Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story

Try it Now Firm without compromise. Cancel whenever you want.

Synopsis

For nearly sixty years, Jerry Lee Lewis has been a monumental figure in American life. The wildest and most dangerous of the early rock and rollers, he electrified the world with hit records such as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and “Breathless.” His music was raucous, exuberant, slyly sexual; his wailing vocals were grounded by the locomotive force of his pumping piano. But his persona and performing style were what changed the world: whipping his long hair back, he would pound the keyboard like a coal-fired steam engine, then kick back the bench, climb atop the piano, and work the audience like the Pentecostal preacher he almost became. Poised to steal the crown from Elvis Presley, he seemed unstoppable—until news of his marriage to his thirteen-year-old cousin broke during his first British tour, nearly ending his career.

Now, for the first time, Lewis’s story is told in full, as he shared it over two years with Pulitzer Prize–winning writer Rick Bragg. In a narrative rich with atmosphere and anecdote, we watch Jerry Lee emerge from the fields and levees of Depression-era Louisiana, blazing a path across Bible colleges and nightclubs en route to international fame. He shared bills with Johnny Cash and Chuck Berry, toured Australia with Buddy Holly and Paul Anka, and went Cadillac for Cadillac with Elvis on the streets of Memphis—even as both of them struggled with the conflict between their faith and their music. After a decade in the wilderness, he returned as the biggest star in country music, but his victory lap became a marathon of excess, a time of guns and pills and Calvert Extra. He crashed Rolls-Royces and Lincolns, including one he drove into the gates of Graceland; suffered the deaths of wives and loved ones; and nearly met his maker twice himself. Yet after six marriages, a long spell without a recording contract, and a bruising battle with the IRS, he overcame a crippling addiction, remarried, and scored his biggest hit records since the 1970s. Today, as he approaches his eightieth year, he continues to electrify audiences around the world.

The story of Jerry Lee Lewis has inspired songs and articles, books and films, but in these pages Rick Bragg restores a human complexity missing from other accounts. The result is a story of fire and faith and resilience, informed by Rick Bragg’s deep understanding of the American spirit, and rich with Jerry Lee’s own unforgettable voice.

Chapters

  • 001 Jerry Lee Lewis - His Own Story

    Duration: 26s
  • 002 Introduction

    Duration: 37min
  • 003 Chapter 01

    Duration: 40min
  • 004 Chapter 02 Part 1

    Duration: 31min
  • 005 Chapter 02 Part 2

    Duration: 49min
  • 006 Chapter 03 Part 1

    Duration: 49min
  • 007 Chapter 03 Part 2

    Duration: 43min
  • 008 Chapter 04

    Duration: 01h01min
  • 009 Chapter 05

    Duration: 33min
  • 010 Chapter 06 Part 1

    Duration: 43min
  • 011 Chapter 06 Part 2

    Duration: 43min
  • 012 Chapter 07 Part 1

    Duration: 01h12s
  • 013 Chapter 07 Part 2

    Duration: 41min
  • 014 Chapter 08

    Duration: 43min
  • 015 Chapter 09

    Duration: 51min
  • 016 Chapter 10

    Duration: 51min
  • 017 Chapter 11

    Duration: 40min
  • 018 Chapter 12

    Duration: 56min
  • 019 Chapter 13

    Duration: 42min
  • 020 Chapter 14

    Duration: 54min
page 1 from 2