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Fantastic ! A new recording by the Killer himself:
http://www.jerryleelewis.com/ (http://www.jerryleelewis.com/)

Now I really hope that it's more than a rumour that a new album will be released....

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51f1-%2BYMRtL._SS500_.jpg)


Check it out, it's a FREE single
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LC24EU/ref=cm_sw_su_dp (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002LC24EU/ref=cm_sw_su_dp)

Hehe, I just re-read an article on him in a Rolling Stone anniversary edition. He was called 'the spendingest man in the country', and he got away with things that would land others in jail for a very long time. Women died in his home and were buried so quickly that a proper investigation was not possible. He and his car got towed out of pounds at the roadside; and he could walk home, although he was nearly in a coma from all the booze and pills he had ingested before driving. And so on and so on.

No one lived as hard as the Killer ! That's why it's a miracle that he is still alive. Rolling Stone wrote during the "Last man standing"-thing that Jerry Lee is the only one who makes people like Keith Richards look like a puppy. But through it all, it's just unbelievable how much talent this guy has. On this new song he sounds a thousand times better than on "Last man satnding"


EDIT:

Tuesday, August 25, 2009 – Jerry Lee Lewis's first single, from his forthcoming new studio CD will be released by Shangri-La Music. This will be Lewis' first country release since the 1970s.
The track will be available digitally starting today on all digital service providers. Produced by Steve Bing and Jim Keltner, and executive produced by Phoebe Lewis, the full length album will be released in late 2009 or early 2010 and will include several tracks penned by Kris Kristofferson, who was instrumental in the recording process. The single was written by Kristofferson for Lewis, and they recorded the track for the first time for Lewis's forthcoming full-length release.

"Jerry Lee Lewis is the heart of rock n' roll and an American original," said Jeff Ayeroff, Co-CEO of Shangri-La Music. "It is about time we had some new music from The Killer."

Mean Old Man is the first new music from Lewis since the independent release "Last Man Standing" in 2006.

Cheers for the info, mr Rocker! I notice with pleasure that Jim Keltner is involved. And I'll investigate the new music.

A short commentary on CNN
http://www.dailymotion.com/search/jerry%2Blee%2Blewis/video/xacp8d_southern-rock-tuesday_lifestyle (http://www.dailymotion.com/search/jerry%2Blee%2Blewis/video/xacp8d_southern-rock-tuesday_lifestyle)



And just for the pure fun, some vintage Ready Steady Go! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1487gtv6c (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y1487gtv6c)

A little more on the new album. Kris Kristofferson-interview:

I got "Mean Old Man" from Jerry Lee when Amazon offered it as a free download about 1.5 months ago.  He doesn't sound finished just yet, & he still knows how to rock & roll, even though most of it will be country.  I'll be getting his new album when it comes out for sure.

I'm sorry guys, I totally forgot to post this.
A few weeks ago Jerry did the first liveversion of "Mean ol' man" by request from someone in the audience. unrehearsed but still cool to hear. It reminds me of his "Deep elem blues" recording on Sun feeling-wise

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NVHZ_WTCaE (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NVHZ_WTCaE)

Yeah, that's cool. The version he played of "High school confidential" was not the single version, which was recorded later than the movie-cut. BTW Drew Barrymore's father, John Drew, also played in "High school confidential"

Here's the first ten minutes with Jerry Lee on that truck:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpb5OvJc_Fk (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpb5OvJc_Fk)

Ed, do you know of any meeting between Dennis and the Killer? I guess in terms of hell-raising they probably would've enjoyed company  ;D
BTW I loved the inclusion of Jerry's relatively unknown version of "Hit the road Jack" in Two Lane Blacktop. That movie had alot of great music. The "Me & Bobby McGee"-scene is among my very favorite movie scenes ever. Unfortunately there wasn't any of Dennis' or James Taylor's songs.

Here are some news on the album (took it from a JLL-forum):



"You can have her" (if not a new song) is of course not by Kristofferson.

Well, some updates.
A 4 song "EP" was released a while ago already, you can order it here:
http://www.amazon.com/Mean-Old-Man-Amazon-com-Exclusive/dp/B002X78R26/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278807816&sr=1-3 (http://www.amazon.com/Mean-Old-Man-Amazon-com-Exclusive/dp/B002X78R26/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1278807816&sr=1-3)

Listen to the new version of "Rockin' my life away" (unfortunately with Slash and Kid Rock who does a bad job imo) here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs9ootXcNLg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vs9ootXcNLg)


JLL's daughter Phoebe wrote this on facebook:

Phoebe Lewis
the new Jerry Lee Lewis album Mean Old Man is not available yet but we just got an advance copy and listened to it. It is so great!! y'all are gonna love it. and you don't have long to wait.

And don't miss the Killer's performance (solo, no band !!) and the R'n'R-Hall of fame celebration last october:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvg9jxNHd68 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvg9jxNHd68)

I'll bet Whiskey River is one hell of a cover.

When I first saw "Jerry Lee Lewis" on first glance when I logged in, I thought it would be saying that he passed. My heart stopped a little bit.

