For Throwback Thursday today, I have one word for you…….Outlaw. And not in the traditional sense of the word. Jerry Lee Lewis, "The Killer", has put forth a career that has span 60 years. This singer/songwriter/piano extraordinaire did it his way, and really didn't care what people thought of him. From his rockabilly roots to his country years, he has placed his name beside the great ones in history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, and Rolling Stone put his box set All Killer, No Filler in their top 500 albums of all time. He was one of the original four of the Memphis sound, with Johnny Cash, Elvis, and Roy Orbison. You can read up on him, from his rock and roll success in the late 50's, to his marriage to his 13 year old cousin which lead to his controversial downfall, then his resurrection into country music in the late 60's and 70's. He has, and still is, doing things his way. Here is a video of Jerry Lee in the early days, doing "Great Balls of Fire."
1st cousins to the great Mickey Gilley, here is a great example of how two boys from poor upbringing in Louisiana made it big. If you love piano, you'll love this!
Lastly, put Jerry Lee with Willie, Merle, and Keith Richards on a bluesy "Trouble in Mind"……Amazing!
PS - Thanks to my old friend who was born in the '60s for helping me with this one.
Today, April 6, is the birthday of one of my all-time heros, Merle Haggard. The man not only is a country music legend, he also inspired so many of my favorite artists today. He broke many rules of Music Row and there is absolutely no way he would have made it in today's cut & paste fake music industry.
Merle sings and writes from his own life stories. His dad died when he was nine years old and he spent many years in and out of prison. My favorite song of his, Mama Tried is not something he came up with to sound like a badass. It was stuff that actually happened in his life. That is what I love about music. When people have experiences, write about them, and sing them.
Misery and Gin, The Fightin' Side of Me, Pancho and Lefty, I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink. They never get old and neither will he!
