RIP, Jerry Lee Lewis

There were rumors that we had lost one of the pioneer rock ‘n’ roll stars, Jerry Lee Lewis, just a coupleof days or so ago.

However, he did actually die yesterday, at the age of 87.

Lewis was best known for his iconic song, "Great Balls of Fire." He was a showman, and yet the drama that he created on stage - and he was undeniably a great performer - seemed almost nothing compared to the drama of his life off the stage. 

His status in rock 'n roll, however, was simply unquestioned. Here is part of the description from the article that I used in writing this particular blog entry:

The last survivor of a generation of groundbreaking performers that included Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Little Richard, Lewis died at his Mississippi home, south of Memphis, Tennessee, representative Zach Farnum said in a release. The news came two days after the publication of an erroneous TMZ report of his death, later retracted.

I actually saw Jerry Lee Lewis back in 1999, along with Chuck Berry and Little Richard. It was an amazing bill. Still, I was a bit shocked by how relatively few people were actually there for that show at the PNC Bank Arts Center. To me, it was like watching serious rock 'n roll history. Indeed, it felt like Lewis added a bit of adrenaline to that performance, even all of those decades after he was at his peak, and in the limelight. What a show!

RIP, Jerry Lee Lewis. 

Jerry Lee Lewis, outrageous rock ‘n’ roll star, dies at 87 by Hillel Italie, Reuters, October 27, 2022:

https://apnews.com/article/jerry-lee-lewis-dead-165d562af27b23da9d6d11fc480541e8