1969 Jerry Lee Lewis Interview - 2-Page Vintage Article

Description

1969 Jerry Lee Lewis Interview - 2-Page Vintage Article
Original, vintage magazine article
Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm) each page
Condition: Good
CSR: Jerry, what are you doing on the coast
now?
JLL: Well, I'm out here to do a TV special.
CSR: Jerry, what’s the difference for you be-
tween now and say the middle 50’s when you
had “Great Balls Of Fire”, “A Whole Lot Of
Shaking Going On,” and so forth?
JLL: Well, the difference I don’t know, Bill.
We’re doing country and western music now
which seems to be the happening thing for
me anyway. Of course, we’re working out real
good and I enjoy it very much. It’s not like
Rock ‘n’ Roll but there's not a big difference
either. I was talking to a disc jockey the other
day and he said "I don’t think you went to
country music, I think country music came
to you.” And in some ways he’s right. It seems
like it's changed a little bit to more modern
country music today. I don’t know, I lovecoun-
try music and I always have.
CSR: You don’t think then there’s too much
of a difference then between the style of what
you were doing then to what you are doing
now?
JLL: I don’t think so. I had a million seller
on “You Win Again” back in 1957. I had a
number one hit on “Fools Like Me” in the
country western field, “A Whole Lot Of Shak-
ing Going On” was number one in country
and western music too, and also “Great Balls
Of Fire” made the charts in Billboard. I just
think I’m getting airplay which I hadn’t been
getting for a long time and I’m happy to be
getting it.
CSR: Jerry, you play piano, guitar and drums.
Why did you settle on the piano instead of
the guitar like so many other people?
JLL: Well, I don't know, I just like the piano.
It seems to be more of a challenging instru-
ment compared to a guitar. I think the most
difficult instrument is the violin and I think
the guitar is the simpliest instrument to play
and that's why so many people play it.
CSR: You never had any lessons, did you?
JLL: No.
CSR: Did you just start to pick it up as a kid?
JLL: Yeah, I started playing when I was nine
years old.
CSR: Is your stage act any different than it
was in the 50’s?
JLL: No, no different I’m more polished if
anything. I can handle an audience better.
There’s not a lot of difference at all.
CSR: Who would you say were your influences
or did you have any?
JLL: No, not really, I don’t recall any. I just
started singing and playing songs and I started
singing and playing the piano in church. And
that was about it.
CSR: You're originally from Louisiana?
JLL: Faraday, Louisiana.
CSR: Do you still live around there?
JLL: Yeah, I have a home there and I have
onein Memphis.
CSR: You’re a very successful man, why didn’t
you move to somewhere like Nashville, New
York or Hollywood?
JLL: I'm planning to move out here to Holly-
wood because I missed so many TV shows...
13998-AL-6905-71