Jerry Lee Lewis was rock & roll’s original prodigal son. When he burned brightly, in the mid-to-late 1950s, he was untouchable. Then, when he fell from grace, he was untouchable in a different way, but he was dogged. He kept recording music — much of it unheard — and he drove across America, playing for those who would have him, living hard and living mean. Those who would have him saw somebody matchless.
Those who wouldn’t had good reasons not to. Lewis — who died Oct. 28 at his home in DeSoto County,...
Those who wouldn’t had good reasons not to. Lewis — who died Oct. 28 at his home in DeSoto County,...
- 10/31/2022
- by Mikal Gilmore
- Rollingstone.com
Musicians including Elton John and Ringo Starr have paid tribute to Jerry Lee Lewis after his death aged 87.
The “Great Balls of Fire” artist’s death was announced on Friday 28 October, having been prematurely reported days earlier.
In a statement announcing his passing, representatives for the late star described Lewis as “Perhaps the last true, great icon of the birth of rock‘n’roll, whose marriage of blues, gospel, country, honky-tonk and raw, pounding stage performances so threatened a young Elvis Presley that it made him cry”.
On Instagram, John shared a photograph of himself and Lewis together, alongside a short written tribute.
“Without Jerry Lee Lewis, I wouldn’t have become who I am today,” wrote the “Crocodile Rock” singer-songwriter. “He was groundbreaking and exciting, and he pulverised the piano. A brilliant singer too.
“Thank you for your trailblazing inspiration and all the rock ‘n’ roll memories. @jerryleelewisthekiller #Rip.
The “Great Balls of Fire” artist’s death was announced on Friday 28 October, having been prematurely reported days earlier.
In a statement announcing his passing, representatives for the late star described Lewis as “Perhaps the last true, great icon of the birth of rock‘n’roll, whose marriage of blues, gospel, country, honky-tonk and raw, pounding stage performances so threatened a young Elvis Presley that it made him cry”.
On Instagram, John shared a photograph of himself and Lewis together, alongside a short written tribute.
“Without Jerry Lee Lewis, I wouldn’t have become who I am today,” wrote the “Crocodile Rock” singer-songwriter. “He was groundbreaking and exciting, and he pulverised the piano. A brilliant singer too.
“Thank you for your trailblazing inspiration and all the rock ‘n’ roll memories. @jerryleelewisthekiller #Rip.
- 10/28/2022
- by Louis Chilton
- The Independent - Music
Jerry Lee Lewis, the songwriter and pianist who notoriously married his 13-year-old cousin, has died at the age of 87. His death was incorrectly reported two days earlier on Wednesday, and he had fallen ill with reported flu which caused him to miss his induction ceremony into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Lewis was known for songs like “Great Balls of Fire,” a cover of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Big Maybelle and “Me and Bobby McGee.” He rose to prominence quickly in the late-1950s. His career then stalled after an uproar over the fact that he was marrying his then 13-year-old first cousin once-removed: Myra Lewis Williams (née Gale Brown).
In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died This Year!
They had to remarry after their first marriage in 1957 because he was still married to his second wife and divorced in 1970 on grounds of adultery and abuse. Williams...
Lewis was known for songs like “Great Balls of Fire,” a cover of “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Big Maybelle and “Me and Bobby McGee.” He rose to prominence quickly in the late-1950s. His career then stalled after an uproar over the fact that he was marrying his then 13-year-old first cousin once-removed: Myra Lewis Williams (née Gale Brown).
In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died This Year!
They had to remarry after their first marriage in 1957 because he was still married to his second wife and divorced in 1970 on grounds of adultery and abuse. Williams...
- 10/28/2022
- by Jacob Linden
- Uinterview
Rock’n’roll trailblazer Jerry Lee Lewis has died aged 87.
Associated Press reports that the influential musician’s representatives have confirmed his death at home in Memphis, Tennessee.
Considered one of the earliest pioneers of rock’n’roll, Lewis was born on 29 September 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He began teaching himself to play piano at the age of 9.
In 1956, Lewis moved to Memphis where he auditioned to become a session musician at Sun Records. Within a year he was recording with the label’s stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. Together they were known as the “Million Dollar Quartet”.
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On” gave Lewis his first hit as a solo artist in April 1957. The follow-up, “Great Balls of Fire”, was an even bigger success and gave “The Killer” his signature tune.
Released in December 1957, it went on to be used prominently in films such as 1986’s Top Gun...
Associated Press reports that the influential musician’s representatives have confirmed his death at home in Memphis, Tennessee.
