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Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story
Recording his first hits at Sun Studios alongside artists such as Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis was present at the birth of rock and roll and was the prototype wild man of rock, with a turbulent private life to match. This authorized biography gives Lewis's own account of the controversial marriages, the drug and alcohol abuse and the fluctuating fortunes of his musical career.
512 pages, Paperback
First published September 9, 2014
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1878 people want to read
About the author
Rick Bragg
44 books1,265 followersRick Bragg is the Pulitzer Prize winning writer of best-selling and critically acclaimed books on the people of the foothills of the Appalachians, All Over but the Shoutin, Ava's Man, and The Prince of Frogtown.
Bragg, a native of Calhoun County, Alabama, calls these books the proudest examples of his writing life, what historians and critics have described as heart-breaking anthems of people usually written about only in fiction or cliches. They chronicle the lives of his family cotton pickers, mill workers, whiskey makers, long sufferers, and fist fighters. Bragg, who has written for the numerous magazines, ranging from Sports Illustrated to Food & Wine, was a newspaper writer for two decades, covering high school football for the Jacksonville News, and militant Islamic fundamentalism for The New York Times.
He has won more than 50 significant writing awards, in books and journalism, including, twice, the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993, and is, truthfully, still a freshman at Jacksonville State University. Bragg is currently Professor of Writing in the Journalism Department at the University of Alabama, and lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife, Dianne, a doctoral student there, and his stepson, Jake. His only real hobby is fishing, but he is the worst fisherman in his family line.
Bragg, a native of Calhoun County, Alabama, calls these books the proudest examples of his writing life, what historians and critics have described as heart-breaking anthems of people usually written about only in fiction or cliches. They chronicle the lives of his family cotton pickers, mill workers, whiskey makers, long sufferers, and fist fighters. Bragg, who has written for the numerous magazines, ranging from Sports Illustrated to Food & Wine, was a newspaper writer for two decades, covering high school football for the Jacksonville News, and militant Islamic fundamentalism for The New York Times.
He has won more than 50 significant writing awards, in books and journalism, including, twice, the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University in 1993, and is, truthfully, still a freshman at Jacksonville State University. Bragg is currently Professor of Writing in the Journalism Department at the University of Alabama, and lives in Tuscaloosa with his wife, Dianne, a doctoral student there, and his stepson, Jake. His only real hobby is fishing, but he is the worst fisherman in his family line.
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March 31, 2022
"If there was one thing he was serious about, it was the piano, and he committed himself to it single-mindedly", pg. 75
I enjoyed the realism and story behind the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis. He saw the piano for the first time at age 4 at a relative's house. He was forbidden to touch it and this instantly became his forbidden temptation. He hit one of the keys, he felt a "cool fire" take over his body. "I don't know what happened. Somethin' strange. I felt it in my whole body. I felt it." (pg. 51) He started playing/learning church hymns and gospels with his father and then became the biggest sensation of his time. Jerry Lee Lewis was raised pentecostal Assembly of God ministries and firmly believes in baptism by the Holy Spirit, being sanctified, laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, etc.
Sadly, when they were very young, he witnessed his big brother run over and killed by a drunk driver while playing ball one day. The driver popped the curb and killed him instantly. He would be haunted with this memory for the rest of his life. "Jerry would carry his one recollection of his big brother around for the rest of his life; he always liked that idea, how a big brother was watching over him", pg. 50
As a teenager, he finally bowed to his mother's wishes and decided to use his God-given talents as a singer and piano player to bring people to the Lord. He was enrolled in Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas. One day in mandatory student chapel service, the student band played "My God Is Real" but Jerry Lee played it boogie-woogie style in front of the student body and facility. He was expelled; this would be the start of the lifelong inner conflict between his faith in God and the love of the 'devil's music', pgs. 113-9.
Jerry Lee Lewis' take on "My God Is Real"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVuAr...
The story is very sentimental and feels as if Jerry Lee Lewis is talking to you right off the pages. I highly recommend this one especially if you enjoy musicians and performers! Thanks!
I enjoyed the realism and story behind the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis. He saw the piano for the first time at age 4 at a relative's house. He was forbidden to touch it and this instantly became his forbidden temptation. He hit one of the keys, he felt a "cool fire" take over his body. "I don't know what happened. Somethin' strange. I felt it in my whole body. I felt it." (pg. 51) He started playing/learning church hymns and gospels with his father and then became the biggest sensation of his time. Jerry Lee Lewis was raised pentecostal Assembly of God ministries and firmly believes in baptism by the Holy Spirit, being sanctified, laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, etc.
"It took hold of them," Jerry Lee says now, "because it was real."
The Holy Ghost comes into a person "like a fire" he says.
"I took hold of it," he says "because it is real."
pg. 46
Sadly, when they were very young, he witnessed his big brother run over and killed by a drunk driver while playing ball one day. The driver popped the curb and killed him instantly. He would be haunted with this memory for the rest of his life. "Jerry would carry his one recollection of his big brother around for the rest of his life; he always liked that idea, how a big brother was watching over him", pg. 50
As a teenager, he finally bowed to his mother's wishes and decided to use his God-given talents as a singer and piano player to bring people to the Lord. He was enrolled in Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas. One day in mandatory student chapel service, the student band played "My God Is Real" but Jerry Lee played it boogie-woogie style in front of the student body and facility. He was expelled; this would be the start of the lifelong inner conflict between his faith in God and the love of the 'devil's music', pgs. 113-9.
Jerry Lee Lewis' take on "My God Is Real"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVuAr...
The story is very sentimental and feels as if Jerry Lee Lewis is talking to you right off the pages. I highly recommend this one especially if you enjoy musicians and performers! Thanks!
February 7, 2017
Rick Bragg's writing is about the only thing I really liked in this book. You have Jerry Lee Lewis's story, but now he is a recluse waiting to die? (Or that's what I got) He is scared of going to hell because of the years he was bad and was playing the devil's music. He does so much more crap than that.
Then the ego....and more ego..and so on.
This might have worked more if I had been more of a Lewis fan.
Then the ego....and more ego..and so on.
This might have worked more if I had been more of a Lewis fan.
January 20, 2020
The highly acclaimed Pulitzer Prize winning author, journalist, and notable southern storyteller Rick Bragg presents this superb captivating biography of the wild man of rock n roll, "the Killer", who clearly lived life very large and on his own terms: Jerry Lee Lewis (1935-).
From Ferriday Louisiana, raised by poor, hardworking, believing Pentecostal parents, young JLL show-cased his God given musical talents playing the piano and singing in church. His famous cousins Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley, were boyhood companions. A rebellious youth, having no interest in academics, JLL dropped out of school at a young age; living for his music, just to perform and play the piano. Bragg illustrated a deeply conflicted JLL, troubled by his consuming passion for rock n roll often proclaimed from the pulpit as the "devil's music", and his righteous belief/faith in the power of the "holy ghost".
Discovered by Sam/Dewey Phillips of Sun Records, JLL would also claim to be shortchanged and his career not fully promoted by his various record labels. Scandal exploded while JLL was touring in England at the height/peak of his fame (1957) when it was revealed JLL was married to his 13 year old cousin Myra Gale Brown (m.1957-1970); she was not his first wife but his third! Nearly overnight JLL went from preforming in arenas/coliseums making $10,000 per show to making $250.00 per night touring night clubs/beer joints. JLL toured in Europe during the 1970's where he recovered some of his popularity, and was featured in the first concert ever held in Wembley Stadium, U.K. in 1972.
This book was richly detailed with the history of rock and country music. JLL discussed his admiration for Hank Williams Sr., also his experiences with Elvis, Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and the Righteous Brothers. JLL's "crocodile smile", combing his hair on stage, his "loutish behavior" was sneered at by critics. By 1965 he was addicted to pills, in the "whiskey rich atmosphere" where he maintained his edge and high energy to entertain/perform and party without interruption. The women, so many that followed and flocked to famous musicians, JLL would steal wives from husbands, he often seemed out of control: "Don't no woman rule me!" he declared, also that he was "unmanageable". Perhaps he could have avoided the heavy tax burdens/penalties that plagued his career in later years, if he had hired professional management.
There was much controversy surrounding the deaths of his 4th wife Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate (m.1971-1982) and his beautiful young 5th wife Shawn Stephens(m.77 days from June-August 1983). An article appearing in Rolling Stone Magazine suggested abuse of Stephens and implied JLL may have been responsible for her death. I remember this article well, fans were surprised when JLL married Karrie McCarver (1984-2004). JLL remarried for the 7th time in 2012.
"Great Balls of Fire" was the 1989 epic movie of JLL life starring Dennis Quaid, based on the memoir written by Myra Gale. JLL received a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and would later receive many more notable awards from 1995-2007 in recognition of his contribution to Rock/Country Music. In 1998 JLL opened his ranch in Nesbit Mississippi to fans for guided tours. JLL is still performing and looking for record deals at (over) 80 years of age. There are pages of great photos included.
From Ferriday Louisiana, raised by poor, hardworking, believing Pentecostal parents, young JLL show-cased his God given musical talents playing the piano and singing in church. His famous cousins Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley, were boyhood companions. A rebellious youth, having no interest in academics, JLL dropped out of school at a young age; living for his music, just to perform and play the piano. Bragg illustrated a deeply conflicted JLL, troubled by his consuming passion for rock n roll often proclaimed from the pulpit as the "devil's music", and his righteous belief/faith in the power of the "holy ghost".
Discovered by Sam/Dewey Phillips of Sun Records, JLL would also claim to be shortchanged and his career not fully promoted by his various record labels. Scandal exploded while JLL was touring in England at the height/peak of his fame (1957) when it was revealed JLL was married to his 13 year old cousin Myra Gale Brown (m.1957-1970); she was not his first wife but his third! Nearly overnight JLL went from preforming in arenas/coliseums making $10,000 per show to making $250.00 per night touring night clubs/beer joints. JLL toured in Europe during the 1970's where he recovered some of his popularity, and was featured in the first concert ever held in Wembley Stadium, U.K. in 1972.
This book was richly detailed with the history of rock and country music. JLL discussed his admiration for Hank Williams Sr., also his experiences with Elvis, Fats Domino, Sam Cooke, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, and the Righteous Brothers. JLL's "crocodile smile", combing his hair on stage, his "loutish behavior" was sneered at by critics. By 1965 he was addicted to pills, in the "whiskey rich atmosphere" where he maintained his edge and high energy to entertain/perform and party without interruption. The women, so many that followed and flocked to famous musicians, JLL would steal wives from husbands, he often seemed out of control: "Don't no woman rule me!" he declared, also that he was "unmanageable". Perhaps he could have avoided the heavy tax burdens/penalties that plagued his career in later years, if he had hired professional management.
