Jerry Lee Lewis is an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. He has been called “rock and roll’s first great wild man” and “one of the most influential pianists of the 20th century.”
In this article, we’ll talk about Jerry Lee Lewis’s net worth, as well as his early life, the start of his career, and other things. Read the whole article to learn everything about Jerry Lee Lewis, including how much money he has and what he does in his free time.
Early Life of Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry was born on September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana, to a poor family. His father was a farmer. Jerry started playing the piano with two of his older cousins when he was very young. When his parents found out he loved music, they put their farm up as collateral so they could buy him a new piano.
In November 1949, he did his first show for a crowd. Jerry’s family was very religious, so his mother sent him to the Southwest Bible Institute in Texas so that he would only be able to sing gospel songs.
After Jerry played a boogie-woogie version of the song “My God Is Real,” Lewis was told to quit school. When he got back to his hometown, he started playing at nightclubs and bars.
Personal Life of Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry has been married seven times, and he and his wives have had six children together. When he was just starting out, his wedding to his 13-year-old first cousin got a lot of bad press. When they got married, Lewis was twenty-two. The most time was spent on Lewis’ sixth wedding (21 years).
Net Worth of Jerry Lee Lewis
Celebrity Net Worth says that Jerry Lee Lewis has a net worth of about $10 million. Songs like “Great Balls of Fire!,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” and “Would You Take Another Chance on Me” helped him become well-known.
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How Did Jerry Lee Lewis Earn His Net Worth?
Jerry Lee Lewis’s career has brought him money and net worth. Let’s look at how he got started. Jerry traveled to Nashville in 1955 with the hopes of landing a record deal, but he was unsuccessful and eventually left for Memphis in 1956 to sign with the label Sun Records.
He then went on to sing a version of Ray Price’s “Crazy Arms” as well as his own tune “End of the Road,” which was recorded by Jack Clement, a sound engineer. Jerry began recording with the label the following month.
Jerry also appeared on the albums of several other Sun Records artists. Jerry appeared in Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox,” “Put Your Cat Clothes On,” and “Your True Love,” as well as Billy Lee Riley’s “Flyin’ Saucers Rock’n’Roll.”
Jerry was at the studio less than a month after signing with the label when Johnny Cash came to see Carl Perkins and then Elvis Presley. They held an unplanned jam session, which was recorded and later released on the CD “Million Dollar Quartet.” As a solo musician, his career took off in 1957.
He used to release his music as Jerry Lee Lewis and his Pumpin’ Piano. Shortly after, he recorded successful songs such as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” with the former giving him international acclaim and the latter being selected for permanent preservation in the Library of Congress’s National Recording Registry in 2014.
All of the above projects were important parts of Jerry Lee Lewis’s rise in wealth. Even though Jerry was successful early on, he found that his songs went against what he believed as a Christian. He used to worry that he was sending himself and his fans to hell. Still, he was able to work for a long time without letting his religion get in the way.
When he played, his signature move was to hit the piano keys with his heels, knock over the piano bench, and then move his hands all over the keys to make a striking visual. This movie was first seen on “The Steve Allen Show” in July 1957.
In 1960, Sun Records opened two new, high-tech recording studios, one in Memphis and one in Nashville. The next year, he did a successful cover of Ray Charles’s “What’d I Say.” Lewis’s contract with Sun Records ended in 1963, and then Smash Records signed him.
Jerry made a few rock albums for the label, like “Memphis Beat,” “Soul My Way,” and “The Return of Rock,” but none of them were a commercial or critical success.
But “Live at the Star Club, Hamburg,” a live album from 1964 with the Nashville Teens, is known by a lot of people to be one of the best live albums. Jerry Lee Lewis has made a lot of money over the course of his career.
Jerry Lee Lewis’s Music Success
By 1968, Jerry was frustrated that his projects with Smash Records weren’t doing well. So, when his manager asked him if he would like to make a country album, Jerry said yes. Then he put out a cover of “Another Place, Another Time,” which was originally sung by Jerry Chestnut, and to his surprise, it did well.
The song got to number four on the country music charts on Billboard and stayed there for 17 weeks. His career took off after he tried singing country music.
From 1968 to 1977, he had 17 Top 10 songs on Billboard’s country music charts. Some of them are “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me),” “Once More with Feeling,” “She Still Comes Around (to Love What’s Left of Me),” “One Has My Name (The Other Has My Heart),” and “Sometimes a Memory Ain’t Enough.”
All of these things have helped Jerry Lee Lewis’s wealth a lot. Soon, he was one of the most popular country musicians of the time. Jerry Lee Lewis made a lot of money from country music.
The first record label he signed with was “Sun Records.” In 1970, his older country singles were reworked and released as an album. His song “One Minute Past Eternity” was the second most popular country song of all time.
Jerry Lee Lewis went back to the pop genre in 1971. The next year, he put out the songs “Me and Bobby McGee” and “Chantilly Lace,” which helped to increase his net worth. He made an album called “Southern Roots: Back Home to Memphis,” which did well with critics but didn’t reach the top of the charts.
After he signed with the label Elektra, his album “Jerry Lee Lewis” came out. It was well received by critics, but it didn’t sell well. In 1986, he was asked to join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In 1989, a movie called “Great Balls of Fire!” was made about his early life and career. It was based on a book written by one of his ex-wives.
Final Words
Lewis was born on September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. Songs like “Great Balls of Fire!,” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” helped him become well-known. Lewis has been married seven times, and he and his wives have had six children together. He recorded “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” Live album “Live at the Star Club, Hamburg” is one of the best live albums of all time. From 1968 to 1977, he had 17 Top 10 songs on Billboard’s country music charts.
