A pioneer of the rock ‘n' roll genre, and an international star with a larger than life personality has died.
Jerry Lee Lewis roared onto America's national consciousness with iconic hits like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On.”
Lewis, 87, was the last surviving star of the golden age of rock ‘n' roll defined by the musical genius of greats like Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry.
USA TODAY reports:
For the longest time, it seemed that if Jerry Lee Lewis wasn't dead already, then obviously nothing could kill him. But what alcohol, painkillers, a perforated stomach ulcer, angry fathers and general recklessness couldn't do, advancing age finally did. The seemingly indestructible rock ‘n' roll wild man died Friday at 87 at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, near Memphis.
Along with Little Richard and Fats Domino, Lewis established the piano as a rock 'n' roll instrument. In 1957, his “Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On” and “Great Balls of Fire,” two of the most outrageous hits of rock 'n' roll's first generation, ignited the pop, country and R&B charts simultaneously.
Lewis didn't just play the piano, he attacked it, pummeling the lower register with rock-steady left-hand lines and ripping across the keyboard with slashing glissandos. He smashed the keys with his foot; he kicked the piano stool out from under him and continued to pound away.
Lewis performed in a 1958 teen flick called “High School Confidential,” and his real life was every bit as lurid as the film's title promised. On the opening night of disc jockey Alan Freed's “Big Beat Show” in March 1958, after losing an argument about whether he or Chuck Berry should close the show, Lewis poured a bottle of gasoline on his piano and set it ablaze. “They had to call the fire department and everything,” Lewis remembered in Rick Bragg's 2014 biography “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story.”
Towards the end of his life, Lewis reflected on the wilder stories that punctuated and, at times, threatened to derail his career. Lewis admitted that “I've done some crazy things.” Acknowledging the repercussions of his mistakes, the aging rocker added “I messed up along the way and got what was coming to me.”
Reaction to the loss of Lewis swiftly poured in.
This story is developing. Stay with American Liberty News for the latest updates.
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5 Comments
America better get a real leader. The Chinese the sneakiest bunch in the world will be coming for us and we better have a military and a real leader (not a dribbling old man) to lead us!
Hoe the hell can Charlie Daniel’s comment when he’s been dead since July?
Note the tweet was signed by CD, Jr and Hazel Daniels. Apparently, his son and widow are using his Twitter account since it would obviously have a wider reach/more folliwers than either of theirs.
Read where he didnt die
Imagine what could happen if someone asked Biden “Chinese tonight ?”