nd Lewis

Around the time of his 71st birthday, rock-&-roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis unveiled LAST MAN STANDING, a celebratory outing that features a stunning cast of guest musicians, ranging from B.B. King and Little Richard to Merle Haggard and Neil Young. Among the many highlights of this album are Lewis's lively collaboration with guitarist Jimmy Page on Led Zeppelin's "Rock N' Roll," a rendition that wonderfully plays up the tune's 1950s leanings, and the Killer's honky-tonk spin on Hank Williams's "Lost Highway," which points to his often-overlooked country recordings and features Delaney Bramlett's searing six-string work. Like the latter-day recordings of his old Sun labelmate Johnny Cash, this Lewis collection points to a remarkable legacy, while also displaying his still-formidable talents, resulting in a musical testament to aging impressively well……

This is a short compilation of 14 hits of Jerry Lee Lewis. A good opportunity for those who only have heard about “The Killer” and who want to know how this Rock’n Roll phenomenon sounded in the 50s and 60s.

With this 3-CD collection you get to hear the original Sun Records recordings of The Killer's best and most popular tunes. When you hear these songs, you begin to understand why his influence on later rock and roll artists is so strong. The Reckless intensity he displays here on such classics as "Whole lotta shakin' goin' on","Breathless", and on such wild and quirky versions of Ray Charles' "What'd I Say", and the old Hank Williams favorite, "Jambalaya", is rarely heard anywhere else in his long and storied career. If you want to find out what all the fuss was about, this collection is a great place to start.

The Many Sides Of Jerry Lee Lewis is a 2-CD collection, covering his magnificent return to the top of his career and his signing to Mercury Records. This 40 track collection features some of his most experimental work in a successful recording period when he emerged as pure, unrefined Jerry Lee Lewis, 75% inspiration, 25% ego, 100% magnificent…..

16 lives tunes taken from a couple of shows in Milan and Rome, Italy in April, 1987. I've heard better live sets from Jerry Lee on record but he certainly isn't asleep at the piano or anything. His daughter Phoebe and his sister Linda Gail are the backup singers, the band (uncredited) is pretty good and the Killer's piano pounding is, as always, impressive. Highlights are Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms with the gals and a fine honky tonk tune, There Must Be More To Love Than This. The sound quality is a little muddy, but the real fan of the Killer will not hesitate to get it.

A nice 2-CD set of the “pumpin' piano” man.

Born in the Northern Louisiana Town of Ferriday in 1935, Jerry Lee Lewis grew up listening to a variety of music; The Louisiana Hayride and Grand Ol' Opry broadcasts, 78 rpm recordings of country singers, and the inspired gospel music of the Assembly of God Church. He also spent hours hiding behind the bar at Haney's Big House, soaking up the sounds of blues men like, then 18 year old B.B. King.
His parents both loved country music, and soon young Jerry Lee picked up on it too. At his aunt's house, Jerry would play on the piano and when his parents heard him, they knew he was naturally gifted. They even mortgaged their home to buy him his own piano when Jerry was 8………

John Aaron Lewis, 3 May 1920, LaGrange, Illinois, USA, d. 29 March 2001, New York City, New York, USA. A formally trained pianist from a very early age, Lewis studied music and anthropology at the University of New Mexico. first took an interest in jazz after meeting Kenny Clarke. In 1946, both men joined Dizzy Gillespie's big band with Lewis writing charts in addition to his rhythm section duties. In the late 40s and early 50s, Lewis continued his musical studies and also accompanied numerous important jazz artists including Charlie Parker, Miles Davis and Milt Jackson. His association with Jackson continued with their group taking the name, the Modern Jazz Quartet, in 1954. The MJQ stayed in existence until 1974 after which Lewis turned to teaching. In the late 80s the Modern Jazz Quartet re-formed and Lewis also worked with his own sextet and as musical director of the American Jazz Orchestra, a group especially dedicated to the performance of big band music and which played and recorded such important pieces as Benny Carter's "Central City Sketches". In the 80s Lewis was also musical director of the Monterey Jazz Festival, a role he gave up as his long-lived playing career continued to blossom.
Although he began his jazz career in bebop, a style that was always apparent in his playing, Lewis' classical training and extensive musical studies emerged in many of his compositions, which employed eighteenth and nineteenth century European musical forms. He also insisted on tuxedos for the MJQ's performances, and wherever possible performed in classical concert halls and recital rooms rather than clubs.