Considered one of the earliest pioneers of rock’n’roll, Lewis was born on 29 September 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He began teaching himself to play piano at the age of 9.
In 1956, Lewis moved to Memphis where he auditioned to become a session musician at Sun Records. Within a year he was recording with the label’s stars Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. Together they were known as the “Million Dollar Quartet”.
“Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On” gave Lewis his first hit as a solo artist in April 1957. The follow-up, “Great Balls of Fire”, was an even bigger success and gave “The Killer” his signature tune.
Released in December 1957, it went on to be used prominently in films such as 1986’s Top Gun...
- 10/28/2022
- by Kevin E G Perry
- The Independent - Music
Jerry Lee Lewis, the world-famous rock and roll and country musician died at 87. On Friday, Lewis’ publicist, Zach Farnum, confirmed the Hall of Famer’s passing. Lee leaves behind a rocky legacy some musicians can only dream of achieving.
As a singer, songwriter, and pianist, Lewis dazzled crowds with infectious energy and theatrical piano playing technique. On stage, Lewis appeared to merge with his instrument, becoming one with the music he loved to share with the world. Watching Lewis on stage, you’d think he was performing an exorcism on stage, as each note caused his bones to gyrate with rhythm. Famously known for his hit song “Great Balls of Fire,” Lewis dabbled in rockabilly, gospel, country, blues, and jazz. There was scarcely a genre Lewis wouldn’t explore, and he shined while creating unique soundscapes in all categories.
Lewis came onto the music scene in 1956 with a hit called “Crazy Arms.
As a singer, songwriter, and pianist, Lewis dazzled crowds with infectious energy and theatrical piano playing technique. On stage, Lewis appeared to merge with his instrument, becoming one with the music he loved to share with the world. Watching Lewis on stage, you’d think he was performing an exorcism on stage, as each note caused his bones to gyrate with rhythm. Famously known for his hit song “Great Balls of Fire,” Lewis dabbled in rockabilly, gospel, country, blues, and jazz. There was scarcely a genre Lewis wouldn’t explore, and he shined while creating unique soundscapes in all categories.
Lewis came onto the music scene in 1956 with a hit called “Crazy Arms.
- 10/28/2022
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the pioneers of rock ‘n’ roll, has died at age 87.
Lewis was known for such iconic rock hits as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On”.
Born in Ferriday, Louisiana in 1935, Lewis melded the various musical influences — including gospel, blues and country — into a unique piano-driven sound, with his incendiary stage performances earning him the nickname “The Killer”.
In 1956, Lewis entered a Memphis recording studio with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins to form the very first supergroup, dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet.
Read More: Jerry Lee Lewis Is ‘Recuperating’ After Suffering Minor Stroke
According to a release issued by the late rocker’s talent agency, Lewis had been in poor health for the past few years, having “abused his body so thoroughly as a young man he was given little chance of lasting through middle age, let alone old age.
Lewis was known for such iconic rock hits as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On”.
Born in Ferriday, Louisiana in 1935, Lewis melded the various musical influences — including gospel, blues and country — into a unique piano-driven sound, with his incendiary stage performances earning him the nickname “The Killer”.
In 1956, Lewis entered a Memphis recording studio with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins to form the very first supergroup, dubbed the Million Dollar Quartet.
Read More: Jerry Lee Lewis Is ‘Recuperating’ After Suffering Minor Stroke
According to a release issued by the late rocker’s talent agency, Lewis had been in poor health for the past few years, having “abused his body so thoroughly as a young man he was given little chance of lasting through middle age, let alone old age.
- 10/28/2022
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Click here to read the full article.
Jerry Lee Lewis, the flamboyant rock ‘n’ roll founding father, swaggering country shouter and 2005 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, died Friday. He was 87.
Lewis died of natural causes at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis, his publicist, Zach Farnum of 117 Group, told The Hollywood Reporter. TMZ prematurely reported his death earlier this week.
Nicknamed “The Killer,” Lewis was an electric performer who was still performing into his late 80s. Known for such rock standards as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Baby Baby Bye Bye,” “Breathless” and “High School Confidential,” he accumulated 10 gold records during his career, with his biggest, the 2006 all-star duets release Last Man Standing, selling more than a half-million units worldwide.
As a piano player — and unabashed rock star — Lewis blended rockabilly, gospel, blues and country as he feverishly pounded the higher keys with his right hand.
Jerry Lee Lewis, the flamboyant rock ‘n’ roll founding father, swaggering country shouter and 2005 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, died Friday. He was 87.
