Balls of Fire
RIP rock n roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis, 87, singer, songwriter, pianist. I’ll focus on his accomplishments rather than his troubles. In his youth, he began playing the piano with two of his cousins, Mickey Gilley, who would have a fine career in country music, and Jimmy Swaggart, future televangelist. His parents mortgaged their farm to buy him a piano. He began performing in 1949 and continued until he suffered a stroke in 2019. In 1957 Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100, Great Balls of Fire #2. In ’58 Breathless hit #7 and High School Confidential, the title track of the movie, #21. His career was then derailed by scandal, his marriage to a 13-year-old first cousin. He made a great comeback in the late ‘60’s when he turned to country music. He had 30 songs reach the Top 10 on the Billboard Country and Western Chart. Overall, he had a dozen gold records in rock and country. He won four Grammys, including a Lifetime Achievement Award and two Hall of Fame Awards. Nicknamed The Killer, he is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame, the Memphis Music Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 1989 his life was chronicled in the movie Great Balls of Fire, starring Dennis Quaid, directed by Jim McBride. His 2006 album, Last Man Standing, was his best-selling release, more than a million copies worldwide. In 2022 Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind, a documentary directed by Ethan Coen, was released. Married seven times, he is a father of six. Goodness gracious, sir. Facts from Wiki, photo from Google Images. Here’s a clip that shows his brilliance as a live performer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw7SBF-35Es
I wonder if the left hopes Paul Pelosi’s attacker is a Republican, and the right hopes he’s a radical leftist. He has been identified.
I’m glad Elon Musk has taken over Twitter, but I’ll wait and see if it will welcome free speech before I decide whether to rejoin. Also, I viewed my participation on the platform as simply shameless publicity for my books. At Facebook I value being in touch with friends, family and acquaintances as much as I do the opportunity to promote my work.
Headline from foxnews.com: “Over 500 literary figures demand book deal with Supreme Court justice be killed.” They cite Amy Coney Barrett’s vote to overturn Roe V. Wade. They claim not to be censors.
I’m now a bit more than six pages into latest novella/novel, and I see its direction more clearly. Man, it’s been fun so far. It always is at first, until it’s time for revision.
Not much action at the floating book shop on this crisp day. My thanks to Jason, who overcompensated me for The Tinkerers: The Amateurs, DIYers, and Inventors Who Make America Great by Alec Foege ; and to The Quiet Man, who bought a Bon Jovi CD; and to the woman who purchased one by Usher; and to the woman who donated several books, most in Russian.
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