Jerry Lee Lewis Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ==Career== ===J&M Studio=== Lewis made his first recordings in 1952 at [[Cosimo Matassa]]'s J&M Studio in [[New Orleans]], Louisiana. He covered [[Lefty Frizzell]]'s "Don't Stay Away (Till Love Grows Cold)" and his own instrumental composition "Jerry's Boogie" ({{aka}} New Orleans Boogie).<ref name=jms/> ===Sun Records=== [[File:Sun Studio, Memphis, TN (3636820842).jpg|left|thumb|[[Sun Records]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], where Lewis began his career and recorded many of his most famous singles]] [[File:GreenbackDollar.ogg|right|thumb|[[Sun Records]] artist [[Ray Harris]] singing the song "Greenback Dollar", with Lewis playing the piano]] In November 1956, Lewis traveled to [[Memphis, Tennessee]], to audition for [[Sun Records]]. Label owner [[Sam Phillips]] was in Florida, but producer and engineer [[Jack Clement]] recorded Lewis's rendition of [[Ray Price (musician)|Ray Price]]'s "[[Crazy Arms]]" and his own composition "[[End of the Road (Jerry Lee Lewis song)|End of the Road]]". In December 1956, Lewis began recording prolifically as a solo artist and as a [[session musician]] for other Sun artists, including [[Carl Perkins]] and [[Johnny Cash]]. His distinctive piano playing can be heard on many tracks recorded at Sun in late 1956 and early 1957, including Carl Perkins's "[[Matchbox (song)|Matchbox]]", "[[Your True Love]]", and "Put Your Cat Clothes On" and [[Billy Lee Riley]]'s "Flyin' Saucers Rock'n'Roll". On December 4, 1956, [[Elvis Presley]] dropped in on Phillips to pay a social visit while Perkins was in the studio cutting new tracks with Lewis backing him on piano. Johnny Cash was also there watching Perkins. The four then started an impromptu [[jam session]] and Phillips left the tape running.<ref name=pc8 /> These recordings, almost half of which were gospel songs, were released on CD as ''[[Million Dollar Quartet]]''. Tracks also include Elvis Presley's "[[Don't Be Cruel]]" and "[[Paralyzed (Elvis Presley song)|Paralyzed]]", [[Chuck Berry]]'s "[[Brown Eyed Handsome Man]]", and [[Pat Boone]]'s "Don't Forbid Me". [[File:Great Balls of Fire - You Win Again - Cash Box ad 1957.jpg|thumb|''[[Cashbox (magazine)|Cash Box]]'' advertisement, November 16, 1957]] Lewis's own singles (on which he was billed as "Jerry Lee Lewis And His Pumping Piano") advanced his career as a soloist during 1957, with hits such as "[[Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On]]", a [[Big Maybelle]] cover, and "[[Great Balls of Fire]]", his biggest hit, bringing him international fame and criticism of the songs, which prompted some radio stations to boycott them. In 2005, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" was selected for permanent preservation in the [[National Recording Registry]] of the [[Library of Congress]]. According to several first-hand sources, including [[Johnny Cash]], Lewis, a devout Christian, was troubled by the sinful nature of his own material, which he believed was leading him and his audience to [[Hell]].<ref>Cash, Johnny (1997). ''[[Cash: The Autobiography]]''. p. 98.</ref> This aspect of Lewis's character was depicted in [[Waylon Payne]]'s portrayal of Lewis in the 2005 film ''[[Walk the Line]]'', based on Cash's autobiographies. As part of his stage act, Lewis pounded the keys with his heel, kicked the [[piano bench]] aside and played standing, raking his hands up and down the keys, sat on the keyboard and stood on the piano. He told ''the [[Pop Chronicles]]'' that kicking over the bench originally happened by accident, but when it got a favorable response, he kept it in the act.<ref name="pc8">{{Gilliland |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19756/m1/ |title=Show 8 – The All American Boy: Enter Elvis and the Rock-a-Billies. [Part 2] |show=8}}</ref> His inaugural television appearance, in which he demonstrated some of these moves, was on ''[[The Steve Allen Show]]'' on July 28, 1957, where he played "[[Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On]]".<ref name="dvd-live50-60-70">'' Jerry Lee Lewis – Greatest Live Performances of the '50s, '60s and '70s'' – DVD, 2007.