Mickey Gilley

===Early life and the rise to fame===
Gilley was born to Arthur Fillmore Gilley (November 27, 1897 – February 2, 1982) and Irene Gilley ({{nee}} Lewis; September 11, 1900 – August 14, 1985)<ref name=Unconquered>{{Citation | last = Davis | first = J. D. | title = Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley | publisher = Brown Books Publishing Group | place = Dallas, Texas | isbn = 978-1-61254-041-2 | edition = 1st | year = 2012}}</ref> in [[Natchez, Mississippi]].<ref name="LarkinCountry"/><ref>From Mickey Gilley show in Branson, Missouri, "His Story, His Life, His Music", June 19, 2013.</ref>

For many years, Gilley lived in the shadow of his well-known cousin, [[Jerry Lee Lewis]], a successful [[rock and roll]] singer and musician in the 1950s and early 1960s. Gilley grew up in Louisiana, just across the [[Mississippi River]] from where Lewis grew up. Gilley's family moved to the east side of Houston, Texas, in the 1940s, where he attended [[Galena Park High School]].  He was primarily a guitarist at the time and took his guitar to school to entertain classmates.

Gilley, Lewis, and their cousin, [[Jimmy Swaggart]], played together as children. Lewis taught them his piano style.{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}

They sang both [[boogie-woogie]] and [[gospel music]], but Gilley did not become a professional singer until Lewis hit the top of the charts in the 1950s. Gilley then cut a few singles and played sessions in [[New Orleans]] with producer [[Huey P. Meaux]]. His record "Call Me Shorty" on the [[Dot Records|Dot]] label sold well in 1958. In the 1960s, he played at many clubs and bars, gaining a following at the Nesadel Club in [[Pasadena, Texas]]. [[Jewel Records (Shreveport record label)|Paula Records]] released Gilley's first album, ''Down the Line'', in 1967. He had a minor hit from the album called "Now I Can Live Again".<ref name="LarkinCountry"/>

In 1970, Gilley joined in a partnership with Sherwood Cryer. Sherwood owned the club under the name Shelly's. His first nightclub in Pasadena, Texas, called [[Gilley's Club]].<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> It later became known as the "world's biggest [[honky-tonk]]". Gilley's Club and its [[mechanical bull]] were portrayed in the 1980 film, ''[[Urban Cowboy]]''.<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> He shared Gilley's Club with [[Sherwood Cryer]], who asked Gilley to re-open his former bar with him.<ref name="LarkinCountry"/> The club portion of Gilley's burned in 1990,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/07/05/Fire-at-defunct-honky-tonk-of-Urban-Cowboy-fame/2075647150400/|title=Fire at defunct honky-tonk of 'Urban Cowboy' fame|publisher=UPI|date=July 5, 1990|access-date=August 17, 2021}}</ref> and the [[rodeo]] arena portion was razed in 2005 to make way for a school.{{Citation needed|date=March 2020}}