Maps of Music

Jerry Lee's Greatest! (1961)

Where the lyrics of Jerry Lee's Greatest! take you, and where it was really made.

Lewis recorded for Sun from 1956, yet only two LPs were ever issued under his name on the label, and this is the second.

Key places

Sun Records release, 1961 (1961)

Recording site Sun Studio — Lewis recorded with Sun Records from 1956 to 1963, and this second album was released on the label in 1961. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Jerry Lee's Greatest!: second studio album by American musician Jerry Lee Lewis
• Released in 1961 on Sun Records, catalog number SLP 1265
• Italian listing gives the release month as December 1961
• Mostly later cuts from Lewis's run at Sun
• Includes Lewis's biggest hit, 'Great Balls of Fire'

Background

• Lewis recorded with Sun Records from 1956 to 1963, far longer than Elvis Presley or Johnny Cash
• Only two LPs were issued on Sun under his name, and this was the second
• Scarce releases were partly due to producer Sam Phillips' waning enthusiasm
• Phillips' enthusiasm waned after Lewis's scandalous marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra
• The marriage erupted on a 1958 tour of Britain and derailed the star's career
• Rick Bragg's 2014 authorized biography Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story quotes Phillips on his reasoning
• Phillips said he avoided flooding the market with product to keep the artist's income steady
• Phillips said Lewis had been the hottest act in America just before the scandal

Recording

• Track listing split into Side A and Side B, six songs each
• Side A: Money, As Long As I Live, Hillbilly Music, Frankie and Johnny, Home, Hello, Hello Baby
• Side B: Let's Talk About Us, What'd I Say, Break Up, Great Balls of Fire, Cold, Cold Heart, Hello Josephine
• 'Great Balls of Fire' was written by Otis Blackwell and Jack Hammer
• 'Cold, Cold Heart' is a Hank Williams song and 'What'd I Say' is a Ray Charles song
• 'Hello Josephine' is credited to Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew
• 'Great Balls of Fire' had been left off Lewis's debut LP

Sources: en.wikipedia.org · fr.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

• AllMusic's Cub Koda reviewed the set and found some tracks charming on their own
• Koda's review named 'Let's Talk About Us', 'What'd I Say' and 'As Long as I Live' as tracks with their own charm
• Koda's review said the set was not the place to start a Jerry Lee collection
• The review pointed to the mostly later Sun cuts as the reason for that judgment

Reappraisal

• Koda's AllMusic review is the critical view cited on the album page
• The album page cites Koda's review in its background section
• Koda's review gives the album a warning for new listeners rather than praise as an entry point

Records

• 'Great Balls of Fire' is Lewis's biggest hit
• The song was not on Lewis's debut LP and appears here instead
• The album was released on Sun Records, the label Lewis recorded with from 1956 to 1963
• Italian listing gives the release as December 1961

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Track 3 is mislabeled 'Country Music is Here to Stay' by Ferlin Husky on the original LP, while the track title is 'Hillbilly Music'
• The back cover of the Discogs release lists the same track as 'Country Music Is Here To Stay' instead of 'Hillbilly Fever'
• The front cover subtitle reads 'Jerry Lee Lewis Volume Two', and the label reads 'Jerry Lee Lewis--Vol. 2'
• The Discogs release notes give the publication year as 1962, while the album itself is listed as 1961
• Only two Sun LPs bore Lewis's name, which is why this album is often treated as a rare entry in his catalog

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

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