Jerry Lee Lewis Net Worth

Jerry Lee Lewis's Quotes

• [on his being a breech birth] "I was born feet first, and I've been jumpin' ever since."
• If I'm going to Hell, I'm going there to play on a piano!
• [on Ray Charles] "What a great guy he was. Every time I saw him, I would say, 'Ray, this is Jerry Lee, how you doing?' And he would say, 'Well, you looking good, Jerry Lee.' He always said that. He was one of my best friends."
• [Explaining why W.C. Fields is his favorite comedian] "He's just got his way of doing things. And if you don't like it, he'll kick your teeth out."
• [on his feelings towards ex-wife Myra Lewis' biography about him entitled "Great Balls of Fire"] "I says to her, 'Myra, that damn book o' yours -- that weren't no "Great Balls of Fire" you wrote. You shoulda called it "Great Buncha Balls" instead, darlin', 'cos that's all it is."

Interesting Facts about Jerry Lee Lewis

1. At her ten-year high school reunion, Janis Joplin introduced her younger sister to Lewis, who was a guest. Lewis commented to her that "you wouldn't be half-bad-looking if you weren't trying to look like your sister." Janis slugged Lewis for the comment. Lewis slugged her back, saying, "If you're gonna act like a man, I'm gonna treat you like one!".
2. His eldest son, Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. (b. 1953), was killed in an auto accident in 1973. His second son, Steven Allen Lewis (b. 1959), drowned, at age three, in 1962.
3. Son of Elmo Lewis and Mamie Ethel Lewis. Cousin of Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley. His first cousin, once removed Myra Lewis was 13 years old when they married.
4. Revitalized his career in the late 1960s as a country singer.
5. He was voted the 24th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artist of all time by Rolling Stone.
6. He received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammy Awards in 2005.
7. Was on the critical list in a Memphis hospital in November 1985.
8. Portrayed by Dennis Quaid (in Great Balls of Fire! (1989)), by Waylon Payne (in Walk the Line (2005)), and James C. Victor (in Mr. Rock 'n' Roll: The Alan Freed Story (1999)).
9. Recorded with legendary Nashville session guitarist Hank Garland.
10. Recorded his song "What'd I Say" with guitarist Hank Garland.
11. Along with Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, Lewis was a member of the celebrated "Million Dollar Quartet", so named because they were moneymakers for Sam Phillips' Sun Records label.
12. Hated his ex-wife Myra Lewis' biographical book about his life entitled "Great Balls of Fire".
13. Hated the film based on his life, Great Balls of Fire! (1989).
14. Was in the process of finalizing a divorce from his fourth wife, Jaren, when she drowned in a swimming pool in 1982. They had separated in 1974.
15. By the time of the British Invasion (1964) in the United States, there was a keen interest in American rock stars in Great Britain. Jerry Lee appeared to have renewed his career on that side of the Atlantic. He appeared on the television show Ready, Steady, Go! (1963), and the fans were mesmerized by his performance.
16. Siblings: Linda Gail Lewis (b. 1947), Frankie Jean Lewis (b. 1944) and Elmo Lewis Jr.
17. Father, with Kerri McCarver, of a boy named Jerry Lee Lewis III (b. 1987).
18. Father, with Myra, of a boy named Steven Allen Lewis (1959-1962) and a girl named Phoebe Allen Lewis (b. 1963).
19. Father, with Jane Mitchum, of two boys named Jerry Lee Lewis Jr. (1953-1973) and Ronnie Guy Lewis (b. 1956).
20. Contrary to public assumption, Lewis said that he actually had the nickname "Killer" ever since childhood. As a boy, he had the habit of calling acquaintances and friends "Killer", and they would return the greeting. The nickname has stuck with him since.