Jerry Lee Lewis 1935–2022 | The Student

This story was first published in November 2022 for The Student at the University of Edinburgh.

Rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis died on October 28th from a bout of pneumonia. He was 87 years old. In a career spanning seven decades, Lewis is remembered for such hits as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire.” He was also among the first class of inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Lewis began his career by playing in country-western bands and getting kicked out of church for playing boogie-woogie versions of gospel songs. From there, he made recordings in New Orleans before ultimately signing a deal with Sun Records in 1956 as a session musician. He played for the likes of Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins before recording a few of his own songs as well as covers. Lewis was part of the Class of ’55, a group that also included Cash and Perkins, as well as Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison, who were all signed by Sam Phillips. Cash, Perkins, Presley, and Lewis were also known as the Million Dollar Quartet, a name given to the four men after an impromptu session in December 1956.

Lewis may have been among the foundational pioneers of the rockabilly style, but he was just as much of a country star as a rock’n’roll star. He grew up watching the Louisiana Hayride, where he was first introduced to the music of Hank Williams, who would become a hero of Lewis’. And before his big move to Memphis, Lewis first recorded a version of country singer Lefty Frizzell’s “Don’t Stay Away (Till Love Grows Cold)”.

After his public image took a hit in 1958 due to revelations about his third marriage, it took him a decade to return to the charts with his cover of “Another Place, Another Time.” From 1968 to 1977, Lewis would have 17 Top 10 hits on the Billboard country charts, four of which went number 1. Music critics loved the minimal production, contrary to the popular Nashville sound, and likened his vocals to that of George Jones and Merle Haggard. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in October 2022.

Lewis finally made his debut on the Grand Ole Opry in 1973, 18 years since he had first visited the Music City. He would only play on the Ryman Auditorium stage one time. He was not asked to return after playing his rock’n’roll songs despite being asked not to, and for breaking the biggest rule of the Opry: no swearing.

Colin Escott later wrote of Lewis, “He didn’t fit in with the family values crowd [of Nashville]. Lewis family values weren’t necessarily worse, but they were different.”

Those Lewis family values were certainly at odds with the more conservative values of the country music establishment. In 1958, it was discovered that the 22-year-old Lewis was married to his 13-year-old first-cousin-once-removed Myra Gale Brown. When a London journalist revealed this, Lewis claimed that his wife was actually 15, which did not remedy the situation and shows were cancelled. By trying to conceal his relationship and even lie about her age means that he knew it was wrong and would negatively impact his career. Which it did. When Brown filed for divorce in 1970 after 12 years of marriage and two children, she stated that she suffered “every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable” at the hands of Lewis.

Lewis did have a known history of violent episodes. One episode included Lewis going to Elvis’ Graceland home with a gun in 1976. Lewis claims that they were friends and that Elvis had invited him, but when the police asked what they should do with Lewis, Elvis replied “Lock him up.”

Regardless of the commercial success and accolades Lewis received during his career, the good cannot be separated from the bad. In this era of “cancel culture,” each person must decide for themselves where their personal line in the sand is drawn. For some, they will not continue to financially support an artist whose actions they fundamentally disagree with while others cannot continue to listen to the music at all. It is important for each individual to decide where that line falls for them and decide on a case by case basis which artists they will continue to support and to what extent.

Lewis’ passing represents another opportunity for us to reflect on how we may honor the contributions people of the past have made towards our collective culture and how we may not absolve them of wrongdoing they may have committed throughout their lives.