There was much controversy surrounding the deaths of his 4th wife Jaren Elizabeth Gunn Pate (m.1971-1982) and his beautiful young 5th wife Shawn Stephens(m.77 days from June-August 1983). An article appearing in Rolling Stone Magazine suggested abuse of Stephens and implied JLL may have been responsible for her death. I remember this article well, fans were surprised when JLL married Karrie McCarver (1984-2004). JLL remarried for the 7th time in 2012.
"Great Balls of Fire" was the 1989 epic movie of JLL life starring Dennis Quaid, based on the memoir written by Myra Gale. JLL received a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and would later receive many more notable awards from 1995-2007 in recognition of his contribution to Rock/Country Music. In 1998 JLL opened his ranch in Nesbit Mississippi to fans for guided tours. JLL is still performing and looking for record deals at (over) 80 years of age. There are pages of great photos included.
March 19, 2025
4.5 stars
"You know, they call me 'The Killer' . . . The only thing I ever killed in my life was possibly myself." -- stage patter from a resurrected Jerry Lee Lewis at a 1982 concert, after nearly dying the previous year at age 46 from a ruptured stomach (which required a 93-day recovery stay in the hospital)
Part of the vanguard of American rock and roll, in the 1950's, it's simply a no-brainer why Jerry Lee Lewis graced one of the final albums in his six decades-long discography - which also coincided with the year of his 70th birthday - with the title Last Man Standing. Lewis had of course outlasted his fellow southern-bred Sun Records stablemates Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison (not to mention contemporaries like Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard) to survive AND keeping playing his music well into the 21st century. Author Bragg began interviewing Lewis approximately 10 years prior to his passing, so His Own Story smacks of authenticity, but is not a sanitized version of a life story. For some folks, Lewis - while still married to his second wife - was a lighting rod for their disgust after dallying with his third-cousin when she was still a young teenager. Lewis' take on it? Elvis did something similar - meeting Priscilla when she was only 14, and then subsequently moving her to California while still in high school - but he seemed to be immune (or even bulletproof) to similar criticism. Getting past that understandable stumbling point of sorts, this is a very thorough rock bio, tracing Lewis' humble origins in a rustic, God-fearing village in Louisiana - he counted both later-disgraced televangelist Jimmy Swaggart AND the country music superstar Mickey Gilley as cousins - to his early superstardom during the late 1950's owing to indelible, 88-key bashing hits like 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' and 'Great Ball of Fire.' When his rock career cooled due to the aforementioned controversy, Lewis rebounded as a respected country artist in the late 1960's, and even dabbled in acting, portraying Iago to acclaim in a rock-opera theater version of Shakespeare's Othello. Of course, there were still lots of drinks, drugs, and women in the mix, too, but also a large dose of melancholy. Lewis horribly lost both of his sons to accidents (toddler Steve drowned, while teenage Jerry Jr. was killed in a vehicle crash), and he could not always sustain good romantic OR financial relationships. So while there is a certain amount of 'gee whiz' fun in this narrative, the tone skews more so to a cautionary tale for living (and dying?) the life of a rock star.
"You know, they call me 'The Killer' . . . The only thing I ever killed in my life was possibly myself." -- stage patter from a resurrected Jerry Lee Lewis at a 1982 concert, after nearly dying the previous year at age 46 from a ruptured stomach (which required a 93-day recovery stay in the hospital)
Part of the vanguard of American rock and roll, in the 1950's, it's simply a no-brainer why Jerry Lee Lewis graced one of the final albums in his six decades-long discography - which also coincided with the year of his 70th birthday - with the title Last Man Standing. Lewis had of course outlasted his fellow southern-bred Sun Records stablemates Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison (not to mention contemporaries like Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard) to survive AND keeping playing his music well into the 21st century. Author Bragg began interviewing Lewis approximately 10 years prior to his passing, so His Own Story smacks of authenticity, but is not a sanitized version of a life story. For some folks, Lewis - while still married to his second wife - was a lighting rod for their disgust after dallying with his third-cousin when she was still a young teenager. Lewis' take on it? Elvis did something similar - meeting Priscilla when she was only 14, and then subsequently moving her to California while still in high school - but he seemed to be immune (or even bulletproof) to similar criticism. Getting past that understandable stumbling point of sorts, this is a very thorough rock bio, tracing Lewis' humble origins in a rustic, God-fearing village in Louisiana - he counted both later-disgraced televangelist Jimmy Swaggart AND the country music superstar Mickey Gilley as cousins - to his early superstardom during the late 1950's owing to indelible, 88-key bashing hits like 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On' and 'Great Ball of Fire.' When his rock career cooled due to the aforementioned controversy, Lewis rebounded as a respected country artist in the late 1960's, and even dabbled in acting, portraying Iago to acclaim in a rock-opera theater version of Shakespeare's Othello. Of course, there were still lots of drinks, drugs, and women in the mix, too, but also a large dose of melancholy. Lewis horribly lost both of his sons to accidents (toddler Steve drowned, while teenage Jerry Jr. was killed in a vehicle crash), and he could not always sustain good romantic OR financial relationships. So while there is a certain amount of 'gee whiz' fun in this narrative, the tone skews more so to a cautionary tale for living (and dying?) the life of a rock star.
November 14, 2018
I really liked this book, but I am a Jerry Lee Lewis fan, so, that's a no-brainer! It's a big book (498 pages) but it reads fast ... like Jerry Lee plays piano ... lol
The author sits with Jerry Lee, at his home, and listens to him talk about his life. He, of course, does much research, and other interviews, but the driving force behind this book is Jerry Lee's life in his own words. Jerry Lee starts at the beginning, and tells his life story, as he sees it, up to the present time. In fact, Jerry Lee is still touring! If you're in California, you can see him on the 17th of November at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Or, Nashville and Memphis, in December 2018. Or, Mississippi or Florida, in January 2019. He's 83 years old! I hope I'm doing as well at his age ... amazing.
As you can imagine, there is heaps of rock and roll history referenced in this book, which just adds to the enjoyment.
4 Stars = It gave me much food for thought.
The author sits with Jerry Lee, at his home, and listens to him talk about his life. He, of course, does much research, and other interviews, but the driving force behind this book is Jerry Lee's life in his own words. Jerry Lee starts at the beginning, and tells his life story, as he sees it, up to the present time. In fact, Jerry Lee is still touring! If you're in California, you can see him on the 17th of November at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts. Or, Nashville and Memphis, in December 2018. Or, Mississippi or Florida, in January 2019. He's 83 years old! I hope I'm doing as well at his age ... amazing.
As you can imagine, there is heaps of rock and roll history referenced in this book, which just adds to the enjoyment.
4 Stars = It gave me much food for thought.
January 4, 2015
I don't know how it would be possible to love this book more. Rick Bragg has always been one of my favorite authors, and this book exceeded all my expectations. It's superbly written and beautifully balanced. I didn't know much about Jerry Lee Lewis before reading this book, but now I'm ready to go out and buy his music, and I hope it lives up to this writing about it.
January 5, 2015
Jerry Lee Lewis : His Own Story by Rick Bragg is a 2014 Harper publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the most colorful characters is musical history and perhaps also one of the most misunderstood as well. This book is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg and he does an excellent job of telling Jerry Lee's story. It's Jerry's life, his memories, his voice that literally jumped off the pages and I found myself utterly absorbed in his tale. From a rock and roll pioneer to a huge country star, then back to his rock roots blended with blues and gospel, “The Killer” may not be the same physically, but in his his heart and spirit he is still as wild and dangerous as ever.
The one thing that came to my mind as I read this book is my own experience with Jerry Lee Lewis at a live country music show my parents dragged me to as a child. I don't remember much about the show except I hated country music and did not want to go in the first place and once we arrived at the auditorium and the show started, I promptly fell asleep... until a commotion in the crowd woke me up and I saw people heading toward the exits in droves. But, when I looked to the stage area, Jerry Lee Lewis was standing up yelling at the crowd to sit down because he wasn't finished yet. He was mad as hell and tore his shirt off and threw it on the floor, then sat down at the piano and started playing “boogie woogie”. The story my parents tell me is that Jerry came out as the closing act that night and was not in the mood to dive right in, so he messed around with the piano a little, but mainly he just talked and talked. It was edging toward midnight by this time and people decided if he wasn't going to perform they would were going to on home. But, believe me, they changed their minds, took their seats again, and the place became electric. It was the best show that entire night... at least for me. I had never before seen anything like that, so now 40 years later I still remember it vividly. From that day forward I was a huge Jerry Lee Lewis fan. He rocked the house that night even if he did get off to a rocky start For me it was pure magic.
Having spent the first 9 years of my life in Louisiana I understood things many may not about the south, rural areas in particular, and the time period in which Jerry grew up. I understood his dialect, knew from hearing my family speak of those hard times,what kind of foundation Jerry had and understood the effect it had on him and the way he lived his life.
On his marriage to his thirteen year old third cousin:
“He really believed there were things in his life that were the world's business and things that were his business, like the things that happened between a man and his wife. He believed it. After all, he was the king of rock and roll. Elvis had said so. And one thing for sure he would never give it up, never just hand it off in tears. They would have to take it from him.”
To this day the man makes no apologies for that marriage. While he knows it damaged his career he still refuses to acknowledge anything wrong or scandalous about it. After all he never hid the marriage from the public, not like Elvis hid Priscilla at Graceland for most of her teenage years.
For many, this scandal is the first thing they think of when they hear the name Jerry Lee Lewis. His biopic “ Great Balls of Fire” starring Dennis Quaid was a cartoonish portrayal of Jerry that certainly didn't do him justice. The movie focused on Jerry's rise to fame and ended with the scandal and fall out of his marriage to Myrna. Thankfully, the internet has made it possible to see Jerry Lee Lewis as he really was.
Jerry did a lot of living after his initial fall from grace. He did struggle mightily after his marriage to Myrna, but after a time, he found himself carving out a second career as a country music star. He was even invited to play the Rhine Auditorium years after they shunned him.
Jerry would follow this pattern on and off all the way up to present day. He was wildly successful, then hit hard times, would go on a winning streak, then hit the skids again. He struggled with many very serious health issues and nearly died on three occasions. He married seven times, lost two sons and two wives, had epic battles with the IRS and struggled for years with addictions to pills and other drugs.
But, as he retells his story here I couldn't help but feel that power in the man, something that emanated from him. He has a real fire inside him he was born with and he just never gave himself over to conformity. It never crossed his mind. He is street smart, can be very funny, and dabbled in things most may not be aware of. Such as coming face to face with Janis Joplin somewhere around the Port Arthur area. The brazen Joplin actually slapped “Killer” across the face over a perceived insult and the two nearly came to an all out brawl... or Jerry Lee's first encounter with the Rolling Stones, a band he found he could relate to much more that the wildly popular Beatles.
“While backstage, he noticed a skinny, big-lipped kid on the stage, jamming like an over- excited teenager, waving a movie camera around. It was Mick Jagger. “He was rolling on the floor with his
camera,' says Jerry Lee. ' He had every album I had ever made-- with him. I told him , 'I'm not going to sign all them albums.'”