Lewis died of natural causes at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis, his publicist, Zach Farnum of 117 Group, told The Hollywood Reporter. TMZ prematurely reported his death earlier this week.
Nicknamed “The Killer,” Lewis was an electric performer who was still performing into his late 80s. Known for such rock standards as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin On,” “Great Balls of Fire,” “Baby Baby Bye Bye,” “Breathless” and “High School Confidential,” he accumulated 10 gold records during his career, with his biggest, the 2006 all-star duets release Last Man Standing, selling more than a half-million units worldwide.
As a piano player — and unabashed rock star — Lewis blended rockabilly, gospel, blues and country as he feverishly pounded the higher keys with his right hand.
- 10/28/2022
- by Jennifer Frederick
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the pioneers of rock ‘n roll and a Hall of Fame member in several genres, died Friday morning at age 87. Lewis died at a home in Memphis, Tn, his publicist Zach Farnum said in a release.
Nicknamed “The Killer,” Lewis’s work as a singer, songwriter, and pianist was marked by a frenetic energy that often saw him standing on his keyboard or bending over as if trying to inhale its essence. He stands in the pantheon of rock ‘n roll’s greatest artists, but also crossed over to rockabilly, gospel, country, blues and even jazz. Although he rarely wrote his own songs, his interpretation was his strength, as his keyboard dexterity and barely controlled passion transformed each work into something special.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at the legendary Sun Records in Memphis. That first...
Nicknamed “The Killer,” Lewis’s work as a singer, songwriter, and pianist was marked by a frenetic energy that often saw him standing on his keyboard or bending over as if trying to inhale its essence. He stands in the pantheon of rock ‘n roll’s greatest artists, but also crossed over to rockabilly, gospel, country, blues and even jazz. Although he rarely wrote his own songs, his interpretation was his strength, as his keyboard dexterity and barely controlled passion transformed each work into something special.
Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery
Lewis made his first recordings in 1956 at the legendary Sun Records in Memphis. That first...
- 10/28/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Jerry Lee Lewis, whose hammering boogie-woogie piano, unleashed-tomcat voice, and unapologetic bad-boy persona made him an architect of rock & roll and an early rival of Elvis Presley, has died. Lewis’ publicist confirmed his death to Rolling Stone, but a cause of death was not immediately available; he was 87.
Lewis died at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, with his seventh wife, Judith Coghlan, by his side.
Related Jerry Lee Lewis Returns to Music: ‘I Thought I Would Never Play Again’ The Devil and Jerry Lee Lewis The Killer at Peace:...
Lewis died at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, with his seventh wife, Judith Coghlan, by his side.
Related Jerry Lee Lewis Returns to Music: ‘I Thought I Would Never Play Again’ The Devil and Jerry Lee Lewis The Killer at Peace:...
- 10/28/2022
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
Director Jim McBride puts retro magic into a rock ‘n’ roll bio about a big talent who was probably more fun on stage than in person. Dennis Quaid hits the right note of insanity for his portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis’s rise to fame and fortune. Winona Ryder’s hilarious, almost scary bobby-sox Lolita becomes Jerry’s girl bride. Everything’s ducky until the real-life story goes sour, leaving the comic characterizations high and dry.
Great Balls of Fire!
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1989 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Trey Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Steve Allen, Jimmie Vaughan, Lisa Blount, Lisa Jane Persky, Peter Cook, Joe Bob Briggs.
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Film Editor: Lisa Day, Pembroke Herring, Bert Lovitt
Production Design: David Nichols
Written by Jim McBride & Jack Baran, from a book by Myra Lewis...
Great Balls of Fire!
Blu-ray
Olive Films
1989 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 108 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Winona Ryder, John Doe, Stephen Tobolowsky, Trey Wilson, Alec Baldwin, Steve Allen, Jimmie Vaughan, Lisa Blount, Lisa Jane Persky, Peter Cook, Joe Bob Briggs.
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Film Editor: Lisa Day, Pembroke Herring, Bert Lovitt
Production Design: David Nichols
Written by Jim McBride & Jack Baran, from a book by Myra Lewis...
- 3/6/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
There are men and then there are myths. Jerry Lee Lewis is the latter. The rock pioneer first set the charts ablaze in 1957 with twin dynamos “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On,” and 60 years on he’s still pounding the keys before packed houses across the country. With the death of Chuck Berry in March—and Little Richard and Fats Domino largely retired—Lewis is the last of the great rock ‘n’ rollers still conjuring the sounds of long nights in long gone Delta juke joints. His colleagues at the seminal Memphis label Sun Records, including Elvis Presley,...
