MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2023 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Parker, Blackwell, McLendon, Barnett, Butler (38th), Chassaniol, England, Jackson, McCaughn, Michel, Moran, Norwood, Seymour, Sparks, Thomas, Williams, Simmons (13th)
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND CELEBRATING THE CONTRIBUTIONS AND CAREER OF MISSISSIPPI MUSIC ICON AND ROCK AND ROLL LEGEND JERRY LEE LEWIS OF NESBIT, DESOTO COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, AND EXPRESSING THE SYMPATHY OF THE LEGISLATURE ON HIS PASSING.
WHEREAS, Jerry Lee Lewis, "The Killer," whose hammering boogie-woogie piano, unleashed-tomcat voice, and unapologetic bad boy persona made him a pioneer of rock & roll and rockabilly music and an early rival of Elvis Presley, passed away on October 28, 2022. Lewis died at his home in Desoto County, Mississippi, with his seventh wife, Judith Coghlan, by his side. He was 87; and
WHEREAS, Lewis' two 1957 singles, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire," were some of rock's earliest and most primal hits. His howling, whooping, libidinous performances announced, as defiantly as any other records of the period, that a new style of music had arrived and would take zero prisoners. "I had created rock & roll before they ever thought about having rock & roll," Lewis told Rolling Stone in 2014. "When Elvis come out, he was rockabilly. When I come out with 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On,' that was rock & roll. That's when the name 'rock & roll' was put in front"; and
WHEREAS, born September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, Lewis grew up poor. Around the house, young Jerry Lee was exposed to cowboy music, blues 78s, and swing records, and he sneaked into local clubs to hear the likes of Ray Charles and B.B. King. Although he was proficient on the drums, Lewis began playing piano at age eight. Lewis' father mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano, and an older cousin taught him the boogie-woogie style soon after. He gave his first public performance at age 15 in the parking lot of a car dealership. He once said that the first song he learned to play was "Silent Night," but, as he told Rolling Stone, "I played it rock & roll style"; and
WHEREAS, Lewis' life was completely altered when he and his father drove to Sun Records in Memphis. To afford the trip, the elder Lewis sold 33 dozen eggs from his farm. Thanks to Presley, Sun Records was the place to go for many aspiring musicians. Label Head Sam Phillips wasn't present that day, but Chief Engineer Jack Clement was, and after hearing Lewis sing and play country songs, he advised Lewis to focus on rock & roll instead. On a return trip to Sun, Lewis cut a few more rock songs, including the country hit "Crazy Arms," which Phillips then heard. "Where the hell did this man come from?" Phillips recalled to Rolling Stone in 1979. In Lewis, Phillips saw a young, raw talent equal to that of his biggest star, Presley; and
WHEREAS, at the Sun Recording Studios in Memphis in 1956, along with Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash, Lewis was part of the "Million Dollar Quartet"; and
WHEREAS, at the end of one of his Sun recording sessions, Lewis offhandedly suggested he cut a song he'd been playing on and off. With no rehearsal with the band, Lewis bashed out "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." Released in early 1957, the song exploded on the charts, and with good reason. From its barreling piano to Lewis' super-suggestive delivery, the song made other greats sound tame. Both that hit and its follow-up cover, Otis Blackwell's "Great Balls of Fire," weren't just dynamic, but also historic. They landed in the Top Five of the country, pop and R&B charts simultaneously; and
WHEREAS, Lewis kept working and recording. His Live at the Star-Club, Hamburg album, taped in 1964, is still considered one of rock's greatest concert records. He dug into blues, gospel, and country. Some of Lewis' 1950s hits made the country charts, and in 1968 he migrated to the genre. "Another Place Another Time" kick-started a string of country hits, and he was reborn as a honky-tonk singer with his career restored. He returned to the pop charts in 1972 with a cover of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee." As proof of how much he was still revered, Lewis' 1972 album The Session, cut in London, features cameos from Peter Frampton and Alvin Lee, among others. Lewis rarely slowed down into the 80s, cuting a few rock-friendly albums for Elektra, and he continued touring and recording, keeping his legend alive. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. In 1989, his life was immortalized onscreen in Great Balls of Fire, featuring Dennis Quaid; and
WHEREAS, for all the turmoil and controversy about his life, Lewis continued to loom large in the culture. He recorded two well-received albums of duets, 2006's Last Man Standing and 2010's Mean Old Man, featuring legends Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, John Mayer, Rod Stewart, Merle Haggard, Kid Rock and John Fogerty. Lewis was also the first act to perform during the 25th-anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame concerts at Madison Square Garden in 2009. Moreover, his famous 1956 jam session with Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins was turned into a Broadway musical, Million Dollar Quartet, the following year. At the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, director Ethan Coen premiered Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind, his homage documentary on the icon; and
WHEREAS, in October of 2022, Lewis was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He will be remembered for his lifetime of hillbilly wildness, and he will be renowned for his seizure of the musical moment at the dawn of rock & roll, when his incomparable talent was intoxicating, playing out his defiant dramas on the keyboard in the studio and on the stage and making rock & roll history; and
WHEREAS, Jerry Lee Lewis is survived by his wife, Judith, and his children Ronnie, Phoebe, Lori and Jerry Lee III; and
WHEREAS, Jerry Lee is known as the last survivor of rock and roll's golden generation, and he will be celebrated for his impact on Mississippi, American pop culture and the rock music rebellion:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and celebrate the contributions and career of Mississippi music icon Jerry Lee Lewis of Nesbit, Desoto County, Mississippi, and express to his surviving family the sympathy of the Legislature on the passing of this Mississippi rock & roll legend.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Jerry Lee Lewis, forwarded to the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame and the National Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.