Biography
Few figures in popular culture could claim the extraordinary list of descriptive phrases that have been attributed to Jerry Lee Lewis - genius, rocker, lunatic, bigamist, survivor - but no matter which label applied, the undeniable fact remained that Jerry Lee Lewis was above all else a pioneer of rock and roll. Lewis was a member of the Sun Records stable, which at one time included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison and …
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Career Milestones
2009 | Opened the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concert at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY | |
2006 | Released the album Last Man Standing; featured duets with Bruce Springsteen, Little Richard, and Willie Nelson, among others | |
2005 | Received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award | |
1989 | Portrayed by Dennis Quaid in the biographical drama "Great Balls of Fire!"; Lewis re-recorded his classic hits for the film's soundtrack | |
1986 | Recorded Class of '55 along with Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, and Carl Perkins; album considered a follow-up to "The Million Dollar Quartet" session | |
1986 | Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Lewis was an inaugural inductee along with Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, and Ray Charles | |
1972 | Recorded a cover of Big Bopper's "Chantilly Lace," which went to No. 1 on the Hot Country SIngles chart and landed in the top 50 on the U.S. pop charts | |
1969 | Turned to the country music genre and released the hit "To Make Love Sweeter for You" | |
1964 | Released the live albums Live at the Star Club, Hamburg and The Greatest Live Show on Earth | |
1961 | Returned to the charts with a cover of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say" | |
1958 | Performed the title song to the crime drama "High School Confidential"; appeared in film | |
1957 | Made his "American Bandstand" (ABC) debut | |
1957 | Took a career misstep after secretly marrying Myra Gale Brown, his 13-year-old first cousin once removed who was ten years his junior; scandal broke the following year | |
1957 | Released breakthrough single "Great Balls of Fire" | |
1957 | Recorded his first hit, a cover of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" | |
1956 | Backed Carl Perkins on a run of recordings that were visited by labelmates Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley; producer Sam Phillips kept the tape rolling on the impromptu jam session, later dubbed "The Million Dollar Quartet" | |
1956 | Recorded four demos for Sun Studios, including "Crazy Arms" and "End of the Road" | |
1949 | Made his performance debut at a Ford dealership in Ferriday, LA | |
| Learned to play the piano at the age of nine | ||