Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story audiobook

"If there was one thing he was serious about, it was the piano, and he committed himself to it single-mindedly", pg. 75I enjoyed the realism and story behind the legendary Jerry Lee Lewis. He saw the piano for the first time at age 4 at a relative's house. He was forbidden to touch it and this instantly became his forbidden temptation. He hit one of the keys, he felt a "cool fire" take over his body. "I don't know what happened. Somethin' strange. I felt it in my whole body. I felt it." (pg. 51) He started playing/learning church hymns and gospels with his father and then became the biggest sensation of his time. Jerry Lee Lewis was raised pentecostal Assembly of God ministries and firmly believes in baptism by the Holy Spirit, being sanctified, laying on of hands, speaking in tongues, etc. "It took hold of them," Jerry Lee says now, "because it was real."The Holy Ghost comes into a person "like a fire" he says."I took hold of it," he says "because it is real."pg. 46Sadly, when they were very young, he witnessed his big brother run over and killed by a drunk driver while playing ball one day. The driver popped the curb and killed him instantly. He would be haunted with this memory for the rest of his life. "Jerry would carry his one recollection of his big brother around for the rest of his life; he always liked that idea, how a big brother was watching over him", pg. 50 As a teenager, he finally bowed to his mother's wishes and decided to use his God-given talents as a singer and piano player to bring people to the Lord. He was enrolled in Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahachie, Texas. One day in mandatory student chapel service, the student band played "My God Is Real" but Jerry Lee played it boogie-woogie style in front of the student body and facility. He was expelled; this would be the start of the lifelong inner conflict between his faith in God and the love of the 'devil's music', pgs. 113-9. Jerry Lee Lewis' take on "My God Is Real"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVuAr... The story is very sentimental and feels as if Jerry Lee Lewis is talking to you right off the pages. I highly recommend this one especially if you enjoy musicians and performers! Thanks!

