Jerry Lee Lewis started out in 1956 at Sun Records in Memphis. His 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" followed by major hits "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless", and "High School Confidential" firmly established him as a rock'n'roll pioneer.
I brought Jerry Lee to Vancouver many times over the decades. My fondest memory of him was during EXPO 86 when he performed with Fats Domino. The show was videotaped and shown on HBO throughout North America. He was shining that night and his piano playing was what you might expect from Jerry Lee, brilliant. We recorded this interview just before the show.
As one of the first performers to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he was in an incredibly happy mood that night and it showed. The man has attitude, which is now taken for granted with rockers, but this guy invented it.
Pat O'Day tells a great story about "The Killer" in Red Robinson: The Last Broadcast:
“I've got Jerry Lee there (at Sheridan Park in Bremerton, WA) and I'm backstage, and suddenly the chief of police and the fire chief appear, and they’re angry. They said, 'Pat, we let you have your permit, you promised no more than 800 people, but you double-crossed us.'
I said, 'What are you talking about? We cut off sales an hour ago: we only have 800 people here.' They took me to the edge of the stage, I looked through the curtain, and oh my God, there was a sea of bodies jammed together shoulder to shoulder. They couldn't even move. At least 1600 fans were packed together.'
As O’Day stepped into the hallway, he was nearly knocked over by a swarm of young people rushing towards the auditorium floor, and still more were emerging from Lewis’s dressing room. He pushed past the fans, entered the room, and saw that the performer had gotten his assistant to lower a stepladder through his window to the back alley. The assistant had then slipped out front to inform everyone who had waited unsuccessfully for tickets that there was a back way in. When they clambered up the ladder, they were greeted with Lewis’s outstretched hand.
“He was running his own private scalping business, collecting double what we charged at the box office. I said, 'Jerry, for God’s sake, how can you do this to me?’ and he replied, 'Pat, ol’ Jerry needs another Cadillac!’”
Jerry Lee Lewis died today (10/28) at the age of 87. He was a larger-than-life rock'n'roll performer who left an amazing recorded legacy. If you were lucky enough to see him in person, I hope you paid for your ticket!