invented in the 50s. Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee... All gone now. All we are left with are memories. Memories of this hysterical blond man with an emaciated face setting fire to his piano on stage, well before Hendrix did the same with his Stratocaster. The symbol of a young man obsessed with nymphs who puts a ring on the finger of Myra Gale Brown, his cousin aged only 13! Tha of an infernal pianist who was to turn the codes of his instrument upside down. And of course, the various masterpieces such as Crazy Arms, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, Breathless, High School Confidential, without forgetting Great Balls of Fire. The crazy Jerry Lee Lewis, a kind of ultimate punk, was that and much more...

Like most of his colleagues of the rock'n'roll revolution, Jerry Lee Lewis knew that he was there to derail the trains and break the codes. Like that Sunday when, behind the church piano, he transformed a religious hymn into a hellish boogie-woogie in the middle of mass! Enough to get him kicked out of high school and motivate him to hit the road to play in clubs. Lewis was like a magnet to Memphis and especially, its bubbling mecca called Sun Records. At the end of 1956, Lewis who was born on September 29th 1935 in Ferriday, a pocket in Louisiana, lands an audition at the mythical label of Sam Philips of which he becomes another foal. In addition to his own singles that he records on the line, Jerry Lee Lewis also plays behind other stars of the house like Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Billy Lee Riley. This breeding ground of crazy genius puppies who don't know yet that the music they play there will change the planet forever spend most of their time crossing swords together. The pinnacle of those moments was December 4th 1956. On that day, Elvis, visiting the Sun studio, hears Perkins recording his new songs with Jerry Lee at the piano. Like in a fairy tale, Cash is also around and joins the group. The four Southerners then launched into a jam session composed mostly of gospel songs that Sam Philips rushed to record without telling anyone. The tape was to be published years later under the name of Million Dollar Quartet...

These Sun years will make Jerry Lee Lewis a star in his own right. Standing in front of his piano, or completely sideways, hitting the keyboard with his elbows or his knees, he made his concerts into hysterical masses that frightened the most classical DJs and pushed some conservative radio stations to boycott Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and especially Great Balls of Fire. Jerry Lee himself, not far from a contradiction, admits being sometimes uncomfortable shouting his pagan hymns, he, the ultra-pious... But with the infamous wedding to his little cousin, the exit is unstoppable. While he was performing in England, the scandal broke, revealed by a local journalist. Shocking the world, the tour was cancelled and Jerry Lee returned to the country swiftly. Even though he continued to record during the years that were to follow, his name disappeared from the gazettes...

In 1963, he signed with Smash Records but his output hardly sparked any further interest. His influence remained intact, regularly polished by the young British rising generation of the Beatles and the Yardbirds}, then fans of the crazy pianist. But the man still knew how to electrify the crowds, as with his Live at the Star Club, Hamburg, a recording of a nervous concert at the Star-Club in the German city, on April 5th 1964. Jerry Lee Lewis was still angry at Smash Records for not succeeding in making his records into worldwide hits. A change of gear was necessary, especially synonymous with a change of repertoire. In 1968, Jerry Lee tackled pure country music and went to Nashville to record. Bingo! On songs like Another Place Another Time, he channels his madness, highlights his soulful voice and finds his way back to success: from 1968 to 1977, he places 17 singles in the Top 10 of the country charts, relaunching his career like never before. Even better: on January 20th 1973, for the first time in his life, he went on stage at the Grand Ole Opry. A great revenge for the one who, in the beginning, was rejected by Nashville which did not find him to their taste... Superb country years impeccably compiled under the title Killer: The Mercury Years, in three volumes, Vol. One (1963-1968), Vol. Two (1969-1972) et Vol. Three (1973-1977).

During the seventies, the younger generation's interest in the pioneers of rock'n'roll allows him to continue to tour around the world and to record regularly, sometimes even with young musicians like Rory Gallagher, Kenney Jones or Albert Lee. A decade during which, with the help of alcohol, Jerry Lee Lewis went on a rampage in the studio, insulting producers, sound engineers and musicians, sometimes even with a gun in his hand... Like on November 23rd 1976, when with his revolver he staggered, drunk, in front of the gate of Graceland, Elvis's house, shouting "Get out! Come on out! Let's see who the King is!" In a similar vein, two months earlier, the pianist had almost killed his bassist Butch Owens by shooting him, accidentally he said, with his Magnum 357...

The end of his career for Jerry Lee Lewis was a series of concerts and recordings, often little more than anecdotes. The public still came to see and touch this Killer of the fifties that, in reality, he was no longer, but whose myth was to last until his death... Each one can and should seek out his recordings Sun, to notice once more their timelessness. The power of their simplicity. The strength of the pitch of his voice and the uppercuts of the chords plated on the abused keyboard. Today still, all that kills! The Killer, what!? THE KILLER!

LISTEN TO JERRY LEE LEWIS ON QOBUZ