Maps of Music

The Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis (1964)

Where the lyrics of The Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis take you, and where it was really made.

Lewis's first album on Smash re-recorded his Sun hits, and it charted only briefly, peaking at number 40 before vanishing.

Key places

Recording sessions in Nashville (1963)

Recording site Nashville — Sessions ran on 22 and 24 September 1963 at Philips Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. The pin marks the city centre, not the exact studio building. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Third studio album by Jerry Lee Lewis
• Released in 1964 on Smash Records
• Lewis's first album on Smash after leaving Sun Records
• Released on January 1, 1964
• Consists of 12 tracks across Side A and Side B

Background

• One of Smash's first decisions was to re-record his Sun hits
• The retread may have been inspired by continuing enthusiasm European audiences had shown for Lewis's rock and roll
• After the scandal that followed his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra during a British tour in May 1958, radio boycotted him and his singles became flops
• The Smash deal came after Lewis grew frustrated with Sam Phillips's indifference

Recording

• Recorded in sessions on September 22 and 24, 1963
• These were the first recording sessions after Lewis left Sun Records
• Recorded monaurally and stereophonically at Philips Recording Studio in Nashville, Tennessee

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Career

• American country and rock and roll pianist, singer, and songwriter, nicknamed "The Killer".
• Made first recordings in 1952 at Cosimo Matassa's J&M Studio in New Orleans; early Sun Records recordings in 1956 in Memphis.
• 1957 hit "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" brought worldwide fame; followed by "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless", and "High School Confidential".
• 1964 live album Live at the Star Club, Hamburg is widely regarded as one of the greatest live rock albums.
• Switched to country in 1968 with "Another Place, Another Time", which revived his career; 30 songs reached the Billboard country top 10 across his career.
• Last Man Standing (2006) was his best-selling release; Mean Old Man (2010) was another major seller.
• Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986) and the Country Music Hall of Fame (2022).

Members

• Solo artist; the Million Dollar Quartet session on Sun Records included Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, and Johnny Cash.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Released on January 1, 1964
• Made the charts only briefly before dropping out
• Peaked at number 40
• The album was a retread of songs Lewis had first recorded for Sun Records

Reappraisal

• Matt Fink of AllMusic argues that the new versions have an overall bigger, booming sound, with backup vocalists and a brass section
• Fink adds that most listeners would probably still give the originals pre-eminence
• The four songs Fink compares with the originals are "Great Balls of Fire," "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Breathless," and "High School Confidential"
• The Italian Wikipedia article notes that biographer Joe Bonomo writes at length about the album's flaws
• Bonomo's book is Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found

Records

• Peak chart position: number 40
• Chart run was brief before the album disappeared from the charts

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Smash's first decision was to re-record Lewis's Sun hits, a move the Italian Wikipedia article ties to European audiences' enthusiasm for his rock and roll.
• The album came in two versions: a complete 12-track version and a 10-track version that leaves out "Down The Line" and "Break-Up".
• The front and rear covers and the spine print the title as "The Golden Rock Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis", but the record labels leave out the word "Rock".
• The album was released on January 1, 1964, and made the charts only briefly.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · it.wikipedia.org · www.discogs.com · www.discogs.com

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