</ref><ref name="steve-allen-show">{{Cite web |date=June 24, 1956 |title=The Steve Allen Show – Episode Guide |url=http://www.tv.com/the-steve-allen-show/show/1465/episode_guide.html?season=2&tag=season_nav;previous |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210210727/http://www.tv.com/the-steve-allen-show/show/1465/episode_guide.html?season=2&tag=season_nav%3Bprevious |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |access-date=July 11, 2015 |publisher=TV.com}}</ref> His dynamic performance style can be seen in films such as ''[[High School Confidential (film)|High School Confidential]]'' (he sang the title song from the back of a [[flatbed truck]]), and ''[[Jamboree (1957 film)|Jamboree]]''. [[Cub Koda]] called him "rock & roll's first great wild man" and also "rock & roll's first great eclectic".<ref>{{Cite book |first1=Cub |last1=Koda |author-link=Cub Koda |editor-last=Bogdanov |editor-first=Vladimir |url=https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidedef00bogd |title=All Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music |publisher=Backbeat Books |year=2001 |isbn=9780879306274 |location=San Francisco |page=[https://archive.org/details/allmusicguidedef00bogd/page/234 234] |url-access=registration}}</ref> Classical composer [[Michael Nyman]] has also cited Lewis's style as the progenitor of his own aesthetic.<ref>[[Andrew Ford (composer)|Andrew Ford]]. "Jerry Lee Lewis Plays Mozart". ''Composer to Composer'' London: Quartet Books, 1993. pp 192–195, p 194</ref> In 1960, Phillips opened a new state-of-the-art studio at 639 Madison Avenue in Memphis,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sam Phillips: The Sound and Legacy of Sun Records |url=https://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/nov/phillips/011128.sam.phillips.html |access-date=September 13, 2014 |publisher=npr.org |archive-date=October 16, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016031755/http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2001/nov/phillips/011128.sam.phillips.html |url-status=live }}</ref> abandoning the old Union Avenue studio where Phillips had recorded [[B.B. King]], [[Howlin' Wolf]], [[Elvis Presley]], [[Roy Orbison]], [[Carl Perkins]], Lewis, [[Johnny Cash]], and others, and also opened a studio in [[Nashville]]. It was at the latter studio that Lewis recorded his only major hit during this period, a rendition of [[Ray Charles]]'s "[[What'd I Say]]" in 1961. In Europe, other updated versions of "[[Sweet Little Sixteen]]" (September 1962 UK) and "[[Good Golly, Miss Molly]]" (March 1963) entered the [[hit parade]]. On popular EPs, "Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes", "I've Been Twistin{{'"}}, "Money", and "Hello Josephine" also became turntable hits, especially in nascent [[discothèque]]s. Another recording of Lewis playing an instrumental boogie arrangement of the [[Glenn Miller Orchestra]]'s "[[In the Mood]]" was issued on the [[Phillips International Records|Phillips International]] label under the pseudonym "The Hawk".<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 27, 2012 |title=Jerry Lee Lewis {{!}} Sun Record Company |url=https://www.sunrecords.com/artists/jerry-lee-lewis |access-date=March 22, 2021 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204174946/https://www.sunrecords.com/artists/jerry-lee-lewis |url-status=dead }}</ref> ===Marriage controversy=== Lewis's turbulent personal life was hidden from the public until a May 1958 British tour where Ray Berry, a news agency reporter at London's [[Heathrow Airport]] (the only journalist present), learned about Lewis's third wife, Myra Gale Brown. She is Lewis's [[first cousin once removed]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Devin Miller |date=April 17, 1998 |title=Jerry Lee Lewis Online Wild One's Clubhouse: The Largest Jerry Lee Lewis Homepage on the Internet! |url=http://jerry9.tripod.com/Myra.htm |access-date=July 11, 2015 |publisher=Jerry9.tripod.com |archive-date=June 23, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170623135413/http://jerry9.tripod.com/Myra.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cecil Adams |date=October 1, 2004 |title=What's wrong with cousins marrying? |url=http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041001.html |access-date=July 11, 2015 |publisher=The Straight Dope |archive-date=May 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526033048/http://www.straightdope.com/columns/041001.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><!