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Structure
Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 30 general entries.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Lewis, Jerry Lee
September 1935. Jerry Lee Lewis was born on September 29, 1935 in Ferriday, Louisiana.
Sun Records. Jerry learned to play the piano when he was just 8 years old. When he got older, Jerry attended the God's Institute Bible School located in Waxahatchie, Texas but was expelled when he played a hymn, ("My God is Real"), with a blues rhythm. In 1956, Jerry joined the Sun Records crew with Sam Phillips, the same record label that made Elvis famous.
Jaren Pate. Jerry married his first wife, the daughter of his preacher, Dorothy Barton, on February 21, 1952, when he was 17 years old. They divorced on October 8, 1953. Before his divorce was final, Jerry married Janet Mitchum on September 15, 1953 and before they were divorced in 1957, he married his cousin, Myra Gale Brown, which caused major controversy. His marriage to Myra failed and they were divorced on December 9, 1970. Jerry married his fourth wife, Jaren Pate, in 1971 and was divorced by 1973. His fifth marriage, to Shawn Stephens, didn't last more than a year. Jerry got married for the sixth time on April 24, 1984 to Kerrie Mann and filed for divorce from her in 2003.
Yes. The "Million Dollar Quartet" included Jerry, Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. In December 1956, the four made a recording with a mixture of gospel, pop and country songs. The "Million Dollar Session" CD wasn't officially released until February 1990 on the RCA Records label. Some of the songs included on this CD are, "Peace in the Valley", "Down By the Riverside", "Little Cabin on the Hill" and "Keeper of the Key".
1986. Jerry was inducted into the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame on January 23, 1986.
Killer. Jerry's autobiography, "Killer", was released in the U.S. on January 15, 1994 by the publishers, Random House UK Distribution. Jerry also had took part in writing the book, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On: The Life and Times of Jerry Lee Lewis" with Charles White (Hyperion Press 1994).
1962. In 1962, Jerry's 3 year old son, Steve Allen, drowned while playing in a swimming pool. Jerry Lewis Jr. died in a car accident when he was 19 years old. In 1982, Jerry's ex-wife, Jaren, also drowned in a pool, which is speculated to be under mysterious circumstances. In 1983, Jerry's fifth wife, Shawn, was found dead as an apparent drug overdose. Jerry has three surviving children, Lori, Phoebe and Jerry Lewis III.
6631 Hollywood Blvd. Jerry received his star on the Walk of Fame on June 13, 1989. Lee Majors' star is located at 6931 Hollywood Blvd. Mickey Mouse's, (yes, Mickey Mouse), star is located at 6925 Hollywood Blvd and Richard Pryor's star is located at 6438 Hollywood Blvd.
Nick Tosches. The book, "Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story" was written by Nick Tosches and originally released by Delacorte Press in May 1982. Murray Silver took part in writing, "Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis" with Jerry's ex-wife, Myra. This book was originally released in October 1982 by William Morrow & Company. Robert Cain wrote, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On: Jerry Lee Lewis", which was originally released in the U.S. on . The book, "The Devil, Me, and Jerry Lee", was written by Jerry's sister, Linda Gail Lewis, and was released in the U.S. in October 1998 by Longstreet Press. "Rockin' My Life Away: Listening to Jerry Lee Lewis" was written by Jerry Guterman and was released in October 1991 by Rutledge Hill Press.
Louisiana. Jerry Lee was born in Ferriday, LA on September 29, 1935. Ferriday was a predominately black community rich with the sounds of blues and gospel music. It was from this exposure that Lewis formed his musical tastes.
| Jerry Lee Lewis left home and headed out to find a record company willing to take a chance on him. What producer gave Lewis his first chance at recording his new, yet brash, style of rock and roll? | Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Jerry Lee Lewis
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Sam Phillips. Although Phillips was out of town when Lewis arrived at Sun Records, he was encouraged to learn rock and roll music by Phillip's engineer, Jack Clement. That's exactly what Lewis did, he learned some rock and roll and came back to meet and record with Sam Phillips. Who else did Sam Phillips produce? Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, B.B. King and Rufus Thomas were just a few of his finds.
Mickey Gilley. Mickey Gilley grew up in the same home with Jerry Lee Lewis and even took piano lessons with him. Another cousin, Jimmy Lee Swaggart, went on to a minor career in gospel music. Gilley is best known for his Pasadena, TX nightclub aptly named Gilley's.
