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Known for his wild performances and stunningly visceral piano playing, Jerry Lee Lewis was perhaps the original rock 'n' roll rebel, raising eyebrows for his iconoclastic antics and defiant spirit both on and off stage.
Lewis was born on September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, La., to a poor family. He literally grew up playing the piano, banging on his aunt's keyboard as a toddler before convincing his parents to save for an old upright. Growing up in the Deep South, Lewis was naturally drawn to country and religious music, favorites of his family, though as he got older he also enjoyed jazz and the blues. As a teenager he began playing locally and quickly gained a reputation for his tremendous stage presence and natural talent. But Lewis did not intend to become a professional musician, instead enrolling at a small Texas bible college like his cousin, Jimmy Swaggert. Within months, however, he was expelled for playing secular music on the church piano.
Lewis returned to Louisiana and recorded two country-blues singles for a local radio station. Inspired by the response they received, he headed to Nashville to try to land a record contract. After being turned down by several labels Lewis reached a deal with Sun Studios owner Sam Philips, who had found early rock success with Elvis Presley and saw Lewis as a replacement for Elvis, who had been drafted into the army. Lewis wanted to record as a rebellious country performer in the vein of his idols Hank Williams Sr. and Jimmie Rodgers, but was steered towards rockabilly by Phillips, who was impressed with his natural energy.
In June 1957 Lewis' second single "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," a rockin' boogie woogie number, became an instant hit. His next three singles -- "Great Balls of Fire," "Breathless," and "High School Confidential" -- also charted nationwide, and soon Lewis was a star both in the United States and abroad. Lewis' live shows were incendiary, highlighted by Lewis kicking over his piano stool, and earned him the nickname "Killer."
And then it all came crashing down. In 1958, at the age of 23, Lewis was secretly married to his 13-year-old second cousin, Myra Gail Brown. When he left for England on tour he asked to take her along. Soon news that Lewis was "keeping in the family" leaked to the press, and he became the center of tremendous controversy. Early critics of rock music wanted to make Lewis an example and called for his imprisonment. His records were banned from the radio and pulled from stores and his concerts were canceled. Jerry Lee Lewis was blacklisted. Despite his pariah status, Lewis kept performing wherever he could, and by 1962 he had mounted a comeback in Britain, where he remained incredibly popular. During the mid-1960s he recorded several more albums similar to his earlier work -- a mixture of rockabilly and blues -- but by the end of the 1960s Jerry Lee Lewis had returned to his country roots, recording the No. 1 country single "Another Place, Another Time" in 1968. Over the next few years he scored several more country hits, but then fell victim to health problems and personal issues which kept him from recording throughout much of the '70s and '80s.
In 1989 the movie Great Balls of Fire, based on the life of Lewis, became a box office success, renewing interest in the aging Lewis' career. Lewis, who had returned to touring, became more popular than he had been in years, approaching his performances with the same energy he had as a youth despite being in his 60s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and numerous compilations and boxed sets were released to highlight his long, illustrious career. Jerry Lee Lewis' most recent studio album, Youngblood, was released by Elektra in 1995; the following year he suffered a minor heart attack, temporarily sidelining the undefeatable rocker.
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