![]() ![]() His mother, upset by the idea of her son performing the devil's music, sent him to a Bible college in Texas. But Lewis was intent on experiencing them first hand and began playing piano in bars while still a teenager. Lewis' family attended the Assembly of God church and his mother ensured he was thoroughly informed about the evils of liquor, honky-tonks and promiscuity. ![]() He absorbed a variety of musical influences, especially the Jimmie Rodgers records that belonged to his father, a farmer who went to prison for bootlegging. He became interested in the piano at age 4 and by 10 was sneaking in to roadhouses to hear blues performers. 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, and grew up poor with two cousins also destined for fame - television evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and country singer Mickey Gilley. But a great son of a bitch." FAMOUS COUSINS "I'm a rompin', stompin', piano-playing son of a bitch," Lewis once told Time magazine in his Louisiana drawl. Typically, Lewis would kick away his piano bench and bang the keyboard with his foot while his long wavy blond hair flopped in his face.Īccording to legend, Lewis was once so upset that Chuck Berry had been chosen to close a show over him that he finished his set with a move that was hard to top - setting the piano on fire and walking off. In his prime, he performed with daring, originality and a lewd wild-man stage demeanor that thrilled his young fans as much as it agitated their parents. His music was sometimes overshadowed by scandals - including his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra in 1957. ![]() Lewis filled his albums not only with ground-breaking rock but with gospel, country and rhythm and blues such as "Me and Bobby McGee" and "To Make Love Sweeter for You" as he endured a life often filled with alcohol, drugs and tragedy. Lewis, also known by the nickname "The Killer", was one of the first performers inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and was so influential that when John Lennon met him backstage at a show in Los Angeles, the Beatle dropped to his knees and kissed Lewis' feet. He was part of the dazzling Sun Records talent pool in Memphis, Tennessee, that included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison. Like Chuck Berry's guitar, Lewis' piano was essential in shaping rock 'n' roll in the mid-1950s. The musician had been ill in recent years and suffered a stroke in 2019. Lewis passed away from natural causes at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, with his wife, Judith, by his side, his publicist said. Oct 28 (Reuters) - American rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, who was torn between his Bible-thumping upbringing and his desire to make hell-raising rock 'n' roll with hits such as "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," has died at the age of 87. ![]()
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