The Devil, Me, and Jerry Lee [Hardcover]

Linda G. Lewis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 1998

Jerry Lee's sister tells all: the highs and lows, drinks and drugs, wives and lovers, gold records and busts.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Jerry Lee is not a candy ass," writes Lewis in this affectionate memoir of her life with her brother, rock legend Jerry Lee Lewis. What she's saying is hardly news?given that Jerry Lee's nickname is "The Killer," he hardly needs such a defense?but the author writes in a vivid, colloquial voice that makes old news seem almost fresh. Though Lewis's book abounds with colorful boasts regarding the sturdy Lewis libido (apparently shared by Jerry Lee, the author and their cousin Jimmy Swaggart), fans will learn little they didn't already know about the man who graced the world with the hit "Great Balls of Fire." Lewis is charming when she describes her fits of wanderlust, as when she left her family to tour the country with her older brother and his band, but one wishes she had applied her talent for brisk, direct prose to telling the story of the balancing act she has had to perform as both a mother and a traveling musician (which she only briefly addresses). Lewis also pads her narrative with worn-out anecdotes, recalling the moment when John Lennon kissed Jerry Lee's feet and the performance in which an uninvited and unwanted Janis Joplin joined Jerry Lee onstage. Lewis's appealing, plainspoken style notwithstanding, this slim family album will be appreciated by diehard fans and quickly forgotten by everyone else.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

The seemingly unedited, colloquial catalogue of Jerry Lee Lewiss sister Linda Gails snapshot memories. Her brothers fast rise to fame from 1950s-era Louisiana sharecropper poverty, his family background (marriage between cousins was not forbidden), and his roller coaster career as rock 'n roll was kicking its way into the culture and recording artists began riding high on the wave of fameall justify this haplessly informal reminiscence. Lewis touches on all of those potential themes yet ultimately abandons each of them for other moments which she, like a would-be debutante, uses to launch her own coming out. Alluding to the raw energy that informed Jerry Lees early talent, she offers vignettes of his childhood escapades in which she figured. Yet while Lewis claims to share his rollicking bravado, particularly when it comes to their shared sexual insatiability, little of her story manages to evoke a portrait of the author beyond her sidekick role with Jerry. Had she chosen to write more fully about almost anything hereher relationship with Jerry Lee, their parallels, or even their differencesthen maybe we wouldnt feel quite so compelled to believe that his life was the one she really wanted. Eventually she does realize her own talents, though were given few glimpses of the start of her singing career. By contrast, were told how, one day, Jerry just walked up to the piano and started playing, no lessons, no reason for him to be able to do it. Living in her brothers shadow for an entire lifetime, Lewis has also chronicled her own storywithout enough accompanying insights. (12 b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Trade Publishing (October 25, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563525267
• ISBN-13: 978-1563525261
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #395,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly refreshing look at the remarkable Lewis family., December 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Devil, Me, and Jerry Lee (Hardcover)

