Man Or Myth?
Tuesday, September 29th, The Killer, the man who always thought the public viewed him in the shadow of his competition, Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis will turn 85 years old, outliving his fellow Rock and Roll icon by double the years.
His “Wild Man” days of yesteryear may be behind him. How about 64 years plus? After a stroke in 2019, his right hand was immobile. The irreverent pianist who used all 88 keys on the piano to play such hits as his first in 1956, “Crazy Arms,” followed quickly by his fiery, exploding hit, “Great Balls of Fire,” inspiring him at one concert to pour a Coke bottle of gasoline on the top of his piano, light it and continue playing the song.
He did this as a dare from fellow rocker, Chuck Berry, when Berry commented that he always closed a show as the last act on the bill. That was, of course, prior to the flaming piano incident. When Lewis met Berry backstage after the fire, he said, “Oh, yeah…follow that.”
But, at a recording session in February, 2020, after months of rehab, Lewis lifted his right hand to the keyboard and to his surprise and everyone else, those fingers came alive. There was some Killer left. The origin of his nickname, The Killer, he carried most of his life has been lost, a myth or a real occurrence.
Many try to duplicate the complicated keyboard virtuosity of Lewis. German philosopher, Arthur Schopenhauer, said, “The distinction between talent and genius is, Talent hits a target no one else can hit: Genius hits a target no one else can see.” Or in the case of Jerry Lee Lewis, can hear or feel. Listen to Lewis’ version of “That Lucky Old Sun,” viewed over 21 million times on Youtube.com, he rerecorded it for his 1989 biopic, “Great Balls of Fire.”
Yes, his personal life has been up and down with addictions, seven wives, many tragedies. His one constant has always been the music. When Beatle genius, John Lennon, met Lewis for the first time, he dropped to his knees and kissed Lewis’ feet.
Born during the height of the Depression outside Ferriday, La., his father sold 33 dozen eggs to finance their trip to the mecca of rock and roll, Sun Record in Memphis, Tennessee where Lewis began as a session pianist. Today, Lewis resides at his ranch outside Nesbit, Ms., where the gates are decorated with pianos.
When asked by a reporter once if he was the greatest, he replied, “I’m not the greatest, but I am the best.”
For birthday greetings, mail Jerry Lee Lewis, P.O. Box 384, Nesbit, MS. 39651, or on his facebook page, JerryLeeLewis. For more information see one of the more than 68 million websites on the internet about him. And for a mere $200 and a self-addressed envelope including a picture of him, he will autograph it and mail back. Or will he?
Happy Birthday to the Man and the Myths!