''Soul My Way'' is the seventh album by

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

released on the Smash label in 1967.

Background

Jerry Lee Lewis signed with Smash in 1963 and, after four years,

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

executives did not seem to know what do with him. Although he remained very popular in Europe, and a riveting live performer, he enjoyed little chart success. Mercury had tried an album of

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny C ...

remakes (''

Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis ''The Golden Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis'' is the third studio album by musician Jerry Lee Lewis that was released on Smash Records in 1964. It was Lewis's first album with the label after leaving Sun Records. Background After his marriage to his 13 ...

'' in 1964) and a country-themed album (''Country Songs for City Folks'' in 1965) but they did not come close to recapturing the triumphs Lewis had enjoyed with

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

. Rock and pop music had also changed enormously by 1967, making it more difficult for Mercury to figure out how to market Lewis. As

Colin Escott Colin Escott (born August 31, 1949) is a British music historian and author specializing in early U.S. rock and roll and country music. His works include a biography of Hank Williams, histories of Sun Records and The Grand Ole Opry, liner notes ...

notes in the sleeve to the 1995 Mercury compilation '' Killer Country'', by the late '60s "Jerry's idea of rock music was almost ten years out of date. In private conversation, he would offer the opinion that

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

should go back across the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

at a slow walk, but no amount of posturing could turn back the clock."

Recording

By 1967, producer

Shelby Singleton Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. (December 16, 1931 – October 7, 2009) was an American record producer and record label owner. Early life He was born Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr. in Waskom, Texas. His parents were Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Sr. and ...

left Mercury to form his own label and

Jerry Kennedy Jerry Glenn Kennedy (born 10 August 1940)Cusic, Don. (1998) "Jerry Kennedy". In ''The Encyclopedia of Country Music''. Paul Kingsbury, ed. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 277–278. is an American record producer, songwriter and guitar pla ...

would take complete charge of Lewis's recordings. Kennedy eventually produced Jerry Lee's comeback single " Another Place, Another Time" the following year, which ushered in a string of country hits for Lewis well into the next decade but, as biographer Joe Bonomo writes in ''Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found'', by 1967 Kennedy was "scratching his head over what the heck to do. Jerry Lee's lone album in 1967, the curious (and among Killer fans somewhat infamous) ''Soul My Way'', was a hodgepodge of old tracks and new that Kennedy attempted to unify with variety show pizzazz." The album is noteworthy for its cover of

Bobby "Blue" Bland Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer. Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...

's "

Turn On Your Love Light "Turn On Your Love Light" is a rhythm and blues song recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961. It was both an important R&B and pop chart hit for Bland and has become one of his most identifiable songs. A variety of artists have recorded it, including th ...

" and its take on

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

songwriter

Mickey Newbury Milton Sims "Mickey" Newbury Jr. (May 19, 1940 – September 29, 2002) was an American songwriter, recording artist, and a member of the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Early life and career Newbury was born in Houston, Texas, on May 19, ...

's psychedelic "

Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" is a psychedelic rock song written by Mickey Newbury and best known from a version by The First Edition, recorded in 1967 and released to popular success in 1968. Said to reflect the ...

", which features Lewis playing harpsichord. Three tracks, "Wedding Bells", the Lewis original "He Took It Like a Man", and "Betcha Gonna Like It" had been recorded during sessions dating back to 1963 and 1964.

Reception

''Soul My Way'' was released November 1, 1967 to commercial and public indifference, failing to crack the ''Billboard'' chart.

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 1967 albums Jerry Lee Lewis albums Albums produced by Jerry Kennedy Smash Records albums