Country Music Hall of Fame Musician Jerry Lee Lewis has died at the age of 87. He was at home in Desoto County, Mississippi.
Jerry Lee Lewis was considered a pioneer of Rock and Roll. During his career he scored 24 hit songs on the music charts, recorded 40 albums and won 4 Grammy Awards. Some of his most memorable songs include “Whole Lot of Shakin Going On,” and “Great Balls of Fire.”
Jerry Lee Lewis spent his childhood in Ferriday, Louisiana playing the piano with two cousins, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart. These two cousins would also grow up to be famous. Mickey Gilley a country singer and Jimmy Swaggart, a televangelist.
Jerry Lee Lewis performed for a crowd for the first time in 1949. It was at a car dealership. A few years later, he recorded his first demo in New Orleans and then traveled to Nashville to play shows at clubs. He attempted to get on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, but the Opry turned him down.
Finally in 1956, he recorded “Whole Lot Of Shakin Going on” at Sun Records in Memphis. This song catapulted his career to worldwide fame. His popularity hit a low after Jerry Lee Lewis married his 13 year old cousin Myra Gale Brown.
By the 1970s, Lewis started having music success once again. His life story was made into a movie in 1989. That same year he was given a star along Hollywood Boulevard.
Funeral services will be announced. Jerry Lee Lewis’ family has requested that in lieu of flowers, please donate to the Arthritis Foundation or MusiCares.
Source: Country Aircheck Chronicle