JERRY LEE LEWIS: HIS OWN STORY - RICK BRAGG

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Ed. Canongate Books

"I've had an interestin' life" he says, "haven't I?" Those are words that Jerry Lee Lewis says to Rick Bragg, author of this biography, and that we read almost at the end of the book. And yes indeed: his is being a very interesting life and probably those words are the best way to summarize Jerry Lee Lewis' life. If in addition to a very interesting life you find someone who is able to put it on paper keeping all the interest in the narration... the better it become. I believe that Rick Bragg, in this the first authorized biography of Jerry Lee Lewis, has done a very good job.

The beginning of the book is a very good and complete description of the times and society Jerry Lee "found" at his birth. A lot of description, yes, but brilliant, easy to read and very useful to understand a lot of facts that we will learn along the pages of the book.

So long is the introduction and the writing about the years previous to fame and stardom, that we have already read around a quarter of the biography when Jerry Lee Lewis arrives to Sun Records and his path meets the one of Sam Phillips. From that point on we get a non ending flow of stories and anecdotes that the "Killer" himself has explained to Rick Bragg along a series of meetings. About some of the stories we can have some doubts for the accuracy, but we must understand that everything in the book is mostly based on Jerry Lee's memory or on his point of view. I don't find that wrong at all as I believe that it is something that most biographies share and there are always moments when legend goes ahead of facts... and time goes by and it can make to remember the past in a certain way. Come on, it's his story, so let's let him tell it his way.

Through Jerry Lee Lewis' memory, and then along the pages of the book, walk in a line lots of very familiar names for us, Rock'n'Roll lovers. Elvis Presley and Sam Phillips, of course are there, but also Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Kenny Lovelace, Moon Mullican or Fats Domino, to name just a few. Of course, his own family also has a very important share in the story: his mother and father, for sure, also his sister Linda Gail Lewis, his cousin Jimmy Swaggart, his several wives and so on.

Rock'n'Roll, Country, family, friends, love, success, scandal, joy, sorrow... All that and much more is what we get through the pages of the biography of the man who almos replaced Elvis as the King of Rock'n'Roll...

I've just missed an official discography at the end of the book but, to be fair, we all know that it is something we can find easily in the Internet. By the way, you may find useful to have access to the Internet while reading, as You Tube can be of help when reading about TV appearances and live shows.

I bought the e-book version as it was quite difficult to find "paper" editions at some point (it seems it was out of stock), but it is again available in hardback, paperback and digital format.

A very interesting book that I warmly recommend.