Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found

by Joe Bonomo

The story of Louisiana hellcat Jerry Lee Lewis and his 1958 wedding scandal it was discovered that at 22 he had married his 13-year old second cousin, Myra, before he was divorced from his second wife long ago took precedence over the man himself and the music he makes. In Jerry Lee Lost and Found, author Joe Bonomo lets others focus on the scandal and delves more deeply into the accidental intersection between fading American Rockabilly and ascending Beatlemania. By first taking a look at the critical years before his famed night in 1964 at West Germany s Star-Club what that meant not only for him but the entire live album-making world then the tumultuous years that follow, culminating in his time on the American Country charts in the late 60s/ early 70s, Bonomo brings Jerry Lee Lewis to life in new and fascinating ways.

In spite of plummeting record sales and concert fees, a media savaging of his personal character, a change of record labels and management, and a considerable upturn in his drug and alcohol abuse, Jerry Lee Lewis has persevered. In between being betrayed and ignored, he would record one of the greatest rock & roll performances in history. Bonomo s thorough research includes new interviews with Live at the Star-Club producer Sigi Loch, members of the Nashville Teens, and other musicians and fans who were at the Star-Club performance, as well as with music industry figures ranging from famed Nashville producer Jerry Kennedy and legendary Memphis stalwart Jim Dickinson to Killer-influenced contemporaries John Doe and Dave Alvin. This passionate book examines and explains the almighty impact of the Father of Rock n Roll.

Genres: Music, Biography, History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Joe Bonomo's books include Play This Book Loud: Noisy Essays, No Place I Would Rather Be: Roger Angell and a Life In Baseball Writing, Field Recordings from The Inside (essays), AC/DC’s Highway to Hell (33 1/3 Series), Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found, Installations (National Poetry Series), Sweat: The Story of The Fleshtones, America’s Garage Band, and Conversations With Greil Marcus. A five-time "Notable Essays" selection at Best American Essays, he's the Music Columnist at The Normal School and Professor of English at Northern Illinois University.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jerry Lee Lewis story, focusing on the recording of Live at the Star-Club, in 1964, among the greatest live recordings in rock history. Bonomo tells the story well, especially capturing the heat of the very early years, and the tours of England and Europe in 63-65, and his work on telling how the album was recorded is valuable. He's a bit less interesting about the latter part of Lewis' career, and what happened to Lewis in the late 60s, maybe because that's less interesting, but more likely because he focuses on the music and the business rather than the demons. My guess is that Nick Tosches, as he would, does a better job on the demons.

If you don't know that Lewis album, you're missing out on a work of amazing genius; if you do know it, this book will actually make you appreciate it more.

[Jesse · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read Nick Tosches's "Hellfire" (yet) and I'm glad I read this first. Through no fault of the writing, I probably would've enjoyed it less if I'd known what was coming, and it gives me "Hellfire" to look forward to. "Lost & Found" is a thoughtful, solid primer on the Killer that reads a bit like a 33 1/3 entry on "Live at the Star-Club." It definitely has me excited to seek out Lewis's country recordings.

[Mixter Mank · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm predisposed to give this a positive review as I'm a fan of Jerry Lee's post-hey day career, especially the Live at the Star Club album. That said, the book starts out strong, but loses some momentum once the retelling of the Star Club album concludes. Bonomo occasionally inserts his own narrative of musical discovery, a decision I support and applaud, but he doesn't do it often (or gracefully) enough to feel natural. Written from a post-punk record nerd perspective, this is a very, very enjoyable read for post-punk music nerds, and likely, an enjoyable read for Jerry Lee Lewis fans. Prerequisite listening: Jerry Lee Lewis, Live at the Star Club, Hamburg.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somewhat superfical but still interesting.

[Stanley Booth]

Side by side by Nick Tosches's HELLFIRE on this family's bookshelves, how much better can things get except a live performance by the Killer himself?

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really great study of Jerry Lee Lewis - though this was written beforehand, but I read it after so it reminds me Toure's book about Prince ("I Would Die 4U") in that it doesn't contain everything, but it almost contains all you need and is a better read on the subject than the frequent, larger, bloated bios.