Jerry Lee Lewis : His Own Story by Rick Bragg is a 2014 Harper publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the most colorful characters is musical history and perhaps also one of the most misunderstood as well. This book is written by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg and he does an excellent job of telling Jerry Lee's story. It's Jerry's life, his memories, his voice that literally jumped off the pages and I found myself utterly absorbed in his tale. From a rock and roll pioneer to a huge country star, then back to his rock roots blended with blues and gospel, “The Killer” may not be the same physically, but in his his heart and spirit he is still as wild and dangerous as ever. The one thing that came to my mind as I read this book is my own experience with Jerry Lee Lewis at a live country music show my parents dragged me to as a child. I don't remember much about the show except I hated country music and did not want to go in the first place and once we arrived at the auditorium and the show started, I promptly fell asleep... until a commotion in the crowd woke me up and I saw people heading toward the exits in droves. But, when I looked to the stage area, Jerry Lee Lewis was standing up yelling at the crowd to sit down because he wasn't finished yet. He was mad as hell and tore his shirt off and threw it on the floor, then sat down at the piano and started playing “boogie woogie”. The story my parents tell me is that Jerry came out as the closing act that night and was not in the mood to dive right in, so he messed around with the piano a little, but mainly he just talked and talked. It was edging toward midnight by this time and people decided if he wasn't going to perform they would were going to on home. But, believe me, they changed their minds, took their seats again, and the place became electric. It was the best show that entire night... at least for me. I had never before seen anything like that, so now 40 years later I still remember it vividly. From that day forward I was a huge Jerry Lee Lewis fan. He rocked the house that night even if he did get off to a rocky start For me it was pure magic. Having spent the first 9 years of my life in Louisiana I understood things many may not about the south, rural areas in particular, and the time period in which Jerry grew up. I understood his dialect, knew from hearing my family speak of those hard times,what kind of foundation Jerry had and understood the effect it had on him and the way he lived his life. On his marriage to his thirteen year old third cousin: “He really believed there were things in his life that were the world's business and things that were his business, like the things that happened between a man and his wife. He believed it. After all, he was the king of rock and roll. Elvis had said so. And one thing for sure he would never give it up, never just hand it off in tears. They would have to take it from him.” To this day the man makes no apologies for that marriage. While he knows it damaged his career he still refuses to acknowledge anything wrong or scandalous about it. After all he never hid the marriage from the public, not like Elvis hid Priscilla at Graceland for most of her teenage years. For many, this scandal is the first thing they think of when they hear the name Jerry Lee Lewis. His biopic “ Great Balls of Fire” starring Dennis Quaid was a cartoonish portrayal of Jerry that certainly didn't do him justice. The movie focused on Jerry's rise to fame and ended with the scandal and fall out of his marriage to Myrna. Thankfully, the internet has made it possible to see Jerry Lee Lewis as he really was. Jerry did a lot of living after his initial fall from grace. He did struggle mightily after his marriage to Myrna, but after a time, he found himself carving out a second career as a country music star. He was even invited to play the Rhine Auditorium years after they shunned him. Jerry would follow this pattern on and off all the way up to present day. He was wildly successful, then hit hard times, would go on a winning streak, then hit the skids again. He struggled with many very serious health issues and nearly died on three occasions. He married seven times, lost two sons and two wives, had epic battles with the IRS and struggled for years with addictions to pills and other drugs. But, as he retells his story here I couldn't help but feel that power in the man, something that emanated from him. He has a real fire inside him he was born with and he just never gave himself over to conformity. It never crossed his mind. He is street smart, can be very funny, and dabbled in things most may not be aware of. Such as coming face to face with Janis Joplin somewhere around the Port Arthur area. The brazen Joplin actually slapped “Killer” across the face over a perceived insult and the two nearly came to an all out brawl... or Jerry Lee's first encounter with the Rolling Stones, a band he found he could relate to much more that the wildly popular Beatles. “While backstage, he noticed a skinny, big-lipped kid on the stage, jamming like an over- excited teenager, waving a movie camera around. It was Mick Jagger. “He was rolling on the floor with his camera,' says Jerry Lee. ' He had every album I had ever made-- with him. I told him , 'I'm not going to sign all them albums.'”Many probably don't know Jerry was in a stage production of a rock opera based on Shakespeare's Othello called “Catch My Soul”. Jerry played the part of “Iago” the notorious villain of the story. He stole the show, but backed out of taking the show to Broadway. (Something he now regrets) While Jerry's life was marred by tragedies and mistakes, hard living, and health issues, his musical talent has never lost it's edge. He is still out there, still on occasion he performs a show here or there. He may not have the ability to play the piano with his butt anymore, but he still maintains that quality that is uniquely Jerry Lee Lewis. He did what he wanted the way he wanted it more often than not. He was not someone that could be bottled and sold like Elvis was. He had a dangerousness about him, an edge, a determination, grit, and an iron will. He worked hard in good times and bad times. There was nothing left out, nothing sugar coated or glossed over. Out of all those who signed with Sun Records Jerry is the only one still standing. He's survived Elvis, Cash, and many others a long the way. Written off many times, Jerry has lived to tell his story, his way. Jerry just steam rolled through his life going ninety miles and hour. While he has regrets, he rarely apologizes for anything, rarely admits sorrow or pain, and certainly never showed a weakness, at least not in public. The author did an outstanding job with this telling of a man's life story. He set the stage well, digging deep into Jerry's childhood roots, leading us through his future success, and the incredible life of the music legend that was Jerry Lee Lewis- The Killer. While Rick Bragg weaves his own style into the book, it's his ability to allow Jerry Lee Lewis to shine through, to allow the reader to get a realistic look at who the man is and how he lived his life. His work on this book is outstanding. I promise you will find this book absolutely fascinating and will turn the last page in awe of the performer, the man, the music, and the author of this book. 5 stars

When I had read somewhere that Rick Bragg was writing a book on Jerry Lee Lewis I got very excited that I would be able to once again read a Rick Bragg book. I of course knew of Jerry Lee Lewis but not all that much as he was a bit before my time when he was a huge star. Sometimes when you anticipate something for a long while and you finally get to it there is a disappointment of not living up to the hype. Well I just finished the book and it delivers on all levels. Not only did I get to go back in time to the birth of Rock-N-Roll and how it all began I also was treated to the incredible journey of a life with more ups and downs than a honeymoon bed written by my favorite contemporary author who weaves together the knotted pine hard tapestry that is Jerry Lee Lewis's life and times. Rick Bragg's writing to me is as enjoyable as is the book itself. He has a God's gift with words just as Jerry Lee Lewis has a God's gift of music. I know I have read a truly great piece of literature when I am saddened by its conclusion like losing a new friend too quickly after you have just met. To anyone who reads this review, if you have any interest in Jerry Lee Lewis, music in general or are a fan of great writers this is a must read. Enjoy the ride.