Ralph Mooney. Ralph Mooney was a steel guitar player, most famous for playing with Waylon Jennings during the 1970's through the 1990's. Mooney wrote the song "Crazy Arms" for Ray Price and it became a country hit. Lewis recorded the song in November of 1956.
Myra Gale Brown. Myra Gale was the daughter of Jerry Lee's uncle, J.W. Brown. J.W. was the bass guitar player in Lewis' band. Although Myra was only 13, their marriage license claimed she ws 20. The marriage to his cousin nearly cost him his career. Record stations banned him, his albums quit selling and no one would come to see him. Eventually his tenacity overcame and he found his way back into favor with country radio.
Dennis Quaid. Winona Ryder played Myra Gale Brown, the teenage bride of Lewis in this Jim McBride classic. Quaid did a good job of playing Lewis, but don't be too impressed with his impression. That was actually Jerry Lee Lewis himself singing his own songs for the movie.
0. Although Lewis had number one hits on the black and country charts, he never reached number one on the pop charts. The closest he came was the 1958 "Great Balls of Fire" which reached number 2.
Elvis Presley. November 22, 1976 was a bad night for Lewis. First he gets arrested for drunk driving. After being released, he ends up at Graceland and is found drunk, flashing a pistol and screaming for Elvis. Police are called and he is arrested again.
Spoken Word. Lewis won the Spoken Word Grammy in 1986 for his album "Interviews from the Class of'55-Recording Sessions".
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Springsteen and his band backed Jerry Lee on the hits "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" and "Great Balls of Fire".
Crazy Arms. "Crazy Arms" was a hit for Ray Price that was probably too mellow for the Killer. "Jailhouse Rock" and "Lewis Boogie" were album tracks that were never released as singles, whereas "Baby Baby Bye Bye" was released in 1960 once Jerry's reputation had been ruined because of his marriage to his 13-year old cousin Myra. As a result, this song didn't fare well either.
| In 1958, Jerry had a hit with a song that Charlie Rich, his labelmate, had written especially for the Killer. What is the name of this song? | The Music of Jerry Lee Lewis
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Break Up. Another pianist from Sun Records, Charlie wrote hits for both Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis, with "Break Up" reaching number 19 in the country charts. Jerry Lee Lewis also had a hit with "Lonely Weekends" later on in his career, which was also written by Rich. Jerry Lee took it to number 10 in the country charts in 1972. Charlie Rich wrote "Rebound", but the Killer didn't actually cover that song, and one of Rich's best singles, "Behind Closed Doors", wasn't actually penned by him.
| In 1962 the Killer's music career was in tatters after the revelation that he was married to his 13-year old cousin. However, he still had a couple of hits that fared well. Which Chuck Berry song did Jerry have a hit with in 1962? | The Music of Jerry Lee Lewis
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Sweet Little Sixteen. Jerry Lee covered all these Chuck Berry compositions but only had hits with "Sweet Little Sixteen" and "Roll Over Beethoven". Jerry Lee Lewis teamed up with sister Linda Gail Lewis in 1970 to record "Roll Over Beethoven", taking it to number 8 in the country charts. "Sweet Little Sixteen" only reached number 95 in the Billboard 100 but got to number 35 in Britain.
| 1968 saw Jerry Lee reinvent himself as a country singer. He went on to have numerous numbers one's in the country music charts. Which song was his first ever number one in the country charts? | The Music of Jerry Lee Lewis
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Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On. Although "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" was one of the wildest rock and roll songs around at the time, it still reached number one in the country charts, along with "Great Balls Of Fire". "What Made Milwaukee Famous" reached the Country number one spot in 1968 after "Another Place Another Time" reached number two the same year. "One Has My Name" reached number one in 1969.
12. Jerry Lee Lewis had 12 number ones in the country music charts, from "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" to "Think About It Darlin'" in 1972. 10 of these number ones were between 1968 and 1972.
| After 1972, Jerry Lee Lewis had considerably less chart success, with his biggest hit in the Billboard 100 coming with a song he originally sang in his SUN years. Which song was this? | The Music of Jerry Lee Lewis
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Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee. The Killer took this song to number 41 in the Billboard 100 and to number 20 in the Country charts in 1973. The song was also a gold record for Jerry Lee Lewis, his last ever single to achieve this feat.
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