Many probably don't know Jerry was in a stage production of a rock opera based on Shakespeare's Othello called “Catch My Soul”. Jerry played the part of “Iago” the notorious villain of the story. He stole the show, but backed out of taking the show to Broadway. (Something he now regrets)
While Jerry's life was marred by tragedies and mistakes, hard living, and health issues, his musical talent has never lost it's edge. He is still out there, still on occasion he performs a show here or there. He may not have the ability to play the piano with his butt anymore, but he still maintains that quality that is uniquely Jerry Lee Lewis. He did what he wanted the way he wanted it more often than not. He was not someone that could be bottled and sold like Elvis was. He had a dangerousness about him, an edge, a determination, grit, and an iron will. He worked hard in good times and bad times. There was nothing left out, nothing sugar coated or glossed over.
Out of all those who signed with Sun Records Jerry is the only one still standing. He's survived Elvis, Cash, and many others a long the way. Written off many times, Jerry has lived to tell his story, his way. Jerry just steam rolled through his life going ninety miles and hour. While he has regrets, he rarely apologizes for anything, rarely admits sorrow or pain, and certainly never showed a weakness, at least not in public.
The author did an outstanding job with this telling of a man's life story. He set the stage well, digging deep into Jerry's childhood roots, leading us through his future success, and the incredible life of the music legend that was Jerry Lee Lewis- The Killer. While Rick Bragg weaves his own style into the book, it's his ability to allow Jerry Lee Lewis to shine through, to allow the reader to get a realistic look at who the man is and how he lived his life. His work on this book is outstanding. I promise you will find this book absolutely fascinating and will turn the last page in awe of the performer, the man, the music, and the author of this book. 5 stars
Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the most colorful characters is musical history and perhaps also one of the most misunderstood as well. This book is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg and he does an excellent job of telling Jerry Lee's story. It's Jerry's life, his memories, his voice that literally jumped off the pages and I found myself utterly absorbed in his tale. From a rock and roll pioneer to a huge country star, then back to his rock roots blended with blues and gospel, “The Killer” may not be the same physically, but in his his heart and spirit he is still as wild and dangerous as ever.
The one thing that came to my mind as I read this book is my own experience with Jerry Lee Lewis at a live country music show my parents dragged me to as a child. I don't remember much about the show except I hated country music and did not want to go in the first place and once we arrived at the auditorium and the show started, I promptly fell asleep... until a commotion in the crowd woke me up and I saw people heading toward the exits in droves. But, when I looked to the stage area, Jerry Lee Lewis was standing up yelling at the crowd to sit down because he wasn't finished yet. He was mad as hell and tore his shirt off and threw it on the floor, then sat down at the piano and started playing “boogie woogie”. The story my parents tell me is that Jerry came out as the closing act that night and was not in the mood to dive right in, so he messed around with the piano a little, but mainly he just talked and talked. It was edging toward midnight by this time and people decided if he wasn't going to perform they would were going to on home. But, believe me, they changed their minds, took their seats again, and the place became electric. It was the best show that entire night... at least for me. I had never before seen anything like that, so now 40 years later I still remember it vividly. From that day forward I was a huge Jerry Lee Lewis fan. He rocked the house that night even if he did get off to a rocky start For me it was pure magic.
Having spent the first 9 years of my life in Louisiana I understood things many may not about the south, rural areas in particular, and the time period in which Jerry grew up. I understood his dialect, knew from hearing my family speak of those hard times,what kind of foundation Jerry had and understood the effect it had on him and the way he lived his life.
On his marriage to his thirteen year old third cousin:
“He really believed there were things in his life that were the world's business and things that were his business, like the things that happened between a man and his wife. He believed it. After all, he was the king of rock and roll. Elvis had said so. And one thing for sure he would never give it up, never just hand it off in tears. They would have to take it from him.”
To this day the man makes no apologies for that marriage. While he knows it damaged his career he still refuses to acknowledge anything wrong or scandalous about it. After all he never hid the marriage from the public, not like Elvis hid Priscilla at Graceland for most of her teenage years.
For many, this scandal is the first thing they think of when they hear the name Jerry Lee Lewis. His biopic “ Great Balls of Fire” starring Dennis Quaid was a cartoonish portrayal of Jerry that certainly didn't do him justice. The movie focused on Jerry's rise to fame and ended with the scandal and fall out of his marriage to Myrna. Thankfully, the internet has made it possible to see Jerry Lee Lewis as he really was.
Jerry did a lot of living after his initial fall from grace. He did struggle mightily after his marriage to Myrna, but after a time, he found himself carving out a second career as a country music star. He was even invited to play the Rhine Auditorium years after they shunned him.
Jerry would follow this pattern on and off all the way up to present day. He was wildly successful, then hit hard times, would go on a winning streak, then hit the skids again. He struggled with many very serious health issues and nearly died on three occasions. He married seven times, lost two sons and two wives, had epic battles with the IRS and struggled for years with addictions to pills and other drugs.
But, as he retells his story here I couldn't help but feel that power in the man, something that emanated from him. He has a real fire inside him he was born with and he just never gave himself over to conformity. It never crossed his mind. He is street smart, can be very funny, and dabbled in things most may not be aware of. Such as coming face to face with Janis Joplin somewhere around the Port Arthur area. The brazen Joplin actually slapped “Killer” across the face over a perceived insult and the two nearly came to an all out brawl... or Jerry Lee's first encounter with the Rolling Stones, a band he found he could relate to much more that the wildly popular Beatles.
“While backstage, he noticed a skinny, big-lipped kid on the stage, jamming like an over- excited teenager, waving a movie camera around. It was Mick Jagger. “He was rolling on the floor with his
camera,' says Jerry Lee. ' He had every album I had ever made-- with him. I told him , 'I'm not going to sign all them albums.'”
Many probably don't know Jerry was in a stage production of a rock opera based on Shakespeare's Othello called “Catch My Soul”. Jerry played the part of “Iago” the notorious villain of the story. He stole the show, but backed out of taking the show to Broadway. (Something he now regrets)
While Jerry's life was marred by tragedies and mistakes, hard living, and health issues, his musical talent has never lost it's edge. He is still out there, still on occasion he performs a show here or there. He may not have the ability to play the piano with his butt anymore, but he still maintains that quality that is uniquely Jerry Lee Lewis. He did what he wanted the way he wanted it more often than not. He was not someone that could be bottled and sold like Elvis was. He had a dangerousness about him, an edge, a determination, grit, and an iron will. He worked hard in good times and bad times. There was nothing left out, nothing sugar coated or glossed over.
Out of all those who signed with Sun Records Jerry is the only one still standing. He's survived Elvis, Cash, and many others a long the way. Written off many times, Jerry has lived to tell his story, his way. Jerry just steam rolled through his life going ninety miles and hour. While he has regrets, he rarely apologizes for anything, rarely admits sorrow or pain, and certainly never showed a weakness, at least not in public.
The author did an outstanding job with this telling of a man's life story. He set the stage well, digging deep into Jerry's childhood roots, leading us through his future success, and the incredible life of the music legend that was Jerry Lee Lewis- The Killer. While Rick Bragg weaves his own style into the book, it's his ability to allow Jerry Lee Lewis to shine through, to allow the reader to get a realistic look at who the man is and how he lived his life. His work on this book is outstanding. I promise you will find this book absolutely fascinating and will turn the last page in awe of the performer, the man, the music, and the author of this book. 5 stars
January 28, 2024
I feel like I am very lucky that I was raised by my parents and grandparents on different kinds of music, all good stuff, nothing new, or on the radio. One of the artists I heard at a young age was Jerry Lee Lewis, and I've been a fan for a long time of his music. This semester at college, I decided to take a class called The History of Rock N Roll, and we have to write a term paper on a rock n roll artist of our choice. I was unsure for awhile, because I kind of wanted to reach back and write about Hank Williams Sr, because he is a favorite artist of mine, and I know his life story pretty well; while the professor gave me the okay on this, I thought about it for a while, and I realized that I should pick someone who was influenced by Hank, someone who was a rock n roller, so I chose Jerry Lee Lewis. I picked this book up, bought it, read it, and I was extremely glad I did, because it has helped me a long way with my paper, but it has also helped me get out of a rut of finding a book to read. I think it was well written, and I think it told an amazing story about a man who is often mired by controversy, but a man who no doubt had an amazing talent and who struggled like we all do. While I don't excuse his actions, I think we should be able to separate the man from the music and be able to appreciate his music. This book tells some crazy stories, but it also tells some really interesting facts about Jerry Lee Lewis. I think after this book, I am going to read about Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley, and others, because I am so interested in the early rock n rollers and I love their music. I am a piano player, and I'd say Jerry Lee Lewis is one of my influences on the piano.
December 21, 2014
When I had read somewhere that Rick Bragg was writing a book on Jerry Lee Lewis I got very excited that I would be able to once again read a Rick Bragg book. I of course knew of Jerry Lee Lewis but not all that much as he was a bit before my time when he was a huge star. Sometimes when you anticipate something for a long while and you finally get to it there is a disappointment of not living up to the hype. Well I just finished the book and it delivers on all levels. Not only did I get to go back in time to the birth of Rock-N-Roll and how it all began I also was treated to the incredible journey of a life with more ups and downs than a honeymoon bed written by my favorite contemporary author who weaves together the knotted pine hard tapestry that is Jerry Lee Lewis's life and times. Rick Bragg's writing to me is as enjoyable as is the book itself. He has a God's gift with words just as Jerry Lee Lewis has a God's gift of music. I know I have read a truly great piece of literature when I am saddened by its conclusion like losing a new friend too quickly after you have just met. To anyone who reads this review, if you have any interest in Jerry Lee Lewis, music in general or are a fan of great writers this is a must read. Enjoy the ride.
January 10, 2015
Jerry Lee Lewis is not a likeable guy. His entire life has been spent acting the spoiled brat; throwing tantrums, slapping convention in the face, and being totally self-immersed. Rick Bragg, the author of “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story,” to his credit, doesn’t try to hide this unfortunate quirk. He simply reports it.
Lewis has to be considered a prodigy. He can’t read music but can replicate any song after hearing it a couple of times. His piano playing is masterful and he can do it with his shoes or his butt as well as with his fingers. And he has been able to do it since he was a young child. Name a song and he knows it. Name the style and he can reproduce it. I suspect he can play “Moon River” in his raucous rock and roll style after kicking his piano bench into the wings. His fans would love it.
But he’s a stoner and a drunk. He’s a fighter and a fornicator. He’s an egomaniac with an attitude. In spite of the wrinkles, he’s also one of the biggest stars to ever come to fame.