-- DO NOT CHANGE COUSIN STATEMENT - SEE TALK PAGE --> and was 13 years old when they married—though Lewis, who was 22 years old at the time, claimed she was actually 15. The publicity caused an uproar, and the tour was canceled after only three concerts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 27, 2019 |orig-year=November 13, 2009 |title=Jerry Lee Lewis drops a bombshell in London |url=https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jerry-lee-lewis-drops-a-bombshell-in-london |access-date=October 1, 2019 |website=History.com |publisher=A&E Television Networks |archive-date=November 26, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191126113301/http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jerry-lee-lewis-drops-a-bombshell-in-london |url-status=live }}</ref> ===Smash Records=== Lewis's Sun recording contract ended in 1963, and he joined [[Smash Records]], where he made several rock recordings that did not further his career. The team at Smash (a division of [[Mercury Records]]) came up with "I'm on Fire", a song that they felt would be perfect for Lewis and, as [[Colin Escott]] writes in the sleeve to the retrospective ''A Half Century of Hits'', "Mercury held the presses, thinking they had found Lewis's comeback hit, and it might have happened if [[the Beatles]] hadn't arrived in America, changing radio playlists almost overnight. Mercury didn't really know what to do with Lewis after that."<ref name="Escott">{{citation|title=A Half Century Of Hits|url=http://albumlinernotes.com/A_Half_Century_Of_Hits.html|type=CD liner|date=January 2006|author=Colin Escott|publisher=[[Time Life]]|access-date=October 30, 2022|archive-date=April 20, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420104332/http://albumlinernotes.com/A_Half_Century_Of_Hits.html|url-status=live}}</ref> One of Smash's first decisions was to record a retread of his Sun hits, ''[[Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis]]'', which was inspired by the continuing enthusiasm European fans had shown for Lewis's firebrand rock and roll. In June 1963, Lewis returned to the UK for the first time since the scandal that nearly ended his career five years earlier, to headline a performance on the ''[[MV Royal Daffodil (1939)|MV Royal Daffodil]]'', for a [[English Channel|cross-channel]] rock and roll cruise from [[Southend-on-Sea|Southend, Essex]], to [[Boulogne-sur-Mer|Boulogne, France]]. For this performance, he was backed by [[Ritchie Blackmore]] and [[The Outlaws (band)|the Outlaws]].<ref name="Bloom2009">{{Cite book |last=Jerry Bloom |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1f53kihTyRMC&pg=PA100-IA5 |title=Black Knight: Ritchie Blackmore |date=November 5, 2009 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=978-0-85712-053-3 |pages=100 |access-date=March 10, 2020 |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713173507/https://books.google.com/books?id=1f53kihTyRMC&pg=PA100-IA5 |url-status=live }}</ref> None of Lewis's early Smash albums, including ''[[The Return of Rock]]'', ''[[Memphis Beat]]'', and ''[[Soul My Way]]'', were commercial successes. ===''Live at the Star Club, Hamburg''=== One major success during these lost years was the concert album ''[[Live at the Star Club, Hamburg]]'', recorded with [[the Nashville Teens]] in 1964, which is considered one of the greatest live albums ever.<ref name="Checksfield">Checksfield, Peter (1995). "Jerry Lee Lewis. The Greatest Live Show on Earth". ''[[Record Collector]]'', No. 188, April 1995, p. 79.</ref><ref name="Q-2002">{{Cite magazine |year=2002 |title=Live at the Star Club, Hamburg |magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]] |issue=1 |page=59}}</ref><ref name="Mojo-2004">{{Cite magazine |date=March 1, 2004 |title=Live at the Star Club, Hamburg : Review |magazine=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |page=52}}</ref><ref name="AMG-Erlewine">Stephen Thomas Erlewine, [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r78332|pure_url=yes}} Album Review: "Live at the Star Club, Hamburg"] at ''[[AllMusic]]''.