Don't be afraid, the Killer never ain't gonna die...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnBGTSAbnh0&feature=player_embedded (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnBGTSAbnh0&feature=player_embedded)   (He was absolutely right)

Unfortunately he's sick accnd had an operation, so some concerts are cancelled.

Isn't it interesting (at least to me) that Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Jerry Lee are ALL still kicking?  That's like the holy trinity right there.  I guess you could make a strong case for Elvis should be in the same group of 'founding fathers' but he was slightly later (on a large level) than all three of these cats wasn't he? 

When you listen to Chuck, Little Richard, or Jerry Lee live, well into their what, 80's now?  They all still have it in their blood.  Even Little Richard, I know he's hard to admire but I saw him a year or so ago on that talent show he was hosting (may have been America's got talent) and at the end of the season or whatever, he showed them how it was done.  He STILL sounded great.  Chuck Berry is ancient but in my opinion, he still sounds great.  I know his riffs and things are crazy anymore but I feel he was always a bit like that.  Jerry Lee is nearly everything he once was, lol.

They've got Rock & Roll in their Blood! 

No, Elvis made his first record in '54. Chuck's first was in '55 and Jerry Lee debuted in late '56. I believe Richard began recording in '51 but in the jump-blues style afaIk. His first classic Rock'n'Roll records was cut in '55.

Chuck's been around as a performer though since the late 1940's. If anybody deserves to be called "originator', it's him. He and Bill Haly(sp?) were pretty much the inventor's of Rock&Roll as we know it today.

Well, Chuck was playing alot of blues back then. Bill Haley was cutting hillbilly-records before "Rock around the clock". And even a teenage Elvis was from time to time playing, when he had a chance. Lowell Fulsom (legendary bluesman) remembers that he played in a club with Elvis on Beale, singing "Keep your hands off" in '53. But you see, no one invented rock'n'roll, it just happened, it's just  a way of interpreting songs. Most people didn't know they were doing something new, because, like in Elvis' case, they said they heard the black folks doing this for their whole life (of course their own style was this "new" which melted the two different poles). If you wanna call something the start of rock'n'roll "as we know it tday" though, you better go with the irst record, then you can't do anything wrong with "Rocket 88" by Jackie Brenston and Ike Turner. Culturally though, Elvis was the start, because he not only influenced the music, but also the whole movement like no one else. Chuck never had that much impact and Bill Haley, bless his soul, never in a million years could come close.
But Chuck by no means could be called the "originator", in fact no one else could, because the big guys were all stylists. What came after them were just people who think in categories and try to copy.



So, to get some JLL back in here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYoyx2O-tA8&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYoyx2O-tA8&feature=related)

I saw Jerry Lee Lewis circa 1975 at a county fair in South Florida.  I listened to "The Session" a lot and actually quite liked his country stuff ("I-40 Country on 8-track tape was a fave).  Anyway, he was doing a pro forma type show -- playing the hits, playing the keys with his feet and ass and stopping a song midway to comb his greasy hair -- that kinda schtick, all good clean fun.  About halfway through show during "Me and Bobby McGee" he starts playing the piano just absolutely possessed., building his solo verse after verse -- uncanny...other worldly.  For about half an hour it was one of the greatest performances I ever saw.  Then back to the schtick.

I also have an ex-cop buddy of mine who worked as security at shows and tells an amazing story of Jerry Lee flying him in his plane drunk as skunks.  Just before the show he was passed out in the dressing room -- they were showering him, giving him coffee, all that stuff and figuring he couldn't make it.  The curtain went up and he performed as if he were stone cold sober and knocked 'em dead.

The Killer.......

Great story ! Thanks for sharing...

Just a few days ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEaeEwu8OM8&feature=player_embedded (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEaeEwu8OM8&feature=player_embedded)

It's a shame that we have to have all those musical 'hangers-on' on so many records by veteran artists. Personally, out of that whole massive list of 'celebrity guests', I'm only  interested in hearing Jer Lee play with James Burton (one of the great rock n' roll/ country guitarists, played with Elvis, Ricky Nelson etc) and maybe Keef Richard. But all those damn co-vocalists make JLL look like a guest on his own album   ???.

I suppose they think it'll mean more sales. Wish they'd taken the Johnny Cash/ Rick Rubin route and given JLL the full spotlight with maybe one celebrity duet, say with cousin Jimmy Swaggert  :lol. Maybe that's why Little Richard and Chuck Berry have never recorded seriously since, like the '70s, cos they don't wanna have to keep pushin Keef, Bruce Springsteen or whoever it is on a dream trip out of the way, so they can actually get to the mike  ::).

Out of the surviving great rock n' rollers, I've long felt sad that Little Richard especially hasn't made a proper record since lord knows when, as he clearly still has 'it'.

According to the AMG website, the last album of all original material from Little Richard was released in 1986. Chuck Berry hasn't released an album since 1973, I believe.

Chuck Berry released a pretty good LP called "Rockit" in the mid/late 70s I am fairly sure.

I believe it came out in '76 or '78. It is good in parts but the sound and production is very lame imo. And the songs are not all very strong

Worst of all is the re-make of "Havana Moon"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnONb3sfy9I&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnONb3sfy9I&feature=related)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67AIJ2F6RQk&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67AIJ2F6RQk&feature=related)