How does a respected writer such as Rick Bragg handle all this? With style and class and glorious prose. And without any apparent view, good or bad, exactly the way I like my autobiographies and the way they should be written. Bragg once again demonstrates why he has to be considered one of America’s best writers. He has no equal as an interviewer, and is able to transcribe even the most inane responses, or even nonresponses, into totally gripping reporting. His research and ability to assemble a lifetime of events into an intense and revealing study of his subjects is incomparable.
In Bragg’s Acknowledgements section he talks about his relationship with Lewis, the laughs and the broken hearts, the lack of guilt for the way he’s reported the man’s life. “Life is dirty and hard, and he reminded me that even in the middle of that junkyard there is great beauty, if you only listen.”
If you are a music buff and interested in the ways of our musical icons, this is your book. Don’t miss it.
October 10, 2014
I have very mixed feelings about this book. In full disclosure, I received this book in advance for free in a Gooodreads giveaway. I understand that Rick Bragg is telling Jerry Lee's story as Jerry Lee Lewis believes and remembers it, but I wish Rick Bragg would have pressed him harder on some of the controversial aspects of Jerry Lee Lewis' life and career. It is most definitely a sympathetic (and egotistical) telling of a life filled with questionable actions and choices.
Perhaps the most difficult part of his story to swallow is his marriage to his 13 year old cousin, Myra, when Jerry Lee was 22. I felt that Rick Bragg told his side of the story much too sympathetically. Throughout the book they describe 13 year old Myra as a woman trapped in a child's body, claim that she threw herself at him, and chalk the whole marriage up to Jerry Lee's "southern culture". It felt like a revisionist history in an attempt to make a young girl seem like a predator, and Jerry Lee Lewis the victim.
That aside, Jerry Lee Lewis truly has had a monumental musical career. His relationship with Elvis, rivalries with Johnny Cash and other great musicians makes for interesting reading.
Perhaps the most difficult part of his story to swallow is his marriage to his 13 year old cousin, Myra, when Jerry Lee was 22. I felt that Rick Bragg told his side of the story much too sympathetically. Throughout the book they describe 13 year old Myra as a woman trapped in a child's body, claim that she threw herself at him, and chalk the whole marriage up to Jerry Lee's "southern culture". It felt like a revisionist history in an attempt to make a young girl seem like a predator, and Jerry Lee Lewis the victim.
That aside, Jerry Lee Lewis truly has had a monumental musical career. His relationship with Elvis, rivalries with Johnny Cash and other great musicians makes for interesting reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2015
Excellent book on a complicated subject. Hate Jerry Lee or love him...l one thing is for sure.... He is a larger than life figure in southern history and definitely in the history of Rock n roll! Bragg explores the complicated man... Whether it's the conflicted Jerry Lee.... The convicted Jerry Lee... The jealous Jerry Lee or the megalomaniac Jerry Lee. Interesting portrait of a Mississippi legend.
December 22, 2015
At 80 years old, Jerry Lee is the last man standing of the "Million Dollar Quartet" (Elvis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins). However, it's not due to healthy living. I knew he was a wild man, but did not realize he probably outdid Keith Moon. In fact he seemed to have no internal filter. And despite the fact that he partook of alcohol, pills and made a living playing the "Devil's music," he seems genuinely religious and fearful he may go to Hell because of it.
The author is a fellow Southerner which is probably how he was able to establish an unusual rapport with his subject, getting him to remember things he might otherwise have forgotten. I really enjoyed the parts about his childhood in Louisiana: taunting his playmates while standing on the railing of a suspension bridge over the Mississippi, sneaking into juke joints and finally, dropping in on Sun studios to demand a recording contract.
The scandal involving his wedding to his 13 year old cousin is covered in a way that makes the whole incident seem excusable (in his milieu people married their cousins all the time and his own sister married at 14). The tragedy is, the lucrative bookings and record sales dried up and he was reduced to slogging it out on the road, literally getting into fist fights with hecklers. We'll never know what kind of great records he might have made if TV, radio and larger venues had not blacklisted him.
It was only when it got to the 1960s, when interest in his music picked up again, that I felt the author skipped over a lot of things I was interested in. But then again I, unlike the author and his subject, am a fan of the Beatles and the whole British Invasion. For instance, I wanted to hear more about his time in Hamburg with the Nashville Teens. I also wanted to hear a lot more about his appearance on the Monkees' "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee" TV special, which was written off in one sentence, "he even survived the Monkees." (He thought most of that stuff was "sissy music" except the Rolling Stones).
In any case, I definitely enjoyed reading this and it made me want to listen to some of the more obscure recordings mentioned.
The author is a fellow Southerner which is probably how he was able to establish an unusual rapport with his subject, getting him to remember things he might otherwise have forgotten. I really enjoyed the parts about his childhood in Louisiana: taunting his playmates while standing on the railing of a suspension bridge over the Mississippi, sneaking into juke joints and finally, dropping in on Sun studios to demand a recording contract.
The scandal involving his wedding to his 13 year old cousin is covered in a way that makes the whole incident seem excusable (in his milieu people married their cousins all the time and his own sister married at 14). The tragedy is, the lucrative bookings and record sales dried up and he was reduced to slogging it out on the road, literally getting into fist fights with hecklers. We'll never know what kind of great records he might have made if TV, radio and larger venues had not blacklisted him.
It was only when it got to the 1960s, when interest in his music picked up again, that I felt the author skipped over a lot of things I was interested in. But then again I, unlike the author and his subject, am a fan of the Beatles and the whole British Invasion. For instance, I wanted to hear more about his time in Hamburg with the Nashville Teens. I also wanted to hear a lot more about his appearance on the Monkees' "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee" TV special, which was written off in one sentence, "he even survived the Monkees." (He thought most of that stuff was "sissy music" except the Rolling Stones).
In any case, I definitely enjoyed reading this and it made me want to listen to some of the more obscure recordings mentioned.
November 20, 2014
Jerry Lee Lewis, the aging rock legend, sits up in his bed in a darkened room with a loaded pistol on the nightstand and tells his life story to Rick Bragg, our finest chronicler of Southern lives. The result, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story, is mesmerizing.
Jerry Lee Lewis isn’t the most … linear communicator, but Rick Bragg listened to Jerry Lee’s version of things and captured the closest version to the truth that we’re ever likely to get. Bragg tells not only the story of Jerry Lee’s entire wild life, but he gives readers The Killer’s way of looking at things. Jerry Lee Lewis never backs down, never gives up, and always does things his way. For example, Elvis Presley received a draft notice and spent two years in the Army that devastated his career. Jerry Lee Lewis received a similar draft notice, tore it into pieces, threw them in the river, and never heard another word about it. The controversies are covered here too: the marriages, deaths, addictions, and criminal run-ins. Bragg brilliantly provides Jerry Lee’s version of things from the perspective of old age while setting the events in a larger, more objective context.
If you like reading about rock history, this book is for you. If you’re a Jerry Lee Lewis fan, you will treasure this book. If you’re a Rick Bragg fan, this book will become one of your favorites. If you’re a fan of both men, as I am, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story will shape the way you think of them for years to come.
Jerry Lee Lewis isn’t the most … linear communicator, but Rick Bragg listened to Jerry Lee’s version of things and captured the closest version to the truth that we’re ever likely to get. Bragg tells not only the story of Jerry Lee’s entire wild life, but he gives readers The Killer’s way of looking at things. Jerry Lee Lewis never backs down, never gives up, and always does things his way. For example, Elvis Presley received a draft notice and spent two years in the Army that devastated his career. Jerry Lee Lewis received a similar draft notice, tore it into pieces, threw them in the river, and never heard another word about it. The controversies are covered here too: the marriages, deaths, addictions, and criminal run-ins. Bragg brilliantly provides Jerry Lee’s version of things from the perspective of old age while setting the events in a larger, more objective context.
If you like reading about rock history, this book is for you. If you’re a Jerry Lee Lewis fan, you will treasure this book. If you’re a Rick Bragg fan, this book will become one of your favorites. If you’re a fan of both men, as I am, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story will shape the way you think of them for years to come.
July 30, 2015
An interesting, if sometimes long-winded in descriptions/scene setting, portrait of a man who has led a wild life (on and off stage). He is a rock 'n roll legend and although Bragg does seem to go soft on some of the harsher periods of Lewis' life (the drugs, drinking, cheating, multiple marriages, and the deaths of family members), he is honest about everything that happened. However, we are only getting Jerry's side of the story, as this is the first biography he's given interviews for and endorsed. You have to wonder if it's all the truth or not. Either way it's only one-side of the story. I'd recommend this book to fans of his music, who are interested in the life he lived while making history. Or even just people who know he married his thirteen year old cousin, and are curious what the Hell he was thinking at the time!!! Thanks to Edelweiss for the review copy.
January 18, 2016
Rick Bragg's perseverance with his subject pays off handsomely in this rollicking, funny and touching tribute to one of rock and roll's founding fathers, Jerry Lee Lewis. That Jerry Lee is still alive and able to recall so many incidents from so long ago is miraculous enough, but Bragg really captures his essence along with the family and culture that made him.
I'll only add that if you only know a dozen or less songs by Jerry Lee (I'll include myself in that group) you'll want to hear every song mentioned in the book to add that extra dimension. I know I immediately downloaded about 20 of them. Good rockin' tonight!
I'll only add that if you only know a dozen or less songs by Jerry Lee (I'll include myself in that group) you'll want to hear every song mentioned in the book to add that extra dimension. I know I immediately downloaded about 20 of them. Good rockin' tonight!
January 1, 2015
I'm a huge JLL fan and now I'm a huge Rick Bragg fan as well. Impeccable.
December 4, 2018
Really solid biography about a super talented man who is a total shitheel.
April 21, 2019
Oh good gosh a mighty the combination of Jerry Lee and Rick Bragg is eye dripping, rock and rolling, heavenly good. And that epilogue thought of what if his piano teacher had succeeded in straightening out JLL just sums it right up. To paraphrase Tom Waits, If he had gotten shed of his devils would his angels have left him too?
The drugs, the women, the overturned cars, the drunk driving, the kicked over piano stools, the guns, the deaths - but always back to those hands on the piano keys.
The drugs, the women, the overturned cars, the drunk driving, the kicked over piano stools, the guns, the deaths - but always back to those hands on the piano keys.
February 8, 2023
“ They tipped their mint juleps at us, tipped ‘em up,’ he says, and smiles the faintest bit to prove how little it matters to him after so much time.”
“‘If you know you can do a thing,’ he says, ‘then you ain’t never surprised.’”
“I approached him with great anticipation—and one reservation, as to getting shot…He remains willing to take a swing at a man who offends him and suffer the prospect that some drunk redneck half his age will not care he is living history and knock him slap out.”
“He sees him vault on his young legs to the lid of the piano as if some outside force just threw him there…”
“But it is not boasting, as Jerry Lee says, if you really done it.”
“In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase gave the mud to a new nation, and Thomas Jefferson sent naturalist William Dunbar to see what all the dying was for.”
