More odd, that maybe his lasting footnote is that he married his first cousin once removed and that she was 13 years old.
On the other hand, which is much easier to type, it's hard not to marvel at the legacy the man actually carries as an American artist and, maybe more importantly, as a Southern artist.
He was born in Concordia Parish in Louisiana where the family mortgaged the family farm in order to purchase a piano. His cousins were the excellent musicians Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart.
His family moved to Waxahachie to Southwest Bible Institute where he was ran out of town for doing a boogie woogie rendition of "My God is Real." Thus his unruly path down the near invention of the most famous genre in recorded music.
Lewis went to Memphis in 1956 and began recording for Sun Records. He'd later tour and record with Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash recreating the sound of rock and roll and country music.
Live at the Star Club, Hamburg was recorded in April 1964 two months after The Beatles "invaded" the United States in large part due to the influence of Lewis, Presley, Little Richard and American soul. Ironically, Lewis captured the pure energy and libido of American culture in the city where The Beatles, like young Lee Lewises, popped a bunch of pills and played endless hours on many stages of Hamburg.
Live at the Star Club, Hamburg is considered one of the greatest live records of all time. There's little to argue about here.
No comments:
Post a Comment