The Grave of Jerry Lee Lewis
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Song: Greaser by TrackTribe
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Emotional Sad Guitar Music by CHALASHVILI MUSIC
Jerry Lee Lewis, (born September 29, 1935, Ferriday, Louisiana, U.S.—died October 28, 2022, DeSoto county, Mississippi), American singer and pianist whose virtuosity, ecstatic performances, and colourful personality made him a legendary rock music pioneer.
Born into poverty, Lewis began playing the piano at age nine at the home of an aunt. His father, a carpenter and bootlegger, saw his passion and talent and mortgaged their house to buy a piano. Lewis emulated the playing styles of a local preacher and black musicians, whom he surreptitiously observed during their appearances at local clubs, and was soon performing at school assemblies, talent shows, and tent revivals, as well as on the radio. He tried to break into the music business in New Orleans and Shreveport, Louisiana (on radio’s Louisiana Hayride), and in Nashville, Tennessee. Drawn by the success of Elvis Presley, he landed at the Sun label in Memphis, Tennessee.
Nicknamed “the Killer,” Lewis established himself as a major rockabilly star on Sun Records with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” “Great Balls of Fire,” and “Breathless,” all Top Ten hits in 1957 and 1958. His rhythmically assured and versatile “pumping” piano style (the left hand maintaining a driving boogie pattern while the right added flashy ornamentation) was influenced by church music and country musicians such as Moon Mullican, who played western swing and honky-tonk. Other early influences included Al Jolson, Jimmie Rodgers, Hank Williams, zealous Pentecostal preachers, and African American rhythm-and-blues musicians whom the young Southerner stole away to observe.
In 1958 scandal nearly ended his career. While on tour in England, Lewis was scorned by the press when it was learned that he had married his 13-year-old cousin (the daughter of his bassist). That Lewis’s previous marriage was still valid only made matters worse. Despite the ensuing boycott, Lewis continued recording and performing wherever he could. In 1961 his version of Ray Charles’s “What’d I Say” was a hit. Lewis soon returned to England, this time greeted as a star. Nevertheless, his comeback was complete only in the late 1960s, after he had shifted his musical focus and had a series of hits on the country charts; his success in that genre extended into the early 1980s.
As Lewis entered middle age, his recordings became more sporadic, though he won positive notice later in his life for Last Man Standing (2006), an album of duets with a panoply of rock, blues, and country legends. A similarly conceived record, Mean Old Man, was released in 2010. Rock & Roll Time (2014) also featured a number of notable musicians, though Lewis provided the main vocals.
Lewis had a minor stroke in Memphis on February 28, 2019. He had to cancel several appearances.
Lewis died at his home on October 28, 2022, in Nesbit, Mississippi, at the age of 87. His death was mistakenly reported by TMZ two days before he died, with a representative stating that TMZ had reported "erroneously off of an anonymous tip."
Lewis' funeral was held on November 5, 2022, in his hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana. The service was officiated by his cousin Jimmy Swaggart, and Swaggart's son.
Jerry Lee Lewis grace is located at the Herron family cemetery (also known as Calhoun Cemetery) just outside of Clayton, Louisiana.