Maps of Music

Jerry Lee Lewis (1958)

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

Producer Sam Phillips left out Lewis's biggest hits, 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On', from the album that introduced him.

Key places

Sun Studio in Memphis (1958)

Recording site Sun Studio — The album's tracks were recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, and the back cover shows Sam Phillips admiring Lewis at the piano in this studio at 706 Union Avenue. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Jerry Lee Lewis: debut studio album by American musician Jerry Lee Lewis
• Released in 1958 on Sun Records
• Includes his hit 'High School Confidential'
• Sometimes referred to as High School Confidential
• Currently available on CD, with bonus tracks from his first EP, 'The Great Ball of Fire' (Sun EP 107)

Background

• Producer Sam Phillips did not include Lewis's bigger hits such as 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On'
• Phillips was working to promote his latest star, Lewis, at the time
• Phillips wrote the album's liner notes and called Lewis the very epitome of rock and roll
• The back cover shows a large picture of Sun Records president Sam Phillips admiring Lewis at the piano in the famous studio at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee
• In keeping with a record industry practice of 1958, the album was also released in 45 rpm format
• The twelve songs were divided over three 7-inch extended play records: Sun EPs 108, 109 and 110

Recording

• The tracks were recorded at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee
• Recording dates differ by track: 'Crazy Arms' on 14 November 1956, 'Fools like Me' on 20 April 1958, 'High School Confidential' on 21 to 23 April 1958
• Lewis handles lead vocals and piano on every track
• Session musicians change from track to track; Roland Janes, James Van Eaton and Billy Riley appear in different sessions
• Sam Phillips and Jack Clement produced most tracks; 'Crazy Arms' was produced by Clement alone

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

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

• Cub Koda described the selections on the album as a curious mixture
• Koda wrote that a great deal of Lewis's best material was inexplicably left off the record
• Koda still called the album a terrific debut despite those omissions

Reappraisal

• Koda's view: the record is a terrific debut even though many of Lewis's strongest songs are missing
• Phillips's liner notes describe Lewis as the very epitome of rock and roll
• Phillips wrote those notes while promoting Lewis as his latest star
• The album's selection is the main point of critical discussion, since it omits the singles that made Lewis famous

Records

• Released in 1958 in 45 rpm format as three 7-inch EPs: Sun EPs 108, 109 and 110
• The twelve songs were split across those three EPs
• The CD edition includes bonus tracks from Lewis's first EP, The Great Ball of Fire (Sun EP 107)
• French Wikipedia gives the catalog number as LP-1230, and Italian Wikipedia gives SLP-1230
• French Wikipedia says the album was first released in May 1958 on Sun Records

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Producer Sam Phillips left out 'Great Balls of Fire' and 'Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On', both big hits, from the album
• French Wikipedia also lists 'Breathless' among the hits left off the record
• The back cover photo shows Phillips admiring Lewis at the piano at 706 Union Avenue in Memphis
• The album came out in 1958 in 45 rpm format as three EPs
• The album is sometimes called High School Confidential, after its best-known track

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.wikipedia.org

Maps of Ages ↗ (mapsofages.com)

Privacy · Contact