</ref><ref name="Rolling-Stone-2009">{{Cite magazine |title=Jerry Lee Lewis: Live at the Star Club, Hamburg [Bear Family] |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/jerryleelewis/albums/album/284513/review/5940644/live_at_the_star_club_hamburg_bear_family |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090910033507/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/jerryleelewis/albums/album/284513/review/5940644/live_at_the_star_club_hamburg_bear_family |archive-date=September 10, 2009 |access-date=February 18, 2015}}</ref> In [[Joe Bonomo]]'s book ''Lost and Found'', producer [[Siegfried_Loch|Siggi Loch]] stated that the recording setup was uncomplicated, with microphones placed as close to the instruments as possible and a stereo mic placed in the audience to capture the ambience. The results were sonically astonishing, with Bonomo observing, "Detractors complain of the album's crashing noisiness, the lack of subtlety with which Jerry Lee revisits the songs, the fact that the piano is mixed too loudly, but what is certain is that Siggi Loch on this spring evening captured something brutally honest about the Killer, about the primal and timeless centre of the very best rock & roll..." The album showcases Lewis's skills as a pianist and singer, honed by relentless touring. In a 5-out-of-5-stars review, Milo Miles wrote in ''Rolling Stone'' magazine that "''Live at the Star Club, Hamburg'' is not an album, it's a crime scene: Jerry Lee Lewis slaughters his rivals in a thirteen-song set that feels like one long convulsion." ===Country comeback=== [[File:Carl Perkins Roy Orbison Johnny Cash Jerry Lee Lewis 1977.jpg|thumb|left|Lewis performing with [[Roy Orbison]], [[Johnny Cash]] and [[Carl Perkins]] on ''The Johnny Cash Christmas Special'' in November 1977]] Frustrated by Smash's inability to score a hit, Lewis was planning on leaving the label when promotions manager [[Eddie Kilroy]] pitched the idea of cutting a pure country record in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]]. With nothing to lose, Lewis agreed to record the [[Jerry Chesnut]] song "[[Another Place, Another Time (Del Reeves song)|Another Place, Another Time]]", which was released as a single on March 9, 1968, and, to everyone's amazement, shot up the country charts. At the time of the release, Lewis had been playing [[Iago]] in a rock and roll adaptation of ''Othello'' called ''Catch My Soul'' in Los Angeles but was soon rushed back to Nashville to record another batch of songs with producer [[Jerry Kennedy]]. What followed was a string of hits that no one could have predicted, although country music always remained a major part of Lewis's repertoire. As Colin Escott observes in the sleeve to the 1995 compilation ''Killer Country'', the conversion to country music in 1968 "looked at the time like a radical shift, but it was neither as abrupt nor as unexpected as it seemed. Jerry had always recorded country music, and his country breakthrough 'Another Place, Another Time' had been preceded by countless country records starting with his first, '[[Crazy Arms]]', in 1956." The last time Lewis had had a song on the country charts was with "Pen and Paper" in 1964, which had reached number 36, but "Another Place, Another Time" would go all the way to number 4 and remain on the charts for 17 weeks. Between 1968 and 1977, Lewis had 17 Top 10 hit singles on the Billboard country chart, including four chart-toppers. Hits include "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made A Loser Out of Me)", "To Make Love Sweeter For You", "She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me)", "Since I Met You Baby", "Once More With Feeling", "One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart)", and "Sometimes A Memory Ain't Enough". The production on his early country albums, such as ''[[Another Place, Another Time (album)|Another Place, Another Time]]'' and ''She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye'', was sparse, quite different from the slick "[[Nashville sound]]" that was predominant on country radio at the time, and also expressed a full commitment by Lewis to a country audience. The songs still featured Lewis's inimitable piano flourishes, but critics were most taken aback by the rock and roll pioneer's effortlessly soulful vocals, which possessed an emotional resonance on par with the most respected country singers of the time, such as [[George Jones]] and [[Merle Haggard]]. In his book ''Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story'', biographer Rick Bragg notes that the songs Lewis was recording "were of the kind they were starting to call 'hard country', not because it had a rock beat or crossed over into rock in a real way, but because it was more substantial than the cloying, overproduced mess out there on country radio". In a