Jerry Lee is the sole surviver of the famed Sun Records Million Dollar Quartet and he isn’t done with recording yet. This month saw the release of his duets album “Mean Old Man” and a series of public appearances, including a guest spot in the Broadway show “The Million Dollar Quartet.” He has lost some of his early fire to be sure, but the crowds still love to see this rock ‘n’ roll pioneer.

Here’s some of Jerry Lee’s classics:

Jerry Lee Lewis – Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On (1957)

Jerry Lee Lewis – Great Balls of Fire (1957)

Jerry Lee Lewis – Breathless (1958)

Jerry Lee Lewis – What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (1969)

See also:
Jerry Lee Lewis Profile

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Like many of the great early rockers, including Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis. He had already been turned down by both the Grand Ole Opry and the Louisiana Hayride when he arrived at Sun Studios in November 1956. After an impressive audition, he began recording for the label both as a session musician and solo artist. In late 1956/early 1957, Lewis played piano on tracks such as Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox”, “Your True Love”, “You Can Do No Wrong”, and “Put Your Cat Clothes On”, and Billy Lee Riley’s “Flyin’ Saucers Rock’n'Roll.

Jerry Lee was present at a Carl Perkins’ session in December 1956 when Elvis Presley dropped by and the legendary Million Dollar Quarter jam session took place. Some now simply call this the Million Dollar sessions because, although Johnny Cash was there on the day, he does not appear to feature on the recordings.

Jerry Lee Lewis’ breakthrough year was 1957 with his monster international hits “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” and “Great Balls of Fire”. Unfortunately, this initial success was cut short due to scandal. In May 1958, while on a British tour, it emerged that Lewis’ new wife, Myra Gale Brown, was his first cousin once removed and only 13 years old. The scandal caused the tour to be cancelled after three concerts and once back in the USA he was blacklisted from radio.

After sporadic success in the early and mid-60s, Jerry Lee Lewis made a comeback as a country artist in the late 60s. In 1968, his single “Another Place, Another Time” hit the top ten and a string of other top ten hits followed, including a number one with “To Make Love Sweeter For You”.

Jerry Lee Lewis was one of the first inductees into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. That year also saw a return to his musical roots at Sun Studios, where he recorded Class of ’55 with Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins.

In 1989, a popular biopic was released called Great Balls of Fire, which starred Dennis Quaid. Jerry Lee did a great job re-recording his old hits for the soundtrack and the movie brought him a lot of much deserved attention.

After making little chart noise for years, Jerry Lee released a new album in 2006 called Last Man Standing. This well received CD featured duets with guest stars such as Jimmy Page, Bruce Spingsteen, Mick Jagger, Rod Stewart, Eric Clapton, Little Richard, B.B. King and Kid Rock. The Last Man Standing CD is available from Amazon.

The CD was followed up by the Last Man Standing Live DVD, which had concert footage of duets with Willie Nelson, Tom Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard, Chris Isaak, Norah Jones, Kid Rock and others. The Last Man Standing Live DVD is available from Amazon.

Happy Birthday Jerry Lee Lewis.