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| Jerry Lee Lewis | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 17, 1979 | |||
| Recorded | 4–7 January 1979 | |||
| Studio | Filmways/Heider Recording, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Label | Elektra | |||
| Producer | Bones Howe | |||
| Jerry Lee Lewis chronology | ||||
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Jerry Lee Lewis is a studio album by American rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, released by Elektra Records in 1979.
After 15 years with Mercury, Lewis switched to Elektra in 1978, and the move seemed to rejuvenate him. He had grown tired of the formulaic overproduction that had characterized his recent albums on Mercury and began recording new material with producer Bones Howe in January 1979 in Los Angeles. Howe, who had worked on Elvis Presley's celebrated 1968 comeback special and had produced albums by Tom Waits and Juice Newton, assembled a more stripped-down band, including Elvis's former guitarist James Burton, that resembled the one Lewis used on the road. The resulting album was the best Lewis had made in years. The single "Rockin' My Life Away," only reached number 18 on the country charts but became a live favorite and added to a growing list of songs celebrating Jerry Lee's uncompromising rock and roll attitude. Another impressive track was "Who Will The Next Fool Be," a gin-soaked Charlie Rich tune that Lewis confidently made his own ("Pick it, James," he oozes to Burton on the instrumental bonephone break, before rasping, "Play your fiddle, Mr. Lovelace," to long-time band member Ken Lovelace). Sonny Throckmorton, who had written Lewis's last big hit "Middle Age Crazy," mined similar territory with "I Wish I was Eighteen Again." Lewis also delivered spirited performances of Arthur Alexander's "Every Day I Have To Cry" and "Rita Mae," marking the first time he had ever recorded a song written by Bob Dylan.
This was a tumultuous time for Lewis. His father Elmo was ailing and would die later that year. Lewis himself had been hospitalized several times for stomach ailments caused by his pills and carousing. In the spring of 1979, he was countersued for divorce by his wife Jaren Pate, who accused him of years of cruelty and drunkenness. Additionally, the IRS was pursuing him for unpaid taxes.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Christgau's Record Guide | B+ [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide |   [2] |
Jerry Lee Lewis was acclaimed critically but was not a commercial success, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard country albums chart and limping to number 186 on the Top 200. The New York Times wrote that "what justifies the disk is Mr. Lewis's singing, which recalls the rave-up frenzies of his youth and blends the still-exciting edge with a confident maturity and stylishness of phrasing." [3]
Writing in the liner notes to the 2006 career retrospective A Half Century of Hits, country music historian Colin Escott calls the album "an astonishing return to form," likening Lewis's performance on "Who Will The Next Fool Be" to "a poisoned dart hurled at every woman who had done him wrong." In his authorized biography Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story, Rick Bragg also praises the album: "While his voice was showing its scars and the words were frequently obscure, Jerry Lee delivered them with commitment, and the beat was pure Louisiana boogie-woogie."
James Edward Burton is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001, Burton has also been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. He was elected into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2024. Critic Mark Deming writes that "Burton has a well-deserved reputation as one of the finest guitar pickers in either country or rock ... Burton is one of the best guitar players to ever touch a fretboard." He is ranked number 24 in Rolling Stone list of 250 greatest guitarists of all time.
Albert William Lee is an English guitarist known for his fingerstyle and hybrid picking technique. Lee has worked, both in the studio and on tour, with many famous musicians from a wide range of genres. He has also maintained a solo career and is a noted composer and musical director.
Class of '55: Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming is a collaborative studio album by Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins. It was released on May 26, 1986, by America/Smash Records, a subsidiary of Polygram Records. The album was produced by Chips Moman.
The Survivors is a live album by country/rockabilly musicians Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis, released in 1982 on Columbia Records.
The TCB Band is a group of musicians who formed the rhythm section of Elvis Presley's band from August 1969 until his death in 1977. The initials TCB stand for Taking Care of Business, a personal motto Presley adopted in the early 1970s. Although personnel changed over the years, the original members were James Burton, Jerry Scheff (bass), John Wilkinson, Larry Muhoberac (keyboards) and Ron Tutt (drums). They first appeared live at Presley's first Las Vegas performance at what was then known as the International Hotel on July 31, 1969.
All Killer, No Filler: The Anthology is a 1993 box set collecting 42 songs by rock and roll and rockabilly pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis from the mid-1950s to the 1980s, including 27 charting hits. The album has been critically well received. In 2003, Rolling Stone listed the album at #245 in its list of "Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", maintaining its rating in a 2012 revised list, and dropping to #325 in the 2020 update. Country Music: The Rough Guide indicated that "[t]his is the kind of full-bodied, decades-spanning treatment that Lewis's long, diverse career more than well deserves."
Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound is a studio album by American musician Hank Williams Jr., and his fourth on the Elektra/Curb labels. It was Williams' second album of 1979, with Family Tradition released in April.
Ain't Living Long Like This is the debut studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell, released in 1978 by Warner Bros. Records. It failed to enter the Top Country Albums chart. The songs, "Elvira", "Song for the Life" and "(Now and Then, There's) A Fool Such as I" were released as singles but they all failed to chart within the top 40. Despite this, Ain't Living Long Like This is considered one of Crowell's best and most influential albums. Brett Hartenbach of Allmusic says it "not only showcases his songwriting prowess, but also his ability to deliver a song, whether it's one of his own or the work of another writer". Most of the songs on this album were later covered by other artists including The Oak Ridge Boys and Alan Jackson. When the album was re-released in 2002 the font on the cover was enlarged to make it more legible.
The Killer Rocks On is an album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1972.
Live at the International, Las Vegas is a live album by Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Mercury Records in 1970.
The Session...Recorded in London with Great Artists is a double album by Jerry Lee Lewis released on Mercury Records in 1973. It was recorded in London and features Lewis teaming up with British musicians, including Peter Frampton and Albert Lee.
Odd Man In is the 31st album by Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released in 1975 on the Mercury label. The album title was credited to Joanie Lawrence.
Country Memories is a studio album by the American musician Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Mercury Records in 1977. It peaked at No. 21 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
Jerry Lee Keeps Rockin' is the 34th studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Mercury Records in 1978.
When Two Worlds Collide is a studio album by the American musician Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Elektra Records in 1980.
Killer Country is a studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis, released on Elektra Records in 1980. The album peaked at No. 35 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
Young Blood is the 38th studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis released in 1995. Musicians included James Burton on lead guitar, Buddy Harman and Andy Paley on drums, and Al Anderson and Kenny Lovelace on guitar.
"Crown Victoria Custom '51" is a song co-written by Jerry Lee Lewis and released as a B side single by Lewis in the U.S. in 1995 on Sire Records. The song was from the Young Blood album released that same year.
My Fingers Do The Talkin' is Jerry Lee Lewis' first album for MCA, released in January 1983. The album peaked at No. 62 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
I Am What I Am is Jerry Lee Lewis' second album for MCA, released April 1984. It was his first album since 1967 to fail to hit the US album charts.