remarkable turnaround, Lewis became the most bankable country star in the world. He was so huge in 1970 that his former Smash producer [[Shelby Singleton]], who purchased [[Sun Records]] from [[Sam Phillips]] in July 1969, wasted no time in repackaging many of Lewis's old country recordings with such effectiveness that many fans assumed they were recent releases. One of his later unreleased Sun recordings, "[[One Minute Past Eternity]]", was issued as a single and soared to number 2 on the country chart, following Lewis's recent [[Mercury Records|Mercury]] hit "She Even Woke Me Up To Say Goodbye". Singleton would milk these unreleased recordings for years, following ''The Golden Cream of the Country'' with ''[[A Taste of Country]]'' later in 1970. ===Grand Ole Opry appearance=== Lewis played the [[Grand Ole Opry]] only once, on January 20, 1973. As Colin Escott writes in the liner notes to ''A Half Century of Hits'', he had maintained an ambivalence to [[Nashville, Tennessee|Music City]] ever since he was turned away as an aspiring musician before his glory days at [[Sun Records]]: "It was 18 years since he had left [[Nashville]] broke and disheartened...Lewis was never truly accepted in Nashville. He didn't move there and didn't [[schmooze]] there. He didn't fit in with the family values crowd. Lewis family values weren't necessarily worse, but they were different."<ref name="Escott"/> As recounted in a 2015 online ''Rolling Stone'' article by Beville Dunkerly, Lewis opened with his comeback single "[[Another Place, Another Time (Del Reeves song)|Another Place, Another Time]]". Ignoring his allotted time constraints—and, thus, commercial breaks—Lewis played for 40 minutes (the average Opry performance is two songs, for about eight minutes of stage time maximum) and invited [[Del Wood]]—the one member of the Opry who had been kind to him when he had been there as a teenager—out on stage to sing with him. He also blasted through "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On", "Workin' Man Blues", "Good Golly, Miss Molly", and a number of other classics.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dunkerly, Beville |date=January 20, 2015 |title=Flashback: Jerry Lee Lewis Drops an F-Bomb on the Grand Ole Opry |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/flashback-jerry-lee-lewis-drops-an-f-bomb-on-the-grand-ole-opry-167176/ |access-date=September 30, 2020 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021172629/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/flashback-jerry-lee-lewis-drops-an-f-bomb-on-the-grand-ole-opry-167176/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ===''The Session'' and ''Southern Roots''=== [[File:JerryLee Lewis 1977.jpg|thumb|right|Lewis performing in 1977]] Lewis returned to the pop charts with "[[Me and Bobby McGee]]" in 1971 and "[[Chantilly Lace (song)|Chantilly Lace]]" in 1972, and this, coupled with a revitalized public interest in vintage [[rock and roll]], inspired Mercury to fly Lewis to London in 1973 to record with a cadre of British and Irish musicians, including [[Rory Gallagher]], [[Kenney Jones]], and Albert Lee. By all accounts the sessions were tense. The remake of Lewis's old Sun cut "Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" was the album's hit single, reaching number 20 on the ''Billboard'' country chart and peaking at number 41 on the pop chart. ''The Session'' was his highest pop charting album since 1964's ''[[Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis]]'', hitting number 37. It did far better on the country albums chart, rising to number 4. Later that year, he went to Memphis and recorded ''[[Southern Roots: Back Home to Memphis]]'', a soul-infused rock album produced by Huey Meaux. According to Rick Bragg's authorized 2014 biography, "the Killer" was in a foul mood when he showed up at Trans Maximus Studios in [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] to record: "During these sessions, he insulted the producer, threatened to kill a photographer, and drank and medicated his way into but not out of a fog." During one exchange that can be heard on the 2013 reissue ''Southern Roots: The Original Sessions'', Meaux asks Lewis, "Do you wanna try one?", meaning a take, to which Lewis replies, "If you got enough fuckin' sense to cut it."