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Artist
BiographyBorn September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, Jerry Lee had only one or two piano lessons, the teacher whacking him for wanting to play in his own style right from the start. Instead, Jerry taught himself from the radio and juke box, soaking up the styles of Hank Williams, Jimmy Rodgers, Al Jolson and other artists in a glorious era of American popular music. Another major influence came from sneaking into Haney's Big House, the black blues club in Ferriday, where the songs were revelatory both in subject matter and beat to a boy who had been raised in the tightly buttoned tradition of Assembly of God Christianity. After two marriages, a brief try at Bible college (expelled for playing the piano his way), and a disastrous episode selling vacuum cleaners door to door, Jerry noticed some interesting new music on the radio, most of which seemed to be emanating from Sun Records. He and his father, Elmo Lewis, pooled their extremely limited funds and drove to Memphis where Jerry announced himself at Sun and demanded an audition in November 1956. Sun owner Sam Phillips quickly signed Jerry in hopes of replacing Elvis Presley, whose contract he had recently sold to RCA. Even without Presley, Sun had a stellar roster with Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Roy Orbison. Jerry soon eclipsed them all with two monster hit singles in 1957: "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire." His debut appearance on The Steve Allen Show on July 28 took early rock to a stunnin