A couple of posts ago I ventured into risky territory — I attempted to come up with a definition for oldies. When I say risky I don't mean that someone is trying to dynamite the place, just that the posting seemed to generate some dissent. Some disagreed with my opinion that boomers were most responsible for the use of the term, while others didn't like the idea of any kind of music being described as oldies. (At least nobody tried to say that only Richard Simmons can truly define oldies by sweatin' to 'em.)
In round two, I thought I'd travel back in time and see if a flamboyant star from an earlier era might have generated the kind of music that could be called oldies by some of us today. This legendary icon is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame but could easily qualify for the Tortured Artist Hall Of Fame if such a thing existed. There's plenty of biographical info available for him so I'm not going to go into deep detail, but you'll probably know who it is when I tell you that his third wife was his 13 year old cousin.
Jerry Lee Lewis, fondly and famously known as "Killer", hit the big time in the mid to late fifties. I remember him well from those days because he scared me to death. He seemed so wild and undisciplined, but at the same time had that "train wreck" type of fascination for me and many others. You simply couldn't look away even as you sensed he was headed for destruction.
Coming out of a musical childhood with cousins Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart, he could have gone a different way, and many think his wild, erratic life all happened because of his conflicted emotions over being kicked out of bible school and choosing to follow the "wicked" road instead. Whatever the case, he's always been a fascinating character and one of the all time greats.
Article comments
1 - Niek
Please check jerryleelewis.com or www.jerryleelewis.nl for info on Jerry lee's brand new album Last Man Standing. A fantastic album on which Jerry duets with artists like BB King, Eric Clapton, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Willie Nelson and many more.
It will be released on sept. 26, make sure you get yourself one.
Niek
2 - Bliffle
IMO Jerry Lee Lewis' best release was the "London Sessions" some years ago.
3 - Vern Halen
JLL had an album produced by Andy Paley about 10 years ago that's quite "killer," no filler. Can't remember it's name, tho.
4 - Al Barger
Jerry Lee Lewis is a great example of the essential lameness of the term "oldies." For starters, "old" is a term relative to the person using it- see the classic Paul Simon song. "GOD is old- we're NOT old."
Still, Jerry Lee would be an oldies act by most any chronological definition- which is a demonstration of the useleness of chronological definitions for this stuff. Great music is timeless.
Vintage video of Madonna's "Like a Virgin" is a cute oldies time capsule on the 80s. It's a perfectly good song I suppose, but at this point it's mostly a nostalgic interest.
Whereas on the other hand, much chronologically older video of Jerry Lee Lewis still has nearly the same impact it must have had at the time. Jerry Lee in full effect in his rebellion against God is timeless literature. Dig for example this batch of images from Jerry Lee Lewis' famous breakthrough performance of "Whole Lotta Shakin'" on the Steve Allen Show from 1957 (part of HUNDREDS of Jerry Lee photos). That video will still quicken the blood of generations to come when Jerry Lee himself has long since gone on to answer to the guy with the pitchfork.
5 - Ray Boyle
I have an advance copy of this cd. RUN don't walk to get this asap. This is a great cd of classic rock and roll and should qualify for a grammy if there is a category.
Ray