Chapter 14: Rock and Roll Pt. 2
In 1957, Sun Records introduced another electrifying new talent: Jerry Lee Lewis. Born in Ferriday, Louisiana, Lewis grew up in a deeply religious environment steeped in Southern gospel music. His cousin, Jimmy Swaggart, would go on to become a prominent evangelical televangelist. As a child, Lewis was captivated by the gospel traditions of local evangelical churches, attending revival meetings led by musician-preacher Brother Janway. He was also drawn to the African American blues musicians who performed at Haney’s Big House in Ferriday, including B.B. King and Muddy Waters. These dual influences formed the foundation of his musical style, which blended pounding, boogie-derived bass lines with improvised right-hand figures such as glissandi, repeated chords, and bluesy riffs. Like Little Richard, Lewis was at his best in hard-driving, fast-paced songs, and his flamboyant performance style included dramatic physical movements while playing the piano.
Aspects of Lewis’s tumultuous personal life began to manifest early. In 1951, at the age of 16 and still in the 8th grade, he married a 17-year-old preacher’s daughter. To appease her parents, Lewis briefly enrolled at the Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas, with the intention of becoming a preacher. However, he was expelled for performing a boogie-woogie version of the hymn "My God Is Real," which school officials deemed inappropriate. Shortly afterward, he entered a second marriage—before his divorce from the first was finalized.
In 1956, Jerry’s cousin and bass player, Jay Brown, convinced him to travel to Memphis and visit Sun Records. Though Lewis had auditioned unsuccessfully once before, this time producer Sam Phillips was impressed. Lewis recorded a version of "Crazy Arms," a country song that became a modest regional hit. It was during this visit that Lewis met Jay’s daughter, Myra Gale Brown, then only 12 years old. By December 1957, the two were married.
Sun Records initially envisioned Lewis as another country-influenced rockabilly artist, but Lewis had different ideas. Nicknamed “The Killer” for both his frenetic performance style and rumored romantic bravado, Lewis’s piano style was central to his success. Marked by a driving left-hand boogie-woogie bass and rapid, improvisatory right-hand figures, it fused elements of Southern gospel, blues, and R&B. His vocal delivery was equally intense, often veering into shouts, growls, and suggestive ad-libs. His live performances were wildly energetic: he played standing up, stomped on the keys, and sweated through his pompadour hairstyle, captivating audiences in person and on television. Lewis made an immediate impression on television and in live settings. During a 1957 appearance on The Steve Allen Show, he pounded the piano, belted out lyrics with wild abandon, and famously hurled the piano bench across the stage—an act met with such delight that Allen threw it back to him.
The song Lewis performed that night, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” became a signature hit and a defining example of the rockabilly genre. Although the song had earlier been recorded by R&B singer Big Maybelle in 1955, Lewis’s rendition—credited to Dave “Curlee” Williams and Roy Hall—infused the track with new vitality. His version featured spirited boogie-woogie piano, hard-driving drumming, and suggestive spoken asides that added to its rebellious appeal:
“Now let’s get real low one time now
Shake baby shake
All you gotta do honey is kinda stand in one spot
Wiggle around just a little bit...”
Despite concerns from producer Sam Phillips that the song’s sexual overtones might hinder its success, it became a national sensation, charting simultaneously on the pop, R&B, and country charts. The recording marked a turning point in the prominence of piano-driven rock and roll and demonstrated that the lead performer did not have to be a guitarist to command the spotlight.
That same year, Sun released "Great Balls of Fire," written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer, which reached number two on the pop charts. Its B-side was a cover of Hank Williams’s "You Win Again," further showcasing Lewis’s roots in country music. Blackwell also penned Lewis’s third major hit, "Breathless," released in early 1958. That year also saw the release of "High School Confidential," which featured Lewis and his band in a cameo appearance in the MGM film of the same name.
Despite this momentum, Lewis’s career came to a halt in 1958 when the British press uncovered that he had married his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown. The scandal erupted just as Lewis arrived in England for his first overseas tour. Public outrage led to the cancellation of several dates, and the remaining shows were met with jeering audiences and poor attendance. Upon returning to the United States, Lewis found the backlash equally intense. His single "High School Confidential" quickly dropped from the charts, and he was blacklisted from radio and television.
Although his rock and roll career stalled, Lewis eventually returned to his country roots. Between 1961 and 1975, he placed over 20 songs on the country charts, including 11 Top 5 hits. Yet his personal life continued to be troubled. His marriage to Myra ended in divorce in 1970, and he went on to marry four more times. Tragedy also struck repeatedly: two of his sons and two of his wives died, and his life was marked by incidents involving substance abuse, legal issues, violence, and chronic health problems.
Jerry Lee Lewis’s brief period of stardom had a disproportionate impact on the development of rock and roll. His fusion of country and R&B, his revolutionary piano-driven style, and his outrageous stage persona influenced generations of musicians. Despite the controversy that marred his career, Jerry Lee Lewis remains a foundational figure in the history of rock and roll. His contributions helped shift the role of the piano to the forefront of the genre, and his wild, emotionally unrestrained performance style set a precedent for future rock icons.