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Little |first=Michael H. |date=September 29, 2020 |title=Graded on a Curve: Jerry Lee Lewis, Southern Roots: Back Home to Memphis |url=http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/2020/09/graded-on-a-curve-jerry-lee-lewis-southern-roots-back-home-to-memphis-2/ |access-date=March 22, 2021 |website=The Vinyl District |archive-date=January 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210115110247/http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/2020/09/graded-on-a-curve-jerry-lee-lewis-southern-roots-back-home-to-memphis-2/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Lewis was still pumping out country albums, although the hits were beginning to dry up. His last big hit with Mercury was "Middle Age Crazy", which made it to number 4 in 1977. ===Later career=== [[File:Jerry Lee Lewis @ Credicard Hall 01.jpg|thumb|Lewis performing in 2009]] In 1979, Lewis switched record labels to [[Elektra Records|Elektra]] and produced the critically acclaimed ''Jerry Lee Lewis'', although sales were disappointing. In 1986, Lewis was one of the inaugural inductees into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]. Although looking frail after several hospitalizations due to stomach problems, Lewis was responsible for beginning an unplanned jam at the end of the evening, which was incorporated into all future events. That year, he returned to Sun Studio in Memphis to team up with Orbison, Cash, and Perkins along with longtime admirers like [[John Fogerty]] to create the album ''[[Class of '55]]''. In 1989, a major motion picture based on his early life in rock and roll, ''[[Great Balls of Fire! (film)|Great Balls of Fire!]]'', brought him back into the public eye, especially when he decided to re-record all his songs for the movie soundtrack. The film was based on the book by Lewis's ex-wife, Myra Gale Lewis, and starred [[Dennis Quaid]] as Lewis, [[Winona Ryder]] as Myra, and [[Alec Baldwin]] as Jimmy Swaggart. The movie focuses on Lewis's early career and his relationship with Myra and ends with the scandal of the late 1950s. A year later, in 1990, Lewis made minor news when a new song he recorded called "It Was the Whiskey Talkin' (Not Me)" was included in the soundtrack to the hit movie ''[[Dick Tracy (1990 film)|Dick Tracy]]''. The song is also heard in the movie, playing on the radio. The public downfall of his cousin, [[televangelist]] [[Jimmy Swaggart]] around the same time, resulted in more adverse publicity to a troubled family. Swaggart is also a piano player, as is another cousin, country music star [[Mickey Gilley]]. All three listened to the same music in their youth and frequented Haney's Big House, the Ferriday club that featured black blues acts. Lewis and Swaggart had a complex relationship over the years. [[File:JerryLeeLewis.jpg|thumb|left|Lewis performing at the Rhythm Festival in [[Bedford, England|Bedford]], England, in 2006]] In 1998, Lewis toured Europe with [[Chuck Berry]] and [[Little Richard]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=RHOF Archived Reviews |url=http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Rev9804.MiroS01.html |access-date=March 22, 2021 |website=Rockabillyhall.com |archive-date=September 17, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210917123541/http://www.rockabillyhall.com/Rev9804.MiroS01.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> On February 12, 2005, he was given a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award|Lifetime Achievement Award]] by [[The Recording Academy]].<ref name=":2" /> On September 26, 2006, a new album titled ''[[Last Man Standing (Jerry Lee Lewis album)|Last Man Standing]]'' was released, featuring many of rock and roll's elite as guest stars. Receiving positive reviews, the album charted on four different Billboard charts, including a two-week stay at number one on the Indie charts. A DVD entitled ''[[Last Man Standing Live]]'', featuring concert footage with many guest artists, was released in March 2007. [[File:Jerry Lee Lewis4 - Photo by Anthony Pepitone.jpg|thumb|left|Lewis performing in 2006]] In October 2008, as part of a successful European tour, Lewis appeared at two London shows: a special private show at the [[100 Club]] on October 25, and at the [[London Forum]] on October 28 with [[Wanda Jackson]] and his sister, [[Linda Gail Lewis]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=londonrocknroll.com |url=http://ww5.londonrocknroll.