Jerry Lee Lewis: The Killer's softer side

Delta Magazine visits with the living rock 'n' roll legend, and contrary to popular belief, we think he's as GOOD AS GOLD.

By Hank Burdine • photography by Jay Adkins

Who's gonna play this old piano after I'm not here.
Who's gonna sing those sad songs to you,
cause your eyes to fill with tears...
Who's gonna keep this music going, who will carry on.
Who's gonna play this old piano after the Killer's gone?
– Jerry Lee Lewis

Seventy years ago a five-year-old little boy sat down at a piano and, by ear, pecked out "Silent Night." That would become one of the most significant moments in the history of rock 'n' roll. Jerry Lee Lewis grew up in the Louisiana Delta in a religious household and large extended family. His folks made tremendous sacrifices to buy him a standup piano when he was eight years old and he ain't stopped slapping those ivories yet. "I banged on that ole piano until I wore holes through the keys," said the one and only Jerry Lee Lewis, lounging in a recliner at his Nesbit ranch. "My daddy used to say, 'Son, we gonna have to go to bed.' "

Young Jerry Lee was kicked out of school one day when he and his soon to be friend got in trouble for fighting with their teachers. As the two youngsters were walking out, Cecil Harrelson turned and said, "I'll see you later, Killer." And Jerry Lee replied, "Okay, Killer, I'll meet you at the pool hall." That name has never left him.

As a teenager, Jerry Lee was sent to Southwestern Bible College in Waxahachie, Texas. After attending for several months, he was expelled from school for playing a rock 'n' roll version of a favorite gospel hymn. Coming back home to Ferriday, Louisiana, Jerry Lee played with makeshift bands and performed solo at honky tonks and county fairs. His wild, explosive piano playing wowed the crowds, and he knew then that he was meant to be a performer.

During our visit, I asked the Killer if he thought he would be a star. "I KNEW I was going to be a star," he said. "I just couldn't wait 'till I was 20 years old and I could hit the road to Memphis and Sun Records. I wanted to see Sam Phillips; he was going to make me a star." About Sam Phillips, Jerry Lee, one of the very first performers ever to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, says, "He still owes me a LOT of money. Sam don't pay, he just records, but he is a genius—pure genius."

The Killer has fond memories of the early rock 'n' rollers from the Sam Phillips/Sun Records days. "Elvis was a good friend of mine; we had some good times together," he said. "Carl Perkins was a very loyal friend. And there was Carl Smith, Eddie Arnold, Conway Twitty and Johnny Cash. Now, they are all gone." The name of one of his recent albums, Last Man Standing, refers to the loss of all those original rock 'n' roll and country pioneers. Jerry Lee Lewis is the only one remaining of the old group.

We talked about his early touring days playing in Mississippi and around Memphis and he recalled, "We used to have some good times at Hernando's Hideaway and Bad Bob's. Hernando's Hideaway was the first nightclub in Memphis. I remember playing down in the Delta in Greenville [at The Headless Horseman, better known as One Block East]. It wasn't the opening of the club, but I remember playing there. We had some fun back then." When I mentioned the hectic and very fast paced lifestyle of an early rock 'n' roller, the Killer just shook his head, winked and replied, "It wasn't easy!"

Many stories abound of the Killer and his wild and crazy times, but the Jerry Lee Lewis I met is a man of family, devotion, traditions and certain values. One such value is that he doesn't like to play second fiddle to anyone or as a lead-on to another performer. In his living room during our visit, his son, Lee, reminded his father of one such moment. On a tour with Little Richard and Chuck Berry called the Three Kings Tour, Jerry Lee was asked to play the middle set and let Chuck Berry finish up the show. He agreed in the dressing room before the show that it would be alright. But at the end of the show, when asked to do an encore, the piano-pounding Killer came out and played "Johnny Be Good," the great Chuck Berry hit…on a guitar. Looking over his shoulder at the curtains he shouted, "Follow that, Chuck!" Needless to say, Jerry Lee finished out each show for the rest of the tour.

Now in his golden years, with many golden records adorning his walls, Jerry Lee still plays live on occasion. He had most recently performed at Memphis in May and on the calendar was a sold-out show in Philadelphia, Mississippi. Most of his traveling band lives close by in Memphis. Judith Coghlan, longtime devoted assistant from the Mississippi Delta, says, "The band is very loyal. They almost worship Jerry Lee."

Jerry Lee adds, "I have a lot of fans in Europe, never an empty seat. There is a whole new group of fans, the teenagers. They're great." He doesn't quite understand what the new rock 'n' roll is all about. "I don't really know too much about that stuff. It don't knock me out. I don't think anybody else can figure it out. [And] man, they are blemishing my country music."

When not touring, the Lewis Ranch is the Killer's home and hideaway. Dogs and horses roam freely and inside there is a special tile-floored and air-conditioned room for the house dogs. Having only weeks earlier lost his companion and best friend of 14 years, a chihuahua affectionately named Topaz, Jerry Lee remembers him with great love. Topaz's offspring run freely around the house while colorful paintings of his favorite dog are scattered about. I mentioned that it is said that in a man's life he is due one good dog and one good woman. Reflecting for a moment, the Killer turned towards me with an eyebrow lifted and said, "I've probably had more than one good woman!"
In the little town of Hernando, Mississippi, is an old time dairy bar called the Velvet Crème. It is a frequent destination of Jerry Lee and his entourage during the hot summer months for his favorite treat, a regular dipped ice cream cone. "But in this heat, sometimes it don't work. I just say baloney and throw it out the window!" And on his trips to his hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana, Jerry Lee often stops at Chamoun's Rest Haven in Clarksdale for a chili cheeseburger.

Almost seventy years of rockin' has not tarnished the Killer's love of the music or entertaining. He tours whenever he can and spends his off time at home enjoying his family, friends and his animals. His life has been filled with ups and downs, successes and some failures, both personal and financial, and he has experienced much heartbreak. Reflecting on those events he states, "It hasn't been an easy trip, but it's been a happy trip. Friends come and go and I've had a lot of tragedy in my life. I've buried most of my family, but God will make it work for you. He adds a special meaning to it."

At 75, Jerry Lee says his next album will be "an album of gospel songs with a little rock 'n' roll in there to mix it up, while it's probably not appropriate." The name of a song and possibly the album title will be, "Lord, I've Tried Every Thing but You!"

Through all the rockin' and rolling, fame and family hardships, how does he want to be remembered? After a moment of intense silence, he replied, "I just want to be remembered as Jerry Lee Lewis...and that's about a mouthful—that's a whole lifetime!" DM