House Resolution 114

(As Adopted by House)

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE AND INCOMPARABLE CAREER OF THE INVENTOR OF ROCK AND ROLL, MISSISSIPPI RESIDENT, MR. JERRY LEE LEWIS.

WHEREAS, born on September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, Jerry Lee Lewis, "The Killer," began playing the piano at the age of nine, without any formal training he played the sounds and styles he grew up hearing and in this imaginative process he created his own unique sound and a style of music new to the world, before anyone knew what to call it, he played rock and roll; and

WHEREAS, born to parents Elmo and Mamie Lewis, their love helped define his career in music, at age ten, Elmo Lewis mortgaged the family farm to buy his son a piano, while developing his skills and sound on that piano his mother's strong love for country music shaped the sound her son would give to the world; and

WHEREAS, as a young man of strong faith, Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis imagined himself becoming a preacher, but his music could not wait, expelled from the Southwest Bible Institute for playing "worldly music," a boogie woogie rendition of "My God is Real," he journeyed to Memphis, Tennessee, where he impressed the legendary Sam Phillips and earned a role as a session musician for Sun Records in 1956; and

WHEREAS, while working at Sun Records, "The Killer" found himself recording an impromptu session with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash, the Million Dollar Quartet, as they came to be known, recorded the session, marking a seminal moment in rock and roll history; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis found his throne sitting on the bench at his piano with a raucous audience hanging on every note, what began in the juke joints of Ferriday, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi, pervaded the country and, took the world by storm, topping the charts in the pop, R&B and country categories in 1957; and

WHEREAS, playing in sold out crowds nearly every night, Mr. Lewis played in a variety of venues, from small honky-tonks all the way to New York's Coliseum Theater, the top venue in the country, with racial tensions burning across the headlines, he played the Apollo Theater, and with demand at a fevered pitch he became one of the first rock and rollers to traverse the ocean and tour in London; and

WHEREAS, a great musical artist, capable of playing a wide variety of music, Mr. Lewis responded to the changing times and changing tastes in music of the early 1960s, transitioning to country music, and amassing even more fans and many successful albums and single releases; and

WHEREAS, with seemingly endless talent and drive, Mr. Lewis released number one singles in three consecutive decades, from the 1950s through the 1970s; and

WHEREAS, achieving success in multiple genres and across every demographic, Mr. Lewis' number one singles include: "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On," "Great Balls of Fire," "To Make Love Sweeter For You," "There Must Be More to Love Than This," "Me and Bobby McGee," "Would You Take Another Chance on Me" and "Chantilly Lace"; and

WHEREAS, among his countless awards and accolades, Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis is the first living recipient to accept the Rock and Roll Music Hall of Fame American Music Masters Award, he has also earned the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, his original Sun recordings of "Great Balls of Fire" and "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On" have been elected to the Grammy Hall of Fame, and he received a Grammy in the spoken word category for a rare album of interviews released with his 1986 album Class of '55; and

WHEREAS, though many have tried to assign "The Killer's" music to a category or genre, their pursuit is folly, as his work escapes the linear moniker of other artists, his talent far exceeds the limitations of being known only as a country music singer, only a rock and roller or only rockabilly, his music is deeply entrenched in American culture because its creator, born with overwhelming talent, knows no equal; and

WHEREAS, for more than 40 years, Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis has resided in Nesbit, Mississippi, 20 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, the city that skyrocketed his musical career and remains a hot-ticket venue where he still performs to sold out audiences of all ages and demographics, the last living member of the Million Dollar Quartet, his music sustains him, on the stage he comes to life and age becomes just a number, after 81 years, "The Killer" can not be stopped; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize outstanding contributions to the culture of the State of Mississippi like that of Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis, whose music defines not only a generation, but a pivotal time and place in history, and whose unparalleled success and contributions to music have brought great pride to the State of Mississippi and her people:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend the life and exceptional career of Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis, and extend best wishes for good health and continued success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. Jerry Lee Lewis and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.