Post by erik on Oct 21, 2023 19:43:09 GMT -5
The last Top Ten pop hit for rock and roll's "Killer" is in this week's Pop Music Hits Spotlight.
BREATHLESS (Jerry Lee Lewis; Sun; 1958)—Sam Phillips, the man whose Sun Records was a pivotal launch pad for many a white rock and roll star in Memphis in the 1950’s, said that Jerry Lee Lewis, the piano-pounding man from Louisiana, had as much pure talent as the other big shot on the label, namely Elvis Presley. Arguably, Lewis might have also been as big as Elvis quickly became if not for his ultra-volatile public persona. Ironically, however, some of that public persona was what made him such a legendary figure in rock and roll. His hits included such early rock and roll classics as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”, “Great Balls Of Fire”, and “High School Confidential”. His last Top Ten hit on the pop chart was another torrid, piano-pounding rocker entitled “Breathless”, which was written by Otis Blackwell. Blackwell was the man behind “Great Balls Of Fire”, as well as Elvis’ 1956 monster hit “Don’t Be Cruel”, and was one of “The Killer”’s most readily identifiable hits, setting him apart from practically everybody else. Recorded in January 1958 at Sun Records’ studios in midtown Memphis, and released the following month, “Breathless” managed to reach #7 on the Pop chart, #4 on the country chart, and #3 on the R&B chart in April 1958. But when it was revealed that, just before the end of 1957, Lewis had secretly married his 13 year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown, the press exploded in outrage. A planned tour of England lasted just three concerts before he got expelled. Lewis had one more Top 40 pop hit during this time period, 1961’s “What’d I Say”; but his career was effectively stalled for most of the 1960’s until he re-emerged late in that decade as a country hit maker, with such hits as “Another Place, Another Time”, “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous”, and “Would You Take Another Chance On Me?”, some of which also crossed into the lower rungs of the pop charts. Lewis still could light up his rock and roll past, however, with storming versions of the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace”. For his efforts, “The Killer” was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986; and just prior to his passing in 2022, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as well.
BREATHLESS (Jerry Lee Lewis; Sun; 1958)—Sam Phillips, the man whose Sun Records was a pivotal launch pad for many a white rock and roll star in Memphis in the 1950’s, said that Jerry Lee Lewis, the piano-pounding man from Louisiana, had as much pure talent as the other big shot on the label, namely Elvis Presley. Arguably, Lewis might have also been as big as Elvis quickly became if not for his ultra-volatile public persona. Ironically, however, some of that public persona was what made him such a legendary figure in rock and roll. His hits included such early rock and roll classics as “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On”, “Great Balls Of Fire”, and “High School Confidential”. His last Top Ten hit on the pop chart was another torrid, piano-pounding rocker entitled “Breathless”, which was written by Otis Blackwell. Blackwell was the man behind “Great Balls Of Fire”, as well as Elvis’ 1956 monster hit “Don’t Be Cruel”, and was one of “The Killer”’s most readily identifiable hits, setting him apart from practically everybody else. Recorded in January 1958 at Sun Records’ studios in midtown Memphis, and released the following month, “Breathless” managed to reach #7 on the Pop chart, #4 on the country chart, and #3 on the R&B chart in April 1958. But when it was revealed that, just before the end of 1957, Lewis had secretly married his 13 year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown, the press exploded in outrage. A planned tour of England lasted just three concerts before he got expelled. Lewis had one more Top 40 pop hit during this time period, 1961’s “What’d I Say”; but his career was effectively stalled for most of the 1960’s until he re-emerged late in that decade as a country hit maker, with such hits as “Another Place, Another Time”, “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous”, and “Would You Take Another Chance On Me?”, some of which also crossed into the lower rungs of the pop charts. Lewis still could light up his rock and roll past, however, with storming versions of the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace”. For his efforts, “The Killer” was one of the first inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986; and just prior to his passing in 2022, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame as well.