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801192449/http://www.londonrocknroll.com/ |archive-date=August 1, 2015 |website=Londonrocknroll.com}}</ref> In August 2009, in advance of his new album, a single entitled "[[Mean Old Man]]" was released for download. It was written by [[Kris Kristofferson]]. An EP featuring this song and four more was also released on November 11. On October 29, 2009, Lewis opened the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary concert at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Soeder, John |date=October 30, 2009 |title=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anniversary concerts kick off with Jerry Lee Lewis and 'Whole Lotta Shakin' |url=https://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/2009/10/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_ann.html |access-date=September 30, 2020 |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |archive-date=November 30, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201130211445/https://www.cleveland.com/popmusic/2009/10/rock_and_roll_hall_of_fame_ann.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In May 2013, Lewis opened a new club on Beale Street in Memphis.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 26, 2013 |title=Jerry Lee Lewis To Open Beale Street Club |url=https://wreg.com/2013/02/26/jerry-lee-lewis-to-open-beale-street-club/ |access-date=July 25, 2019 |archive-date=July 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725194837/https://wreg.com/2013/02/26/jerry-lee-lewis-to-open-beale-street-club/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 27, 2017 |title=Our Venue |url=https://jerryleelewismemphis.com/about/our-venue/ |access-date=November 11, 2020 |website=Jerryleelewismemphis.com |archive-date=November 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125025644/https://jerryleelewismemphis.com/about/our-venue/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Lewis was still considered actively performing in concert,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Concerts: Upcoming Events |url=http://jerryleelewis.com/?page_id=4 |access-date=June 8, 2018 |publisher=JerryLeeLewis.com |archive-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606104753/http://jerryleelewis.com/?page_id=4 |url-status=live }}</ref> though he had to cancel all shows following his February 28, 2019, stroke, waiting for his doctors' go-ahead.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2019 |title=Recovery Update: Jerry Lee Lewis Is Heading In The Right Direction |url=https://jerryleelewis.com/2019/03/18/recovery-update-jerry-lee-lewis-is-heading-in-the-right-direction/ |website=Jerryleelewis.com |access-date=July 25, 2019 |archive-date=July 25, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190725194840/https://jerryleelewis.com/2019/03/18/recovery-update-jerry-lee-lewis-is-heading-in-the-right-direction/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2017, Lewis had a personal presence at The Country Music Television ''Skyville Live'' show. It was a specially recorded performance featuring a whole array of artists paying tribute to the music of Lewis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/tributes-paid-to-rockabilly-legend-jerry-lee-lewis-3203123|title=Tributes paid to rockabilly legend Jerry Lee Lewis|website=Newsletter.co.uk|date=April 17, 2021|access-date=April 27, 2021|archive-date=April 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427153933/https://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/opinion/columnists/tributes-paid-to-rockabilly-legend-jerry-lee-lewis-3203123|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://latfusa.com/article/2021/4/skyville-live-honoring-jerry-lee-lewis-debuts-on/|title=Skyville Live Honoring Jerry Lee Lewis Debuts On CMT April 13 | LATF USA|website=Latfusa.com|date=April 13, 2021|access-date=April 27, 2021|archive-date=April 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427153934/http://latfusa.com/article/2021/4/skyville-live-honoring-jerry-lee-lewis-debuts-on/|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2020, it was announced that Lewis, together with producer [[T-Bone Burnett]] and guitarist [[James Burton]], was recording a new album of gospel covers. It was the first time he entered a recording studio following his stroke.