KILLER was his nickname.29 Oct 2022 13:10
Jerry Lee Lewis was the original wild man of rock'n'roll.
On stage, he performed in a state close to frenzy. A savage, raw energy burning within him, he hammered the keyboard like a man possessed.
His life was a toxic ****tail of scandal, addiction and violence. Two of his seven wives died in suspicious circumstances; another was barely more than a child.
This was the man who - legend has it - once drove to Graceland, high on alcohol and pills, with a gun on the dashboard. "Come out," he said to Elvis Presley, "and we'll soon find out who's King."
Lewis was disgraced many times. But those early tracks - A Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and Great Balls Of Fire - were so deeply part of the soundtrack of the 20th Century, that he never quite faded from the scene.
Sixty years after their recording, he still played to packed houses. And somehow - despite the drink and drugs - Lewis outlived many fellow rock'n'roll pioneers.
RIP