This is a delightful book in which Linda recounts her life as a member of the exrtaordinary Lewis family. The style is conversational, warm and intimate - so much so that you can almost hear her dropping her voice as she gets to the more delicate bits. It's like having her sitting by your side, chatting away - slipping in the odd bit of scandal here and there to spice up the narrative lest your attention should wander. Linda does the story justice by telling it simply and with humour. And what a story it is! If it had been written as fiction it would be dismissed as being too fanciful. Shooting, killings, Heaven, The Devil, death and judgement, marriage, divorce, sex, drugs and rock'n'roll all play their part - and that's just for starters. Chapter two gets even better. Linda begins with a snapshot of family life in Ferriday, Louisiana with (one imagines) daddy coming in from a hard day's bootlegging to Jerry Lee playing boogie-woogie, momma raisin' the roof with songs of praise and big sister Frankie Jean generally causing mayhem. It wasn't until later in life that Linda realised that not every family lived like the Lewis' - but for all their perceived shortcomings (even by Ferriday standards they were regarded as somewhat eccentric), daddy and momma were exemplary parents. No one could have done more for their children or been more supportive. The story of mortgaging the family home to buy a piano and selling eggs to raise money to get to Sun Records are well known, but Linda for her part remembers the talk at home as always being of 'when' Jerry Lee would become famous - never 'if'. The Lewis famiuly were always well represented at the Holiness Church in Ferriday - which Linda describes as the battleground between good and evil. Guys urged on by the preaching and the singing and the speaking in tongues would confess all manner of sins and vow to fight the good fight, which some of them did - at least for an hour or so afterwards. In later years as older members of the family died and were buried, Linda and Jerry Lee with cousins Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Lee Swaggart would return to sing with the fifty or so regular congregation in what must have been the gospel show to end all gospel shows. The lessons learned in church were taken to heart - even though the bit about not sleeping together without getting married meant that Linda (like Jerry) had to tie the knot many times over to keep within the letter, if not the spirit of the law. Linda recounts her marriages with good humour and without rancour. One guy blew his brains out, another just lasted for one glorious sex-filled weekend and in one case a quickie divorce (to allow an immediate re-marriage) was facilitated by a judge who was well disposed to the Lewis', having played the mailman in the movie 'Great Balls Of Fire'. A good deal of the book is taken up with life on the road with Jerry Lee. Having dropped out of school she was able to see Jerry through the lean years following the Myra incident. She went everywhere with him, backwards and forwards across America playing any club or bar that would have them, even the places where she says they frisked you for guns - and if you didn't have one, they gave you one. Jerry's resillience and determination in fighting his way back to the top is widely acknowledged, but Linda - forever his number one fan - deserves some of that recognition for her totally untiring and unselfish support. It grieves her that in later years Jerry Lee has been hi-jacked by the infamous Dr. Nick and sixth wife Kerrie. Linda is generous towards previous wives but understandably wouldn't give Kerrie the lickings of a dog. What should have been the crowning glory of a glorious career seems to end in ruins and that hurts. But among the lighter moments - and there are plenty - it is revealed that Jerry Lee Lewis sleeps with a fully-loaded sub-machine gun under his bed. But as to the circumstances in which he came to use it - you'll have to read the book. It would be wrong to give the name away here, and in any case Linda tells it so much better. In life, as in the book, there's never a dull moment with 'The Devil, Me and Jerry Lee'. Chris Woodford.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A candid look behind the scenes of one of Rock's Icons., February 6, 1999

By 

John O. Mccall "bocephusii" (York, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Devil, Me, and Jerry Lee (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a very interesting look at the upbringing and early influences on Jerry Lee's life which was not detailed in earlier books on his life. It was sometimes shocking, but always interesting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jerry Lee Lewis - my brother, my life, December 14, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Devil, Me, and Jerry Lee (Hardcover)

This is a delightful book - in which Linda recounts her life as brother to rock and roll star Jerry Lee Lewis. The style is conversational, warm and intimate - so much so that her voice can be heard to drop as she slips the odd bit of scandal here and there lest the attention should wander. Linda does the story justice by telling it simply and with humor. And what a story it is ! If it had been written as fiction - it would be dismissed as being too fanciful. Shooting, killings, Heaven, Hell, the Devil, death and judgement, marriage, divorce, sex, drugs and rock and roll all play their part - and that's just for starters. Chapter two is even better.

Linda begins with a snap-shot of family life in Ferriday, Louisiana - with Daddy coming in from a hard day's bootlegging to Jerry Lee playing boogie-woogie and Momma raising the roof with songs of Praise. It wasn't until later in life that Linda realised that not every family lived like the Lee Lewis's - even by Ferriday standards they were regarded as somewhat eccentric.

The Lewis family were always well represented at the Holiness Church in Ferriday, Louisiana - which Linda describes as a battleground between good and evil. People would confess all manner of sins and vow to fight the good fight, which some of them did - at least for an hour or so afterwards. The lessons learned in church were taken to heart - even though the bit about not sleeping together without getting married meant that Linda (like Jerry) had to tie the knot many times over to keep within the letter, if not the spirit of the law. Linda is quite specific as to why her marriages failed. For example one guy blew his brains out and another just lasted for one glorious 'sex-filled' weekend.

A good deal of the book is taken up with life on the road with Jerry Lee - during the lean years which followed the 'scandal' of the marriage to his 13 year old cousin. She went everywhere with him, backwards and forwards across America playing any club or bar that would have them, even the places where she says they frisked you for guns - and if you didn't have one they gave you one. It grieves Linda that in later years - Jerry Lee has been hi-jacked by the infamous Dr.Nick and sixth wife Kerrie. What should have been the crowning of a glorious career seems set to end in ruins - and that hurts.

But among the lighter moments - and there are plenty, it is revealed that Jerry Lee Lewis sleeps with a fully loaded sub-machine gun under his bed. But as to the circumstances in which he came to use it - well, it would be wrong to give the game away here. In any case Linda can tell it so much better. In life, as in the book - there's never a dull moment with 'The Devil, Me and Jerry Lee'.