- 8/21/2017
- by Jordan Runtagh
- PEOPLE.com
Apparently, “most white people are related,” according to Kevin Bacon’s wife Kyra Sedgwick. The Hollywood couple recently learned that they’re distant cousins on PBS’s “Finding Your Roots.” This got us wondering if any other celebrity duos have shared heritage. Albert Einstein The revered genius married his first cousin Elsa Lowenthal. Rudy Giuliani The former New York mayor married his second cousin once removed, Regina Peruggi. Jerry Lee Lewis The rock and roll musician married his first cousin once removed Myra Gale Brown. David Lean The “Lawrence of Arabia” director married his first cousin Isabel Lean. H.G. Wells...
- 8/7/2017
- by Ashley Boucher
- The Wrap
Cheery film has great music but treatment of rock'n'roll singer's union with his young cousin makes for queasy viewing
Director: Jim McBride
Entertainment grade: D–
History grade: C+
Jerry Lee Lewis broke through as a rock'n'roll musician in the late 1950s. His career foundered after he bigamously married Myra Gale Brown, his first cousin once removed, when she was just 13 years old.
Romance
In 1956, the 21-year-old Lewis moves in with his cousin Jw Brown in Memphis, Tennessee. Immediately, he clocks Brown's 12-year-old daughter, Myra Gale. It's not great for a 21-year-old to be macking on a 12-year-old, but the fact that the film casts Dennis Quaid, then 35 but looking raddled thanks to a bad peroxide job, opposite Winona Ryder, then 18 but looking much younger, makes it seem even worse. Quaid's performance is fine – the real Jerry Lee Lewis and the real Myra Gale Brown both found it convincing – but he...
Director: Jim McBride
Entertainment grade: D–
History grade: C+
Jerry Lee Lewis broke through as a rock'n'roll musician in the late 1950s. His career foundered after he bigamously married Myra Gale Brown, his first cousin once removed, when she was just 13 years old.
Romance
In 1956, the 21-year-old Lewis moves in with his cousin Jw Brown in Memphis, Tennessee. Immediately, he clocks Brown's 12-year-old daughter, Myra Gale. It's not great for a 21-year-old to be macking on a 12-year-old, but the fact that the film casts Dennis Quaid, then 35 but looking raddled thanks to a bad peroxide job, opposite Winona Ryder, then 18 but looking much younger, makes it seem even worse. Quaid's performance is fine – the real Jerry Lee Lewis and the real Myra Gale Brown both found it convincing – but he...
- 8/23/2012
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Rock and roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis has a penchant for the term "kissing cousins."
Heading down the aisle for the seventh time, Lewis, 76, married Judith Brown, 62, who was previously married to Jerry Lee's cousin, Rusty Brown.
Here's the tricky part: Rusty is the brother of Myra Gale Brown, who wed Jerry Lee in 1957 when the "Great Balls of Fire" singer was 23 and Myra was only 13. That marriage (Lewis' third) lasted 13 years but the...
Heading down the aisle for the seventh time, Lewis, 76, married Judith Brown, 62, who was previously married to Jerry Lee's cousin, Rusty Brown.
Here's the tricky part: Rusty is the brother of Myra Gale Brown, who wed Jerry Lee in 1957 when the "Great Balls of Fire" singer was 23 and Myra was only 13. That marriage (Lewis' third) lasted 13 years but the...
- 3/31/2012
- Extra
If at first you don't succeed, try again and again and again and again and...well, you get the point.
Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis just got married for the seventh time, CNN is reporting. True to his controversial marriage past, "The Killer" wed - now let's try to keep this straight - the ex-wife of his cousin, Rusty Brown. Rusty is the brother of Lewis' third wife/cousin Myra Gale Brown, a woman who Lewis married when she was just 13.
The publication is reporting Lewis, 76, and Judith Brown wed on March 9 in Natchez, Mississippi.
Lewis' most recent marriage, that to Kerrie McCarver, lasted for 20 years and they have one child together. They split in 2004.
Rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis just got married for the seventh time, CNN is reporting. True to his controversial marriage past, "The Killer" wed - now let's try to keep this straight - the ex-wife of his cousin, Rusty Brown. Rusty is the brother of Lewis' third wife/cousin Myra Gale Brown, a woman who Lewis married when she was just 13.
The publication is reporting Lewis, 76, and Judith Brown wed on March 9 in Natchez, Mississippi.