<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 1, 2020 |title=Jerry Lee Lewis Recording New Album of Gospel Covers After Stroke Left Him Fearful He'd Never Play Music Again |url=https://music.mxdwn.com/2020/03/01/news/jerry-lee-lewis-recording-new-album-of-gospel-covers-after-stroke-left-him-fearful-hed-never-play-music-again/ |access-date=November 11, 2020 |website=Music.mxdwn.com |archive-date=February 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228101845/https://music.mxdwn.com/2020/03/01/news/jerry-lee-lewis-recording-new-album-of-gospel-covers-after-stroke-left-him-fearful-hed-never-play-music-again/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/05/ethan-coen-jerry-lee-lewis-documentary-reuniting-with-joel-coen-cannes-interview-1235029988/|title=Ethan Coen On His Killer Jerry Lee Lewis Docu, How The 'Great Balls Of Fire' Singer Invented Cancel Culture & Reuniting With Brother Joel Coen: Cannes Q&A|first1=Mike Jr.|last1=Fleming|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=May 22, 2022|access-date=June 9, 2022|archive-date=June 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609183821/https://deadline.com/2022/05/ethan-coen-jerry-lee-lewis-documentary-reuniting-with-joel-coen-cannes-interview-1235029988/|url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, it is unknown how much progress was made with this gospel album, or if it was ever completed, as nothing from these sessions has been released; Lewis later recorded another gospel album with cousin Jimmy Swaggart that was unrelated to the 2020 project with Burnett and Burton. On October 27, 2020, to celebrate Lewis's 85th birthday, a livestream aired on YouTube, Facebook, and his official website. The livestream special, ''Whole Lotta Celebratin' Goin' On'', featured appearances and performances by [[Willie Nelson]], [[Elton John]], [[Mike Love]], [[Priscilla Presley]], [[Joe Walsh]], and others. [[John Stamos]] served as the host.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 15, 2020 |title=Jerry Lee Lewis 85th Birthday Stream To Feature Elton John, Willie Nelson, More |url=https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/jerry-lee-lewis-birthday-stream/ |access-date=November 11, 2020 |website=Liveforlivemusaic.com |archive-date=October 19, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019200416/https://liveforlivemusic.com/news/jerry-lee-lewis-birthday-stream/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Leimkuehler |first=Matthew |title=Elton John, Willie Nelson, Bill Clinton set for virtual Jerry Lee Lewis birthday bash |work=[[The Tennessean]] |url=https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/10/13/elton-john-willie-nelson-jerry-lee-lewis-birthday-show-lineup-how-to-watch/5978453002/ |access-date=November 11, 2020 |archive-date=July 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230713173516/https://www.tennessean.com/story/entertainment/music/2020/10/13/elton-john-willie-nelson-jerry-lee-lewis-birthday-show-lineup-how-to-watch/5978453002/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind]]'' is a documentary on Lewis, released in 2022 and directed by [[Ethan Coen]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/jerry-lee-lewis-trouble-in-mind-review-ethan-coen-1235274528/|title='Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind' Review: Ethan Coen's First Solo Outing Spotlights Lewis's Timelessly Wild Rock 'n' Roll Joy|first=Owen|last=Gleiberman|website=Variety|date=May 22, 2022|access-date=June 9, 2022|archive-date=June 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609183821/https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/jerry-lee-lewis-trouble-in-mind-review-ethan-coen-1235274528/|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, a Lewis and Swaggert collaborated on and released a gospel album, called ''The Boys from Ferriday''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Redfern |first=David |date=October 28, 2022 |title=Rock 'n' roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis dead at 87 |url=https://www.wxhc.com/rock-n-roll-legend-jerry-lee-lewis-dead-at-87/ |access-date=October 28, 2022 |website=X101 Always Classic |language=en-US |archive-date=October 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028175851/https://www.wxhc.com/rock-n-roll-legend-jerry-lee-lewis-dead-at-87/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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