'The Killer' Is Gone

Rock n roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis has passed at 87. Nicknamed "the Killer", he was popular for decades with his showman skills on piano highlighted by classic songs Great Balls of Fire, Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On, and Breathless. Although rocked by personal scandal, he outlived his contemporaries like Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash. He won 4 Grammys and was among the first class to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

I actually recall seeing him in concert in 1983 at the old Wax Museum in Washington D.C. where he performed an essentially informal jam session which occasionally threw in a familiar tune. The crowd ate it up. It was amazing to just be there while he was schmoozing the audience.