Jerry Lee Lewis is not a likeable guy. His entire life has been spent acting the spoiled brat; throwing tantrums, slapping convention in the face, and being totally self-immersed. Rick Bragg, the author of “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story,” to his credit, doesn’t try to hide this unfortunate quirk. He simply reports it.Lewis has to be considered a prodigy. He can’t read music but can replicate any song after hearing it a couple of times. His piano playing is masterful and he can do it with his shoes or his butt as well as with his fingers. And he has been able to do it since he was a young child. Name a song and he knows it. Name the style and he can reproduce it. I suspect he can play “Moon River” in his raucous rock and roll style after kicking his piano bench into the wings. His fans would love it.But he’s a stoner and a drunk. He’s a fighter and a fornicator. He’s an egomaniac with an attitude. In spite of the wrinkles, he’s also one of the biggest stars to ever come to fame.How does a respected writer such as Rick Bragg handle all this? With style and class and glorious prose. And without any apparent view, good or bad, exactly the way I like my autobiographies and the way they should be written. Bragg once again demonstrates why he has to be considered one of America’s best writers. He has no equal as an interviewer, and is able to transcribe even the most inane responses, or even nonresponses, into totally gripping reporting. His research and ability to assemble a lifetime of events into an intense and revealing study of his subjects is incomparable.In Bragg’s Acknowledgements section he talks about his relationship with Lewis, the laughs and the broken hearts, the lack of guilt for the way he’s reported the man’s life. “Life is dirty and hard, and he reminded me that even in the middle of that junkyard there is great beauty, if you only listen.”If you are a music buff and interested in the ways of our musical icons, this is your book. Don’t miss it.

At 80 years old, Jerry Lee is the last man standing of the "Million Dollar Quartet" (Elvis, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins). However, it's not due to healthy living. I knew he was a wild man, but did not realize he probably outdid Keith Moon. In fact he seemed to have no internal filter. And despite the fact that he partook of alcohol, pills and made a living playing the "Devil's music," he seems genuinely religious and fearful he may go to Hell because of it.The author is a fellow Southerner which is probably how he was able to establish an unusual rapport with his subject, getting him to remember things he might otherwise have forgotten. I really enjoyed the parts about his childhood in Louisiana: taunting his playmates while standing on the railing of a suspension bridge over the Mississippi, sneaking into juke joints and finally, dropping in on Sun studios to demand a recording contract.The scandal involving his wedding to his 13 year old cousin is covered in a way that makes the whole incident seem excusable (in his milieu people married their cousins all the time and his own sister married at 14). The tragedy is, the lucrative bookings and record sales dried up and he was reduced to slogging it out on the road, literally getting into fist fights with hecklers. We'll never know what kind of great records he might have made if TV, radio and larger venues had not blacklisted him.It was only when it got to the 1960s, when interest in his music picked up again, that I felt the author skipped over a lot of things I was interested in. But then again I, unlike the author and his subject, am a fan of the Beatles and the whole British Invasion. For instance, I wanted to hear more about his time in Hamburg with the Nashville Teens. I also wanted to hear a lot more about his appearance on the Monkees' "33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee" TV special, which was written off in one sentence, "he even survived the Monkees." (He thought most of that stuff was "sissy music" except the Rolling Stones).In any case, I definitely enjoyed reading this and it made me want to listen to some of the more obscure recordings mentioned.

Jerry Lee Lewis, the aging rock legend, sits up in his bed in a darkened room with a loaded pistol on the nightstand and tells his life story to Rick Bragg, our finest chronicler of Southern lives. The result, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story, is mesmerizing. Jerry Lee Lewis isn’t the most … linear communicator, but Rick Bragg listened to Jerry Lee’s version of things and captured the closest version to the truth that we’re ever likely to get. Bragg tells not only the story of Jerry Lee’s entire wild life, but he gives readers The Killer’s way of looking at things. Jerry Lee Lewis never backs down, never gives up, and always does things his way. For example, Elvis Presley received a draft notice and spent two years in the Army that devastated his career. Jerry Lee Lewis received a similar draft notice, tore it into pieces, threw them in the river, and never heard another word about it. The controversies are covered here too: the marriages, deaths, addictions, and criminal run-ins. Bragg brilliantly provides Jerry Lee’s version of things from the perspective of old age while setting the events in a larger, more objective context.If you like reading about rock history, this book is for you. If you’re a Jerry Lee Lewis fan, you will treasure this book. If you’re a Rick Bragg fan, this book will become one of your favorites. If you’re a fan of both men, as I am, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story will shape the way you think of them for years to come.