“The twentieth century brought the levees, so tall a man had to walk uphill to drown.”
“‘Didn’t I hear once that you…’ But he cuts me off.
‘Yeah,’ he says. ‘I probably did.’”
“In a less desperate place, a more prosperous time, he might have been anything, maybe even been successful, but in the bad years he was what he had to be.”
“Not long after, Lee Calhoun dug in his pocket, and there was a church.”
“He was a craggy old man with steel-colored eyes who did not carry a gun, did not need to, because Pa had made his living in Ferriday in the swamps, trapping things that bit.”
“It was clear that their boy was going places. It was all a matter of direction.”
“He showed up for the beginning of the seventh grade, only to find out he was not in it. He decided to take a seat anyway. He had already figured out that a person, if they were special enough, if they had something uncommon to offer, could live by a set of rules separate from those set down for dull, regular people. The way to accomplish this was to make it too much effort for people to try to bend him to their regular-people rules.”
“Driver’s licenses, like most other forms of government interference, had nothing to do with him, and he had already discovered that many people were foolish enough to leave keys in their cars, so they could be borrowed.”
“As for girls, ‘I could take ‘em or leave ‘em,” he says. ‘Take ‘em, mostly.”
“For the next few years, the clubs would nurture Jerry Lee’s music, as much as any place can when the owner walks around with a big .44 sagging his slacks and women routinely have their wigs slapped off their heads by other women.”
“The President told Jerry Lee that he had wantonly solicited an impure response from the entire student body of the college by playing reckless and prurient music, and the president and deans gave him the left foot of fellowship and told him not to let the door hit him in his behind on the way out. Jerry Lee, who never lacked gall, told the deans and the president that he would not accept their expulsion.
‘I’ll just go home for two weeks, but I’m comin’ back,’ he said. He had no intention of coming back, not even if they were handing out free doughnuts and pony rides, but he wanted them to watch the gate every day to see if he was.”
“He again tried manual labor, only to rediscover that it required manual labor.”
“For Mr. Paul Whitehead was blind, and in the darkness where he lived, they were all pretty girls.”
“He never hit it big himself but will never forget seeing the silver-haired man and the golden-haired one together onstage at the birth of a music, like a man watching a comet. Who gets to say they saw something like that?”
“He was a witness, night by night, as the boy’s talent tumbled into alignment…It was like waiting for a storm to build, but slower, over months, then years, but he heard it coming.”
“…and in that boy’s piano he heard it all and none of it. The boy was a species unto himself, and he was still learning.”
“Jerry Lee saw no reason to labor in a long life of that, on a treadmill of hoping, dreaming, wanting, and not cut right to the dream.”
“But even as a boy he knew, if you were ever going to be hit by lightning, you had to stand under a tree.”
“But they got Paul, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, his benign face unchanging, the accordion around his neck and the trumpet at his lips and the fiddle at his right hand, and no one would know, as he sipped his milk, if it was a good day or the deepest, darkest night of his soul.”
“The hard shell…had not shattered, but it was beginning to vibrate, and if you listened close enough you could hear it crack.”
“And the crowd ate it up like peach ice cream.”
“‘You gonna regret you did that,’ he hollered at her, but she didn’t.”
“But his love for music was a real, consuming passion, and the kind he loved the most did not even really exist yet, at least not exactly as he dreamed it.”
“On it, he could do anything, perform any antic he wanted, but if you impugned his stage, you insulted him down where it mattered, and he was coming for you every time.”
“His daddy shook his hand and held it.
‘I never was the man you are. I only wanted to be,’ he told his son.”
“The problem was this newcomer, this blond-haired kid, who did not know his place and had no governor on his mouth, and in such close proximity, they could not tune him out and could not run away and could not kill him, either, though they considered it.”
“Then Elvis left for home, where Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, presented him with a suit made of gold lamé, but Elvis kept dropping to his knees onstage and wearing off the gold, which was expensive, so Parker told him not to do that no more.”
“He did not need a song to make him inappropriate. Jerry Lee had always been inappropriate, and being a little bit famous did not change it; you can paint a barn white a thousand times, but that won’t make it a house. It wasn’t just what words he sang; it was HOW. Anybody can sing about sinning, but when he sang, it sounded like he knew what he was talking about and would show you if he had a minute.”
“…how could they fail to ban this new ‘Shakin’ song by a young white singer who didn’t just HINT that the listeners ought to shake something, but told them to—told them to shake ‘it’ in particular, and while he did not say exactly what ‘it’ was, it would take a very sheltered youth minister not to guess it in three or four tries.”
“It would be about the only compromise he would ever really make, for a lifetime, and most people did not even notice it. He banged the keys so hard they seemed to jump back up to meet his fingers, and his hair bounced like some kind of live animal on his head, and at the end, when he kicked that stool back, it went flying all the way across the stage to land near Steve Allen, who picked it up and flung it back across the stage at him.”
“When the boy was done, he just stood up and hitched up his pants and looked around as if to say, ‘Well, there it is,’ and the studio audience thundered and thundered inside the small studio. ‘Not a whole bunch of people, a small stage. They didn’t even know me…But they saw me, and they liked me. That’s what you call opening the door, and I FLEW.”
“He looked, Jerry Lee says now, like he was dreaming standing up. Like a lot of people who had all they thought they would ever want, he had to travel back to a time when he didn’t have it, didn’t have any of it, to be happy.”
“But now the people who ran the music had turned on him, and even some of the people he played it for has turned on him, and here he was in a honky-tonk in Iowa playing a knee-high stage but by God playing still, fighting back, coming back, playing some big rooms for good money when he could, but if you had glimpsed him here through the dirty window, you would have thought it was a long way from Memphis.”
“Jerry Lee thought that should have been obvious. Even people who didn’t like him knew who the hell he was.”
“Bad luck literally flung itself at him.”
“…one of them was strong as iron inside, the other like steel outside. Mamie’s faith has never weakened, but Elmo’s had never really been strong enough to suit her, and as he drank and caroused into middle age she finally told him to go on about his sorriness without her, though she loved him anyway and always would. They separated in 1961 and later divorced, and the one thing that Jerry Lee depended on more than anything in this world had come apart beneath his feet.”
“He could not stand being left here with his own doubts about his choices and ambition and the burning need to succeed that had sent him across the country again and again to reclaim what had been his only for a little while.”
“Sam made him a star, yes, but a shooting one, and failed to do all he could, Jerry Lee believes, to hold him up in the sky where he belonged.”
“As the arms of obscurity snatched at him, he kept recording, looking for a hit, and kept touring, taking gigs that would have killed his pride if he hadn’t so loved the simple act of playing.”
“Lovelace, who would play behind him almost half a century, will always remember the nights in those mean, beginning years, and the tiny dressing rooms before the show. Jerry Lee always hung back until the last minute, til the band members began to wonder if he would show. ‘The band would go get him. “It’s time, Jerry Lee,” we’d tell him,’ said Lovelace. And Jerry Lee would answer:
‘Okay, Killers. Y’all hang in there with me.’”
“Then he took his seat at the piano, the crowd still going crippled-bat crazy, and went back to singing about whose barn, what barn, my barn.”
“As Hank Williams had sung it to them more than two decades before, Jerry Lee reminded them that a broken heart was common as dirt, and could even be kind of pretty, neighbors, if the melody was sweet and the words all rhymed.”
“He had conquered the world again, only to see what was most precious to him threatened by something he could not buy off or change.”
“The preacher preached again, and then, with those lovely voices, her kin sang her favorite hymns. They call it ‘singing them into heaven,’ but his mama didn’t need no help.”
“More than that, he seemed to not give one damn what the music establishment—or anyone, for that matter—thought of him. And like Jerry Lee, he had made it work for him.”
“As Jerry Lee stood there in the wings, waiting, he shook hands and nodded and was polite, but he had not forgotten. He remembered the last time he had stood here, invisible unless he was in someone’s way.”
“‘I’m gonna tell you one thing about that lady,’ Jerry Lee said, as she walked off to thunderous applause. ‘If she can’t get it, you can forget it, because it couldn’t be got.’”
“The car was supposed to be a fine American driving machine, but he never could find a Corvette that would hold the road in those days. ‘Wrecked a dozen of ‘em,’ he says. ‘I was coming home one time—might have been drinking—and I run one up under the front porch of a house. A little girl come out, her eyes real big, and I don’t know why…I just said, ‘Top of the mornin’ to you,’ and she run back inside. And this woman stuck her head out the door and said, ‘Oh Lord, it’s Jerry Lee Lewis.’”
“…but like most lawsuits involving Jerry Lee, he just ignored it till people got tired of bothering him.”
“‘That is ridiculous,’ Jerry Lee says, and patently so; if he had planned to ram through the gates of Graceland and shoot Elvis, he would have done a much better job than this.”
“It seemed almost impossible that this one man—the same man who reeled through his life with so little regard for caution or consequence—could create something so purely beautiful. If you ask him how that can be, he merely looks at you with satisfaction and wait for you to figure it out.”
“‘I heard that,’ shouted Jerry Lee.
Chuck pointed at Jerry Lee to take it.
And he sang:
I looked at my watch and it was three twenty-five
I said, ‘Come on, Chuck, are you dead or alive?’”
“Well, it just don’t work that way. You got to [feel] it, boy. Be what you are. If you feel it, you can jump up on that piano, kick the stool back, beat it with a shoe. But you got to [feel] it. The music has to be there. It has to be there, [first.]”
“You can’t hang on to a ball of fire. That time is over. But it [happened.]”
“He would have liked to have sent this Elvis himself. He wouldn’t have been scared of him. But the apparition was gone with the clouds, and with it his answer.
Or maybe not.
If it was an angel, he has the answer now.”
“I had to know. Who, besides the great Kenny Lovelace, would Jerry Lee Lewis want to play his music with in the Great Beyond, assuming he ever actually embraces mortality and goes?”
“Still, Jerry Lee would like to see them all gathered ‘round his piano, with Kenny playing lead guitar and some red-hot fiddle, singing their songs, all their songs, on a never-dying rotation: ‘Sheltering Palms’ and ‘You Win Again’ and ‘Waitin’ on a Train’ and ‘Shakin’’—wouldn’t ‘Shakin’’ just make Jolson’s eyes bug out? And in the audience would be his people, all his people, everyone he had ever lost.”
“When I was done with this book, I had one line left in my notes that made no sense. It did not fit anything around it, and so I could not use the usual clues to make sense of it. It just read:
[he never straightened me out]
The thing is, in his story, it could have meant anything, at any moment, in any situation. It could have been anyone. I had long given up on it when it finally hit me. It was Jerry Lee, talking about the piano teacher, the one who slapped him and swore to break him of his boogie-woogie. It had come up, out of the clear blue, in the middle of another thought, a whole other conversation, just a thing on his mind, slicing straight through. But now I know it was perhaps the most important of lines, because, good Lord, what if he had?”
