''Jerry Lee's Greatest!'' is the second studio album by the American
rock and roll and
rockabilly pioneer
Jerry Lee Lewis released in 1961 on
Sun Records (SLP 1265).
Background
Although Lewis recorded with Sun Records from 1956 to 1963 - far longer than
Elvis Presley or
Johnny Cash
John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...
- only two LPs were ever issued on Sun under Jerry Lee's name, the second being ''Jerry Lee's Greatest'' in 1961. Part of the reason for the lack of material was no doubt producer
Sam Phillips' waning enthusiasm in the wake of Lewis' scandalous marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra, which erupted on a tour of
Britain in 1958, derailing the star's career. In his authorized 2014 biography ''Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story'', Rick Bragg quotes Phillips as he explained his reasoning to Sun researcher Martin Hawkins: "I was always very cautious about putting out a lot of product on my artists just to ensure a certain amount of income...You only have to look at some of the crap they put out on Elvis Presley, just because he was in a picture show or something...When Jerry Lee took a beating from the press it would have been stupid to try and cram product down people's throats. Believe me, just before that happened, Jerry was the hottest thing in
America
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
." ''Jerry Lee's Greatest!'' includes mostly later cuts from Lewis's run at Sun, with
AllMusic's Cub Koda suggesting that, "While tracks like "
Let's Talk About Us," "
What'd I Say," and "As Long as I Live" have their own charm, this set simply isn't the place to start a Jerry Lee collection..." The album includes Lewis' biggest hit, "
Great Balls of Fire," which had been left off of his debut
LP.
Track listing
Side A
Side B
† Mislabeled as "
Country Music is Here to Stay" (
Ferlin Husky) on the original LP.
References
External links
*
''Jerry Lee's Greatest!'' at Allmusic''Jerry Lee's Greatest!'' at Rate Your Music
{{Authority control
Jerry Lee Lewis albums
Sun Records albums
1961 albums
Albums produced by Sam Phillips
Albums recorded at Sun Studio