Books.org participates in affiliate programs including Bookshop.org and the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. We may earn a commission from qualifying purchases made through links on this page, at no additional cost to you.
Overview
In Jerry Lee Lewis: The Birth of Rock'n'Roll, author Joe Bonomo delves deeply into the accidental intersection between fading American Rockabilly and the ascending Beatlemania. By first taking a look at the critical years before his famed night in 1964 at West Germany's Star-Club, then the tumultuous years that follow, culminating in his years on the American Country charts in the late 60s/early 70s, Bonomo brings Jerry Lee Lewis to life in new and fascinating ways.
Sales Points
A brilliant study of one of the most celebrated and controversial figures in rock'n'roll, at his peak and in the commercial wilderness.
By focusing on the legendary "Live At The Star-Club" album, Joe Bonomo creates a portrayal of Jerry Lee Lewis at his incendiary best.
Description
By now it's an old story, as indelible as Juliet on the balcony or Paul Bunyan in the forest, bearing in this case the imagery of trashy southern culture, a sinning young man, and the myth of the commercial rise-and-fall. The story of Louisiana hellcat Jerry Lee Lewis and his 1958 wedding scandal-it was discovered that at 22 he'd married his 13-year old second cousin, Myra, before he was divorced from his second wife-took precedence long ago over the man himself and the music he makes. Because scandal is sexier than toiling in long shadows, the incident will forever taunt and haunt Lewis as he plays and performs, and after his death will likely be the lead in each of his obituaries.
In Jerry Lee Lewis: The Birth of Rock'n'Roll author Joe Bonomo lets others focus on the scandal and delves more deeply into the accidental intersection between fading American Rockabilly and the ascending Beatlemaina. By firsttaking a look at the critical years before his famed night in 1964 at West Germany's Star-Club - what that meant not only for him but the entire live album-making world - then the tumultuous years that follow, culminating in his years on the American Country charts in the late 60s/early 70s, Bonomo brings Jerry Lee Lewis to life in new and fascinating ways.
In spite of plummeting record sales and concert fees, a media savaging of his personal character, a change of record labels and management, and a considerable upturn in drug and alcohol abuse, Jerry Lee Lewis persevered. In between being betrayed and ignored, he would record one of the greatest rock & roll performances in history. This book examines and explains the almighty impact of the Father of Rock'n' Roll.
Synopsis
A superb new study of Jerry Lee Lewis that's as intense and fast paced as the life of "The Killer" himself, from the height of fame to the bumpy road that followed.
"The category in which Jerry Lee Lewis truly belongs is 'Jerry Lee Lewis.' The Killer is as big as Mount Rushmore, and he's also as American, as revered, as clichéd, as misunderstood, as corny, and as taken for granted as that monument. The curse of iconoclastic American success. Elvis felt it, so does Dylan. So will others who haven't been born yet."
The story of Louisiana hellcat Jerry Lee Lewis and his 1958 wedding scandal-it was discovered that at 22 he had married his 13-year old second cousin, Myra, before he was divorced from his second wife-long ago took precedence over the man himself and the music he makes. In Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found, author Joe Bonomo lets others focus on the scandal and delves more deeply into the accidental intersection between fading American Rockabilly and ascending Beatlemania. By first taking a look at the critical years before his famed night in 1964 at West Germany's Star-Club - what that meant not only for him but the entire live album-making world - then the tumultuous years that follow, culminating in his time on the American Country charts in the late 60s/ early 70s, Bonomo brings Jerry Lee Lewis to life in new and fascinating ways.
In spite of plummeting record sales and concert fees, a media savaging of his personal character, a change of record labels and management, and a considerable upturn in his drug and alcohol abuse, Jerry Lee Lewis has persevered. In between being betrayed and ignored, he would record one of the greatest rock & roll performances in history. Bonomo's thorough research includes new interviews with Live at the Star-Club producer Sigi Loch, members of the Nashville Teens, and other musicians and fans who were at the Star-Club performance, as well as with music industry figures ranging from famed Nashville producer Jerry Kennedy and legendary Memphis stalwart Jim Dickinson to Killer-influenced contemporaries John Doe and Dave Alvin. This passionate book examines and explains the almighty impact of the Father of Rock'n'Roll.