“‘If you know you can do a thing,’ he says, ‘then you ain’t never surprised.’”
“I approached him with great anticipation—and one reservation, as to getting shot…He remains willing to take a swing at a man who offends him and suffer the prospect that some drunk redneck half his age will not care he is living history and knock him slap out.”
“He sees him vault on his young legs to the lid of the piano as if some outside force just threw him there…”
“But it is not boasting, as Jerry Lee says, if you really done it.”
“In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase gave the mud to a new nation, and Thomas Jefferson sent naturalist William Dunbar to see what all the dying was for.”
“The twentieth century brought the levees, so tall a man had to walk uphill to drown.”
“‘Didn’t I hear once that you…’ But he cuts me off.
‘Yeah,’ he says. ‘I probably did.’”
“In a less desperate place, a more prosperous time, he might have been anything, maybe even been successful, but in the bad years he was what he had to be.”
“Not long after, Lee Calhoun dug in his pocket, and there was a church.”
“He was a craggy old man with steel-colored eyes who did not carry a gun, did not need to, because Pa had made his living in Ferriday in the swamps, trapping things that bit.”
“It was clear that their boy was going places. It was all a matter of direction.”
“He showed up for the beginning of the seventh grade, only to find out he was not in it. He decided to take a seat anyway. He had already figured out that a person, if they were special enough, if they had something uncommon to offer, could live by a set of rules separate from those set down for dull, regular people. The way to accomplish this was to make it too much effort for people to try to bend him to their regular-people rules.”
“Driver’s licenses, like most other forms of government interference, had nothing to do with him, and he had already discovered that many people were foolish enough to leave keys in their cars, so they could be borrowed.”
“As for girls, ‘I could take ‘em or leave ‘em,” he says. ‘Take ‘em, mostly.”
“For the next few years, the clubs would nurture Jerry Lee’s music, as much as any place can when the owner walks around with a big .44 sagging his slacks and women routinely have their wigs slapped off their heads by other women.”
“The President told Jerry Lee that he had wantonly solicited an impure response from the entire student body of the college by playing reckless and prurient music, and the president and deans gave him the left foot of fellowship and told him not to let the door hit him in his behind on the way out. Jerry Lee, who never lacked gall, told the deans and the president that he would not accept their expulsion.
‘I’ll just go home for two weeks, but I’m comin’ back,’ he said. He had no intention of coming back, not even if they were handing out free doughnuts and pony rides, but he wanted them to watch the gate every day to see if he was.”
“He again tried manual labor, only to rediscover that it required manual labor.”
“For Mr. Paul Whitehead was blind, and in the darkness where he lived, they were all pretty girls.”
“He never hit it big himself but will never forget seeing the silver-haired man and the golden-haired one together onstage at the birth of a music, like a man watching a comet. Who gets to say they saw something like that?”
“He was a witness, night by night, as the boy’s talent tumbled into alignment…It was like waiting for a storm to build, but slower, over months, then years, but he heard it coming.”
“…and in that boy’s piano he heard it all and none of it. The boy was a species unto himself, and he was still learning.”
“Jerry Lee saw no reason to labor in a long life of that, on a treadmill of hoping, dreaming, wanting, and not cut right to the dream.”
“But even as a boy he knew, if you were ever going to be hit by lightning, you had to stand under a tree.”
“But they got Paul, his eyes hidden behind dark glasses, his benign face unchanging, the accordion around his neck and the trumpet at his lips and the fiddle at his right hand, and no one would know, as he sipped his milk, if it was a good day or the deepest, darkest night of his soul.”
“The hard shell…had not shattered, but it was beginning to vibrate, and if you listened close enough you could hear it crack.”
“And the crowd ate it up like peach ice cream.”
“‘You gonna regret you did that,’ he hollered at her, but she didn’t.”
“But his love for music was a real, consuming passion, and the kind he loved the most did not even really exist yet, at least not exactly as he dreamed it.”
“On it, he could do anything, perform any antic he wanted, but if you impugned his stage, you insulted him down where it mattered, and he was coming for you every time.”
“His daddy shook his hand and held it.
‘I never was the man you are. I only wanted to be,’ he told his son.”
“The problem was this newcomer, this blond-haired kid, who did not know his place and had no governor on his mouth, and in such close proximity, they could not tune him out and could not run away and could not kill him, either, though they considered it.”
“Then Elvis left for home, where Colonel Tom Parker, his manager, presented him with a suit made of gold lamé, but Elvis kept dropping to his knees onstage and wearing off the gold, which was expensive, so Parker told him not to do that no more.”
“He did not need a song to make him inappropriate. Jerry Lee had always been inappropriate, and being a little bit famous did not change it; you can paint a barn white a thousand times, but that won’t make it a house. It wasn’t just what words he sang; it was HOW. Anybody can sing about sinning, but when he sang, it sounded like he knew what he was talking about and would show you if he had a minute.”
“…how could they fail to ban this new ‘Shakin’ song by a young white singer who didn’t just HINT that the listeners ought to shake something, but told them to—told them to shake ‘it’ in particular, and while he did not say exactly what ‘it’ was, it would take a very sheltered youth minister not to guess it in three or four tries.”
“It would be about the only compromise he would ever really make, for a lifetime, and most people did not even notice it. He banged the keys so hard they seemed to jump back up to meet his fingers, and his hair bounced like some kind of live animal on his head, and at the end, when he kicked that stool back, it went flying all the way across the stage to land near Steve Allen, who picked it up and flung it back across the stage at him.”
“When the boy was done, he just stood up and hitched up his pants and looked around as if to say, ‘Well, there it is,’ and the studio audience thundered and thundered inside the small studio. ‘Not a whole bunch of people, a small stage. They didn’t even know me…But they saw me, and they liked me. That’s what you call opening the door, and I FLEW.”
“He looked, Jerry Lee says now, like he was dreaming standing up. Like a lot of people who had all they thought they would ever want, he had to travel back to a time when he didn’t have it, didn’t have any of it, to be happy.”
“But now the people who ran the music had turned on him, and even some of the people he played it for has turned on him, and here he was in a honky-tonk in Iowa playing a knee-high stage but by God playing still, fighting back, coming back, playing some big rooms for good money when he could, but if you had glimpsed him here through the dirty window, you would have thought it was a long way from Memphis.”
“Jerry Lee thought that should have been obvious. Even people who didn’t like him knew who the hell he was.”
“Bad luck literally flung itself at him.”
“…one of them was strong as iron inside, the other like steel outside. Mamie’s faith has never weakened, but Elmo’s had never really been strong enough to suit her, and as he drank and caroused into middle age she finally told him to go on about his sorriness without her, though she loved him anyway and always would. They separated in 1961 and later divorced, and the one thing that Jerry Lee depended on more than anything in this world had come apart beneath his feet.”
“He could not stand being left here with his own doubts about his choices and ambition and the burning need to succeed that had sent him across the country again and again to reclaim what had been his only for a little while.”
“Sam made him a star, yes, but a shooting one, and failed to do all he could, Jerry Lee believes, to hold him up in the sky where he belonged.”
“As the arms of obscurity snatched at him, he kept recording, looking for a hit, and kept touring, taking gigs that would have killed his pride if he hadn’t so loved the simple act of playing.”
“Lovelace, who would play behind him almost half a century, will always remember the nights in those mean, beginning years, and the tiny dressing rooms before the show. Jerry Lee always hung back until the last minute, til the band members began to wonder if he would show. ‘The band would go get him. “It’s time, Jerry Lee,” we’d tell him,’ said Lovelace. And Jerry Lee would answer:
‘Okay, Killers. Y’all hang in there with me.’”
“Then he took his seat at the piano, the crowd still going crippled-bat crazy, and went back to singing about whose barn, what barn, my barn.”
“As Hank Williams had sung it to them more than two decades before, Jerry Lee reminded them that a broken heart was common as dirt, and could even be kind of pretty, neighbors, if the melody was sweet and the words all rhymed.”
“He had conquered the world again, only to see what was most precious to him threatened by something he could not buy off or change.”
“The preacher preached again, and then, with those lovely voices, her kin sang her favorite hymns. They call it ‘singing them into heaven,’ but his mama didn’t need no help.”
“More than that, he seemed to not give one damn what the music establishment—or anyone, for that matter—thought of him. And like Jerry Lee, he had made it work for him.”
“As Jerry Lee stood there in the wings, waiting, he shook hands and nodded and was polite, but he had not forgotten. He remembered the last time he had stood here, invisible unless he was in someone’s way.”
“‘I’m gonna tell you one thing about that lady,’ Jerry Lee said, as she walked off to thunderous applause. ‘If she can’t get it, you can forget it, because it couldn’t be got.’”
“The car was supposed to be a fine American driving machine, but he never could find a Corvette that would hold the road in those days. ‘Wrecked a dozen of ‘em,’ he says. ‘I was coming home one time—might have been drinking—and I run one up under the front porch of a house. A little girl come out, her eyes real big, and I don’t know why…I just said, ‘Top of the mornin’ to you,’ and she run back inside. And this woman stuck her head out the door and said, ‘Oh Lord, it’s Jerry Lee Lewis.’”
“…but like most lawsuits involving Jerry Lee, he just ignored it till people got tired of bothering him.”
“‘That is ridiculous,’ Jerry Lee says, and patently so; if he had planned to ram through the gates of Graceland and shoot Elvis, he would have done a much better job than this.”
“It seemed almost impossible that this one man—the same man who reeled through his life with so little regard for caution or consequence—could create something so purely beautiful. If you ask him how that can be, he merely looks at you with satisfaction and wait for you to figure it out.”
“‘I heard that,’ shouted Jerry Lee.
Chuck pointed at Jerry Lee to take it.
And he sang:
I looked at my watch and it was three twenty-five
I said, ‘Come on, Chuck, are you dead or alive?’”
“Well, it just don’t work that way. You got to [feel] it, boy. Be what you are. If you feel it, you can jump up on that piano, kick the stool back, beat it with a shoe. But you got to [feel] it. The music has to be there. It has to be there, [first.]”
“You can’t hang on to a ball of fire. That time is over. But it [happened.]”
“He would have liked to have sent this Elvis himself. He wouldn’t have been scared of him. But the apparition was gone with the clouds, and with it his answer.
Or maybe not.
If it was an angel, he has the answer now.”
“I had to know. Who, besides the great Kenny Lovelace, would Jerry Lee Lewis want to play his music with in the Great Beyond, assuming he ever actually embraces mortality and goes?”
“Still, Jerry Lee would like to see them all gathered ‘round his piano, with Kenny playing lead guitar and some red-hot fiddle, singing their songs, all their songs, on a never-dying rotation: ‘Sheltering Palms’ and ‘You Win Again’ and ‘Waitin’ on a Train’ and ‘Shakin’’—wouldn’t ‘Shakin’’ just make Jolson’s eyes bug out? And in the audience would be his people, all his people, everyone he had ever lost.”
