Sarah Molle

Presentation Summary

Jerry Lee Lewis

Due 19 March 2003

 

JERRY LEE LEWIS

 

With only three Top Ten hits in his first purely rock and roll phase of his career, many believe Jerry Lee Lewis was as talented a fifties rocker as his Sun label mate Elvis Presley.  Lewis was more than his music.  His image was distinctive and rebellious; all characteristics teenagers of the 1950s related to.  Lewis gave teenagers a voice.  Fans saw what “making a scene” could do…and they followed Lewis and his bizarre lifestyle.

Born September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana, the Lewis' were a religious family. Jerry would never escape his southern upbringing or his Assembly of God beliefs. He was taught that music made to dance to came from the devil, playing in honky-tonks was sinful, drinking and carousing with women would send him to hell.  However, Jerry played little attention to this and grew up listening to a variety of music, playing piano at the young age of eight.

At age fifteen, Jerry was sent to study at the Assembly of God’s Institute Bible School but was soon expelled.  Two years later he married his preacher’s daughter Dorothy Barton, but soon abandoned her.  In 1953, Jerry married his 13 year old cousin Myra Gale and one month later she gave birth to Jerry Lee Jr.  After dabbling with the idea of becoming a preacher, Jerry Lee turned to music in 1954.  In late November of 1956 Lewis impressed Sam Phillips of Sun Records and in December took part in the famous jam session, nicknamed the Million Dollar Quartet.

Becoming famous came quick however May of 1958 brought six years of rejection to Lewis.  As the story has been told many, many, times the British press, discovering his new bride to be only 13 years old and his second cousin (twice removed), and that he was not yet divorced from his previous wife attacked him mercilessly. Returning to the states, Jerry faced an equally hostile reaction. Record sales nose-dived as deejays refused to play his songs. On June 9, a published a letter in Billboard that said "I hope that if I'm washed up as an entertainer, it won't be because of this bad publicity."  Lewis was still able to draw while touring, but his fee dropped from $10,00 to as low as $250 a night.

Lewis' career has been marked by many tragedies. Two of his sons died accidentally, as did Jaren and Shawn two of his six wives . In 1975 the IRS took most of his personal property for back taxes, and in 1981 he almost died from a perforated stomach.. In 1988 he filed for bankruptcy with three million dollars of debts with no assets.

His life was profiled in 1989 in the motion picture, Great Balls of Fire, starring Dennis Quaid, which did poorly. He then moved to Ireland, and news from overseas talked about missed shows, health problems, tax troubles and superb shows. In 1993 Lewis wrote and published his autobiography, Killer, with author Charles White. In April of 1996, Lewis was given a proclamation by the University of Memphis naming him a Professor of Rock 'N Roll and April 28th was named Jerry Lee Lewis Day in Memphis by Tennessee Governor Don Sundquist.

 

 

 

 

REFERENCES

 

WEB:

 

JERRY LEE LEWIS pictured at the playboy club - article says he is ...  - ... because myth implies imaginary, and there's nothing about Jerry Lee Lewis that could ... He married his 13 year old cousin and adult society crucified him. ...
www.kyleesplin.com/jllsb/JLLSBDIR/pages/64page.htm

 

Jerry Lee Lewis  - Jerry Lee Lewis. "I'm a rompin', stompin', piano playing son of a bitch. ... But a great son of a bitch" ....Jerry Lee Lewis Time magazine, 3/14/1983. ...
www.history-of-rock.com/lewis.htm