Rick Bragg's perseverance with his subject pays off handsomely in this rollicking, funny and touching tribute to one of rock and roll's founding fathers, Jerry Lee Lewis. That Jerry Lee is still alive and able to recall so many incidents from so long ago is miraculous enough, but Bragg really captures his essence along with the family and culture that made him.I'll only add that if you only know a dozen or less songs by Jerry Lee (I'll include myself in that group) you'll want to hear every song mentioned in the book to add that extra dimension. I know I immediately downloaded about 20 of them. Good rockin' tonight!

I'm a huge JLL fan and now I'm a huge Rick Bragg fan as well. Impeccable.

Brilliant! A real rip-roaring ride! I’m not sure I like the man, but I do now want to listen to everything Jerry-Lee recorded.

I’ve read a lot of books recently about Johnny Cash, including Robert Hilburn’s excellent “Johnny Cash: The Life” . When I saw that one of my favorite authors, Rick Bragg, was writing the life story of Jerry Lee Lewis, one of Cash’s “bandmates” in the Million Dollar Quartet and fellow Sun recording star, it was only a matter of time before I read his book. In reading “Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story” I was certainly comparing to Hilburn’s Cash book as well as Bragg’s downhome Southern personal stories. “His Own Story” was quite a bit different from both.One big difference from the Cash book, and somewhat from Bragg’s family stories, is that Jerry Lee is being interviewed and his remembrances are written into his life story. Bragg always knows how to tell a story, but here he comes back to his subject, being interviewed from his bed, along the way. Bragg’s family books hadn’t mixed past and present in quite that way, and Hilburn’s book was written after Cash had died. Bragg makes it work, but you have a feeling of watching a TV show and going back to a talk from the narrator right before going to commercial break. It really feels different from just letting the story run chronologically without Jerry Lee’s reflections. I was expecting the Jerry Lee Lewis of the movie “Great Balls of Fire”, sort of a doofus. You don’t get that here. You see Jerry Lee is a character, but an extremely talented one, with his own ideas about a successful life. You see he's odd, you see he worships music, but you also see he's not stupid. His reflections are telling.Also interesting is the take on drugs. In the Cash book, drug abuse is truly a theme throughout. In the Lewis book, drugs are more a phase that appears to have little negative impact for years at a time. With Lewis as the main source, you wonder if this area of his life was “sugar-coated”, given the big impact on Cash’s life.I learned quite a bit about Lewis throughout these pages. Most surprising to me were the country hits – I didn’t realize he had so many, from back in the time that’s all that was played in my house. Also, his work as a Shakespearean actor was quite a surprise, although with the kind of character Lewis is, you could imagine something like that happening. Overall, I enjoyed the book and have listened to a few of his greatest hits collections since starting – always a sign that a book about a musician is working.

Straight from the first page, Rick Bragg’s writing style dreamily pulls you into this autobiography of the famous rock ‘n roller, Jerry Lee Lewis."The passengers were well-off people, mostly, the officer class home from Europe and the Pacific and tourists from the Peabody, Roosevelt, and Monteleone, clinking glasses with planters and oil men who had always found riches in the dirt the poorer men could not see. Weary of the austerity of war, of rationing and victory gardens, of coastal blackouts and U-boats that hung like sharks at the river mouth, they wanted to raise a racket, spend some money, and light up the river and the entire dull, sleeping land. They floated drunk and singing past sandbars where gentlemen of Natchez once settled affairs of honor with smoothbore pistols and good claret, and around snags and whirlpools where river pirates had lured travelers to their doom."The story follows Jerry Lee from early childhood through his rising career, several marriages, family deaths, remade career and homecoming. Whether you love the legend or despise him, the story of Jerry Lee makes a great book. Unless you are a die-hard Jerry Lee Lewis fan, you may drown out the details of every piano kicking performance. But despite the lengthy details, I stayed fascinated with the story, mainly to see how far things with Jerry Lee would plummet.And oh yes, it’s filled with all the juicy details a classic rockstar story should include: sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll.This book joins the ranks of all of Bragg’s stellar books. Bragg is one of my favorite authors, and this book did not disappoint.