“When I was done with this book, I had one line left in my notes that made no sense. It did not fit anything around it, and so I could not use the usual clues to make sense of it. It just read:
[he never straightened me out]
The thing is, in his story, it could have meant anything, at any moment, in any situation. It could have been anyone. I had long given up on it when it finally hit me. It was Jerry Lee, talking about the piano teacher, the one who slapped him and swore to break him of his boogie-woogie. It had come up, out of the clear blue, in the middle of another thought, a whole other conversation, just a thing on his mind, slicing straight through. But now I know it was perhaps the most important of lines, because, good Lord, what if he had?”
September 5, 2022
Brilliant! A real rip-roaring ride! I’m not sure I like the man, but I do now want to listen to everything Jerry-Lee recorded.
May 5, 2015
No Truth in Labeling issues here. The title says it all. Jerry Lee telling his "own" story. “Who's barn? What barn? My barn” would have also made an excellent title for the book. Of course, others may well have seen some of these events differently, but that will not matter to you during the hours you are lost in this story. What’s different about this book is that it’s written by one of the best southern novelists out there right now, Rick Bragg. So we get The Killer’s wonderful bayou braggadocio larded with Bragg’s excellent narrative and commentary. I don’t really know of another example of such and excellent pairing. outside of flashes of this as Mohammad Ali speaks to Norman Mailer in "The Fight".
The most interesting part of the book — as it also always is the comic books that Jerry Lee’s is constantly reading — is the Creation Myth. Bragg brings to life the places, music, and artists, black and white, that influenced The Killer and made him what he is. The portraits of his Sun fraternity brothers, Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins highlight the fierceness of the competition and just how different the Million Dollar Quartet members were, despite their common backgrounds.
What the book does best is capture the excitement of the era and how much fun it must be to be Jerry Lee on a good night. I recommend reading it while listening to the miracle of his album "Live at the Star Club." Stop as you read and watch some of the YouTube clips of performances mentioned in the book, and listen to as many of the songs by others that he discusses as influences and peers. I was also particularly surprised to hear for the first time his country hits of the 70s, a period Bragg deals with at length. Until now I’d assumed all great Jerry Lee music was finished after Heathrow Airport in 1958.
The Jerry Lee that emerges was the best there ever was and he ain’t afraid to tell you so. He’s a charming, albeit potentially sociopathic, example of the Southern species of raconteur of that includes Ty Cobb and Davey Crockett. Now at the end of an implausibly long life, we see him coming to terms with the good and evil that have battling inside of him. He seems now to be committed to finishing his live on the side of the angels, but isn’t sorry for his life of devilment, because he sees it as essential to what he created. Bragg refers to a Tom Waits song, itself based on a quote by the poet, Rainer Maria Rilke: “If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.” Rilke wrote this to a friend in 1907 on deciding to leave psychotherapy after learning its aims, fearful that it would effect his poetry. Bragg ends the book asking a question often asked about such geniuses: if God or some psychiatrist had been able to “fix” Jerry Lee, would we be poorer for it?
The most interesting part of the book — as it also always is the comic books that Jerry Lee’s is constantly reading — is the Creation Myth. Bragg brings to life the places, music, and artists, black and white, that influenced The Killer and made him what he is. The portraits of his Sun fraternity brothers, Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins highlight the fierceness of the competition and just how different the Million Dollar Quartet members were, despite their common backgrounds.
What the book does best is capture the excitement of the era and how much fun it must be to be Jerry Lee on a good night. I recommend reading it while listening to the miracle of his album "Live at the Star Club." Stop as you read and watch some of the YouTube clips of performances mentioned in the book, and listen to as many of the songs by others that he discusses as influences and peers. I was also particularly surprised to hear for the first time his country hits of the 70s, a period Bragg deals with at length. Until now I’d assumed all great Jerry Lee music was finished after Heathrow Airport in 1958.
The Jerry Lee that emerges was the best there ever was and he ain’t afraid to tell you so. He’s a charming, albeit potentially sociopathic, example of the Southern species of raconteur of that includes Ty Cobb and Davey Crockett. Now at the end of an implausibly long life, we see him coming to terms with the good and evil that have battling inside of him. He seems now to be committed to finishing his live on the side of the angels, but isn’t sorry for his life of devilment, because he sees it as essential to what he created. Bragg refers to a Tom Waits song, itself based on a quote by the poet, Rainer Maria Rilke: “If my devils are to leave me, I am afraid my angels will take flight as well.” Rilke wrote this to a friend in 1907 on deciding to leave psychotherapy after learning its aims, fearful that it would effect his poetry. Bragg ends the book asking a question often asked about such geniuses: if God or some psychiatrist had been able to “fix” Jerry Lee, would we be poorer for it?
October 4, 2016
I’ve read a lot of books recently about Johnny Cash, including Robert Hilburn’s excellent “Johnny Cash: The Life”
. When I saw that one of my favorite authors, Rick Bragg, was writing the life story of Jerry Lee Lewis, one of Cash’s “bandmates” in the Million Dollar Quartet and fellow Sun recording star, it was only a matter of time before I read his book. In reading “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story” I was certainly comparing to Hilburn’s Cash book as well as Bragg’s downhome Southern personal stories. “His Own Story” was quite a bit different from both.
One big difference from the Cash book, and somewhat from Bragg’s family stories, is that Jerry Lee is being interviewed and his remembrances are written into his life story. Bragg always knows how to tell a story, but here he comes back to his subject, being interviewed from his bed, along the way. Bragg’s family books hadn’t mixed past and present in quite that way, and Hilburn’s book was written after Cash had died. Bragg makes it work, but you have a feeling of watching a TV show and going back to a talk from the narrator right before going to commercial break. It really feels different from just letting the story run chronologically without Jerry Lee’s reflections. I was expecting the Jerry Lee Lewis of the movie “Great Balls of Fire”, sort of a doofus. You don’t get that here. You see Jerry Lee is a character, but an extremely talented one, with his own ideas about a successful life. You see he's odd, you see he worships music, but you also see he's not stupid. His reflections are telling.
Also interesting is the take on drugs. In the Cash book, drug abuse is truly a theme throughout. In the Lewis book, drugs are more a phase that appears to have little negative impact for years at a time. With Lewis as the main source, you wonder if this area of his life was “sugar-coated”, given the big impact on Cash’s life.
I learned quite a bit about Lewis throughout these pages. Most surprising to me were the country hits – I didn’t realize he had so many, from back in the time that’s all that was played in my house. Also, his work as a Shakespearean actor was quite a surprise, although with the kind of character Lewis is, you could imagine something like that happening. Overall, I enjoyed the book and have listened to a few of his greatest hits collections since starting – always a sign that a book about a musician is working.
. When I saw that one of my favorite authors, Rick Bragg, was writing the life story of Jerry Lee Lewis, one of Cash’s “bandmates” in the Million Dollar Quartet and fellow Sun recording star, it was only a matter of time before I read his book. In reading “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story” I was certainly comparing to Hilburn’s Cash book as well as Bragg’s downhome Southern personal stories. “His Own Story” was quite a bit different from both.One big difference from the Cash book, and somewhat from Bragg’s family stories, is that Jerry Lee is being interviewed and his remembrances are written into his life story. Bragg always knows how to tell a story, but here he comes back to his subject, being interviewed from his bed, along the way. Bragg’s family books hadn’t mixed past and present in quite that way, and Hilburn’s book was written after Cash had died. Bragg makes it work, but you have a feeling of watching a TV show and going back to a talk from the narrator right before going to commercial break. It really feels different from just letting the story run chronologically without Jerry Lee’s reflections. I was expecting the Jerry Lee Lewis of the movie “Great Balls of Fire”, sort of a doofus. You don’t get that here. You see Jerry Lee is a character, but an extremely talented one, with his own ideas about a successful life. You see he's odd, you see he worships music, but you also see he's not stupid. His reflections are telling.
Also interesting is the take on drugs. In the Cash book, drug abuse is truly a theme throughout. In the Lewis book, drugs are more a phase that appears to have little negative impact for years at a time. With Lewis as the main source, you wonder if this area of his life was “sugar-coated”, given the big impact on Cash’s life.
I learned quite a bit about Lewis throughout these pages. Most surprising to me were the country hits – I didn’t realize he had so many, from back in the time that’s all that was played in my house. Also, his work as a Shakespearean actor was quite a surprise, although with the kind of character Lewis is, you could imagine something like that happening. Overall, I enjoyed the book and have listened to a few of his greatest hits collections since starting – always a sign that a book about a musician is working.
June 25, 2022
Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story by Rick Bragg (Harper Collins 2014) (780.92). Jerry Lee Lewis is The Killer. Always has been, always will be. A crony of Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins in the Million Dollar Quartet, he may not have invented rock and roll, but it wouldn't be what it is today had he not come along and beaten the hell out of a piano. "He crashed a dozen Cadillacs in one year and played the Apollo. With racial hatred burning in the headlines, the audience danced in the seats to a white boy from the bottom land, backed by pickers who talked like Ernest Tubb. 'James Brown kissed me on my cheek,' he says. 'Top that!'" (p.14). This is his story start to finish, from wife number one to wife number seven and from "Whole Lotta Shaking Goin' On" to "Great Balls of Fire." Elvis may have been the king, but Jerry Lee was "The Killer." "He did not have to act dangerous; he was. He did not have to act a little bit crazy; he was. He did not have to act like he would steal your wives and daughters; he would, in front of you, because he had a good taste for it now and it was like trying to keep a bull out of the dairy lot when the fence was down. He might have been a little rough, a little coarse, but he could get smooth if he ever wanted to, and the smooth guys would never have the grit and the menace of Jerry Lee. And no matter how many women say to their husbands and other nice men that they want no part of such a man, the truth is...well, the truth." (p.133). Congrats once again to Rick Bragg for another southern masterpiece. My rating: 7/10, finished 6/12/16. ******* UPDATED 6/25/22 - Edited to add the purchase of a copy to my personal library, and to increase my rating: Why? Because this combines Jerry Lee Lewis and Rick Bragg, and that's a pretty good one -two punch. My rating: 7.25/10, updated 6/25/22. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
April 6, 2015
Jerry Lee Lewis was the bad boy of rock and roll before destroying hotel rooms became en vogue. His legend is either made or tainted, depending on your view, by the books written by his ex-wives (primarily the one written by Myra the 13 year old cousin and wife #3 or #1 if you count legal technicalities)and the cheesy movie from the 1990's starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder. In this biography, Bragg allows Lewis to tell his own story. It is one with plenty of ego and glosses over some of the more unpleasant parts, but it once again demonstrates that genius can be complex and ugly and awesome.