Lewis' most recent marriage, that to Kerrie McCarver, lasted for 20 years and they have one child together. They split in 2004.
- 3/30/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Goodness, gracious! Music legend Jerry Lee Lewis not only tied the knot for the seventh time earlier this month, but he didn't have to look very far for his new bride. The 76-year-old piano-pounding Hall of Famer wed 62-year-old Judith Brown on March 9 in Natchez, Miss., CNN reports. But get this: Brown was previously married to Lewis' cousin Rusty, whose sister Myra Gale Brown married Lewis when she was just 13 back in 1957. Lewis, aka The Killer, became a rock-and-roll icon thanks to such classic hits as "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On."...
- 3/30/2012
- E! Online
Goodness gracious, Jerry Lee Lewis has gotten married again! The rock 'n' roll legend, 76, tied the knot for the seventh time earlier this month, to a woman named Judith Brown, his rep tells CNN. Brown is the ex-wife of Lewis's second cousin Rusty Brown, whose sister, Myra Gale Brown, was Lewis's third wife. Their wedding in 1957 - Myra was just 13 at the time - caused a scandal that helped derail Lewis's then high-flying career. Lewis, best known for his rollicking 1957 hits "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire," was divorced in 2004 from his sixth wife, Kerrie McCarver,...
- 3/30/2012
- PEOPLE.com
Jerry Lee Lewis has married for the seventh time. The 'Great Balls of Fire' hitmaker wed his caregiver Judith Brown in a ceremony in Mississippi on March 9. The wedding was reportedly so secret even the singer's daughter, Pheobe Lewis, was unaware he was getting married - even though she lives with him, according to People magazine. Judith, 62, was previously wed to Jerry's cousin, Rusty Brown, and - making the union even more closely entwined - Rusty is the brother of Jerry's third wife Myra Gale Brown. Jerry's 1957 marriage to Myra caused huge controversy at the time, as she was just 13 years old and also his cousin once removed. They ended their union 13 years...
- 3/30/2012
- Monsters and Critics
It may seem as if nobody but Doug Hutchison and Courtney Alexis Stodden understands their wedded bliss, but more than a few somebodies do. Here are five Hollywood marriages that have costarred at least one teenaged bride—or groom: 1. Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown: He was 22, and a twice-divorced rock'n'roller. She was 13, and his cousin. No, their union didn't play well with 1950s audiences. "It totally destroyed his career," the bride would say one day. At least they got a biopic out of the deal, which ended in divorce in 1970: Dennis Quaid's Great Balls of Fire, based on Myra's memoir. 2. Taran Noah Smith and Heidi Van Pelt: They met at a raw-food party. He was...
- 6/21/2011
- E! Online
The story of Jerry Lee Lewis is coming to the big screen and Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman are reportedly attached to the film. According to MTV News, Brad is in talks to play Lewis and Portman is in talks to play, the 13-year-old he married in 1957. The story of Jerry Lee Lewis is actually pretty interesting and even creepier. The singer was married to his second wife when he married his 13-year old cousin Myra Gale Brown. Once he got married, his music career went down the drain. If this story sounds familiar, it's...
- 9/22/2010
- Hollyscoop.com
The Internet is buzzing this morning with the news that Natalie Portman was offered the starring role in "Gravity," the upcoming sci-fi drama from Alfonso Cuaron which was originally set to star Angelina Jolie alongside Robert Downey Jr. But there's another bit of tantalizing information buried deep in the original story from The Hollywood Reporter.
Portman is also being courted by "Robin Hood" director Terrence Malick, who is developing some sort of project focused on "Great Balls of Fire" singer Jerry Lee Lewis. He is putting that one together with Brad Pitt, who I guess would also be top choice for the starring role? I haven't heard anything about that one before, but Malick wouldn't be the first to chart Lewis' life. The 1989 biopic "Great Balls of Fire" starred Dennis Quaid as the popular singer. Portman would presumably one of Lewis' six wives, depending on which part of his life the focus is on.
Portman is also being courted by "Robin Hood" director Terrence Malick, who is developing some sort of project focused on "Great Balls of Fire" singer Jerry Lee Lewis. He is putting that one together with Brad Pitt, who I guess would also be top choice for the starring role? I haven't heard anything about that one before, but Malick wouldn't be the first to chart Lewis' life. The 1989 biopic "Great Balls of Fire" starred Dennis Quaid as the popular singer. Portman would presumably one of Lewis' six wives, depending on which part of his life the focus is on.
- 9/7/2010
- by Adam Rosenberg
- MTV Movies Blog
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