Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Great Jerry Lee Lewis story from Scott Baggett

1 comment:

  1. I hung out with David Fontana and a buddy of his (it's been so long I can't remember names) whenever we'd run into each other out on the town. They were two really nice guys.

    I too had experience with Jerry Lee Lewis. There was a place called Broncos, one of the several incarnations of the club at One Hundred Oaks in Nashville. Jerry Lee Lewis was billed to do a show. I think the ticket was $8.00. I got there probably around 10:30-- back then you had to watch Miami Vice before you went out. Hours passed with no Jerry Lee. Finally, close to 1am, a completely smashed Jerry Lee Lewis gets led to the piano. Between incoherent slurred ramblings by a man who should have been having his stomach pumped and a blood transfusion, he refused to play any of his hits, and would only play hymns. One truly amazing feat for a man in his condition, was when he took the lid or some similar long heavy part from the piano, balanced it on his head while performing 'Rock of Ages' or 'Bringing in the Sheaves'. Finally he decided to play a rock n roll song 'Johnny B Goode' . Unfortunately, he decided to not play piano, and insisted his guitar player give him his guitar so he could play the song. Jerry Lee can play a mean piano, but if his performance that night was any indication, that was the first time he's ever tried to play the guitar. While singing a song about a man so natural at playing guitar that he played it like he was ringing a bell, Jerry Lee played it like a 4 year old wearing mittens. That was the finale, and from that night on, I've always said Jerry Lee Lewis owed me $8.

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