In all honesty, this is really more of a 4 star book due to some of the overwriting (see other reviewers or Stephen King's NYT review for more details). I'm adding the extra star because I love Rick Bragg's writing style no matter about what or who he is writing, and I enjoyed the more personal elements to the telling of the story - especially the emphasis on Lewis's relationships with his cousins Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart. It took me a bit longer to read this than my normal speed because I kept going to youtube to look up all the concerts and collaborations mentioned. If you think Jerry Lee Lewis is just Whole Lot of Shaking or Great Balls of Fire, then I highly recommend you doing the same.
In all honesty, this is really more of a 4 star book due to some of the overwriting (see other reviewers or Stephen King's NYT review for more details). I'm adding the extra star because I love Rick Bragg's writing style no matter about what or who he is writing, and I enjoyed the more personal elements to the telling of the story - especially the emphasis on Lewis's relationships with his cousins Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart. It took me a bit longer to read this than my normal speed because I kept going to youtube to look up all the concerts and collaborations mentioned. If you think Jerry Lee Lewis is just Whole Lot of Shaking or Great Balls of Fire, then I highly recommend you doing the same.
January 24, 2019
JLL was brought up while watching “Surviving R Kelly” and of course I immediately had to investigate... due to winter weather I checked out this book, aka the only digital book the library had available. It reads ideologically very similar to “Trapped in the Closet,” aka JLL is the victim.
Dating and marrying teens- that’s just the way it was back then!
Dating and marrying a 12 year old- not his fault, she pursued him and had a “woman’s body” so she was a woman!
Instantly feeling Elvis was a kindred spirit- not surprised!
People being grossed out by his behavior- They just don’t “get” him!!!
Shooting somebody “as a joke” and getting mad about getting sued- he was just joking around!!!!
Getting in a car accident after drinking- someone bought him champagne and he wasn’t used to that kind of drunk!!!!
Getting in fights after drinking- exaggerated! He just took some pills, he was never a heavy drinker, he’s already told you so why belabor the point?!?
I have ordered a copy of Myrna’s book which I assume will tell a different story... although I guess I should have known what to expect since this is HIS own story.
Dating and marrying teens- that’s just the way it was back then!
Dating and marrying a 12 year old- not his fault, she pursued him and had a “woman’s body” so she was a woman!
Instantly feeling Elvis was a kindred spirit- not surprised!
People being grossed out by his behavior- They just don’t “get” him!!!
Shooting somebody “as a joke” and getting mad about getting sued- he was just joking around!!!!
Getting in a car accident after drinking- someone bought him champagne and he wasn’t used to that kind of drunk!!!!
Getting in fights after drinking- exaggerated! He just took some pills, he was never a heavy drinker, he’s already told you so why belabor the point?!?
I have ordered a copy of Myrna’s book which I assume will tell a different story... although I guess I should have known what to expect since this is HIS own story.
May 22, 2022
Straight from the first page, Rick Bragg’s writing style dreamily pulls you into this autobiography of the famous rock ‘n roller, Jerry Lee Lewis.
"The passengers were well-off people, mostly, the officer class home from Europe and the Pacific and tourists from the Peabody, Roosevelt, and Monteleone, clinking glasses with planters and oil men who had always found riches in the dirt the poorer men could not see. Weary of the austerity of war, of rationing and victory gardens, of coastal blackouts and U-boats that hung like sharks at the river mouth, they wanted to raise a racket, spend some money, and light up the river and the entire dull, sleeping land. They floated drunk and singing past sandbars where gentlemen of Natchez once settled affairs of honor with smoothbore pistols and good claret, and around snags and whirlpools where river pirates had lured travelers to their doom."
The story follows Jerry Lee from early childhood through his rising career, several marriages, family deaths, remade career and homecoming. Whether you love the legend or despise him, the story of Jerry Lee makes a great book.
Unless you are a die-hard Jerry Lee Lewis fan, you may drown out the details of every piano kicking performance. But despite the lengthy details, I stayed fascinated with the story, mainly to see how far things with Jerry Lee would plummet.
And oh yes, it’s filled with all the juicy details a classic rockstar story should include: sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll.
This book joins the ranks of all of Bragg’s stellar books. Bragg is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint.
"The passengers were well-off people, mostly, the officer class home from Europe and the Pacific and tourists from the Peabody, Roosevelt, and Monteleone, clinking glasses with planters and oil men who had always found riches in the dirt the poorer men could not see. Weary of the austerity of war, of rationing and victory gardens, of coastal blackouts and U-boats that hung like sharks at the river mouth, they wanted to raise a racket, spend some money, and light up the river and the entire dull, sleeping land. They floated drunk and singing past sandbars where gentlemen of Natchez once settled affairs of honor with smoothbore pistols and good claret, and around snags and whirlpools where river pirates had lured travelers to their doom."
The story follows Jerry Lee from early childhood through his rising career, several marriages, family deaths, remade career and homecoming. Whether you love the legend or despise him, the story of Jerry Lee makes a great book.
Unless you are a die-hard Jerry Lee Lewis fan, you may drown out the details of every piano kicking performance. But despite the lengthy details, I stayed fascinated with the story, mainly to see how far things with Jerry Lee would plummet.
And oh yes, it’s filled with all the juicy details a classic rockstar story should include: sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll.
This book joins the ranks of all of Bragg’s stellar books. Bragg is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint.
July 5, 2025
After finishing reading this book and writing my review, here comes Travis' review of "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow. If you change the names, it would be almost the perfect review of this book. For those of you unfortunate enough not to read Travis' review, here's the salient sentences:
Generally a great book about a fascinating figure. Its biggest weakness is the relentless hero-worshipping of Hamilton [Lewis] and slandering of all his adversaries.
OK, this book is intended to be, sort of, an autobiography, so I guess we should forgive some of the hero-worshipping.
Anyway, here is my review:
The best part for me was the beginning in rural Louisiana and Mississippi in the 1930’s, where the author takes the reader to a time and place few of us have experienced. If the recounting is to be believed, the rest is an amazing story of musical talent rising from poverty to live a life of fame, violence, vanity, drugs, illness, debauchery, heartbreaking loss and an amazing amount of just plain craziness. The author (maybe speaking for Jerry Lee?) never wavers from his stated belief that Lewis was the greatest rock and roll musician of them all. Of course it’s subjective, but I think many rock historians (and me) would disagree. The book is reasonably readable, but at over 600 pages, about 300 too long.
Added after I wrote this review, given current events: The story of the contentious love/hate relationship between Jerry Lee Lewis and his boogie-piano-playing cousin Jimmy Swaggart (recently deceased) was an interesting part of the book for me.
Generally a great book about a fascinating figure. Its biggest weakness is the relentless hero-worshipping of Hamilton [Lewis] and slandering of all his adversaries.
OK, this book is intended to be, sort of, an autobiography, so I guess we should forgive some of the hero-worshipping.
Anyway, here is my review:
The best part for me was the beginning in rural Louisiana and Mississippi in the 1930’s, where the author takes the reader to a time and place few of us have experienced. If the recounting is to be believed, the rest is an amazing story of musical talent rising from poverty to live a life of fame, violence, vanity, drugs, illness, debauchery, heartbreaking loss and an amazing amount of just plain craziness. The author (maybe speaking for Jerry Lee?) never wavers from his stated belief that Lewis was the greatest rock and roll musician of them all. Of course it’s subjective, but I think many rock historians (and me) would disagree. The book is reasonably readable, but at over 600 pages, about 300 too long.
Added after I wrote this review, given current events: The story of the contentious love/hate relationship between Jerry Lee Lewis and his boogie-piano-playing cousin Jimmy Swaggart (recently deceased) was an interesting part of the book for me.
February 27, 2020
Excellent biography/autobiography encapsulating a wild life and the musical brilliance that fueled it. I always liked JLL, but had no idea what a genius he was. Musically, anyway. Great descriptive writing wrapped around the recollections of the man himself, and the book really painted a portrait of the poor south he grew up in. Wouldn’t have minded a little more about his life since the 90’s, but there’s a lot less lurid detail from his twilight years. He lived it all in his first 60.
July 20, 2015
It feels like I ought to give this book more stars but I can't. The book is interesting and JLL himself even more interesting but this is not great literature. I can imagine someone who did not live through the bulk of the years that this book spans awarding it even fewer stars.
Mr. Bragg does a workmanlike job putting it all together but the editing quality is spotty.
There is a real benefit in having the internet handy during the reading of His Own Story to listen to the songs, even the familiar ones, against the background the book provides. This works out real well. [When oh when is someone going to incorporate a media device right in the the hardcover of a volume so that the referential material is right there, at the ready? Am I going to actually have to get up off this couch and do it myself?] There are even recorded conversations and interviews available that dovetail nicely with the narrative. Oh, and the pictures included in the book are great.
As far as Mr. Lewis himself, I would have to say that he comes off as talented, yes, but also angry, arrogant, rebellious to the point of lunacy, and itchin' for a fight his whole life long. He, according to what I read, at no time felt an obligation to respect restrictions, limits, or laws and, as a "free range" citizen [my term], these pesky notions simply do not apply to him.
In the sweeping panorama of Rock and Roll he places himself first, Elvis second, and all the rest below. Now, wait a minute... I am no huge Elvis fan, but I do recognize his contribution as a talented innovator, his vocal gift, and his wide appeal. JLL seems to me to be the first head-shaking punk rocker, appealing to a smaller segment of listeners, at least during the time of the release and airplay of his first three hits. He is aggressive, looks angry, and potentially violent. And, if you read the book, you will see that the violence is not all of the potential variety. He did settle down slightly after time and self-abuse took its toll.
He was, however, first to turn the piano into a Rock and Roll instrument and he did put on many exciting shows. He even incorporated his signature kick-back of the piano bench in his very first TV appearance. As an aside, trashing instruments has never appealed to me nor does it signify 'talent' in my mind. It may, however, signify deeper issues.
Speaking of talent, I will say again that the man is talented. I like a number of his tunes and the way he can make a song 'his'. I wonder though how his talent would have manifested itself if he'd had a different upbringing, one that allowed his creativity to blossom while his rough edges not so much. Probably we would never have heard of him, but I wonder...
Back to talent, 'playing' the piano with one's shoe or boot, or elbow, or rear end is strictly showmanship. Although Jerry claims playing with his foot "can be done, if you know how to do it" [I am paraphrasing here - see the book for his actual quote], I don't buy it. Sure it adds accents to the music but come on, one's boot hits minimum two, probably three adjacent keys at a time. Try doing that - it's noise. This is why we don't find many piano players leaning back and playing with their feet; this is why one doesn't use boxing gloves to play the piano; this is why piano keys are spaced so that normal human fingers can fit on the target keys and not disturb the adjacent ones.
Last, I had no idea that JLL, Jimmy Swaggert and Mickey Gilley are cousins, raised nearly together and in the same environment. It's all very interesting, especially the love-hate relationship between Jimmy Lee and Jerry Lee.
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