Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story [Paperback]

Nick Tosches (Author), Greil Marcus (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 22, 1998

The life of Jerry Lee Lewis is one of the most dramatic and tormented in rock 'n' roll history. Hellfire is a wild, riveting, and beautifully written biography that received universal acclaim on its original publication and remains one of the most remarkable biographies ever written.

Born in Louisiana to a family legacy of great courage and greater wildness, Jerry Lee was torn throughout his life between a demanding Pentecostal God and the Devil of alcohol, drugs, and the boogie-woogie piano. At fourteen he began performing publicly, and at twenty-two he recorded "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", which propelled him to stardom. But almost immediately, news of his marriage to his thirteen-year-old cousin nearly destroyed his career. Over the next twenty years, Jerry Lee would rise again as a country star, and lose it all to his addictions to alcohol, drugs, and his own fame. Hellfire is an audacious, artful look directly into the soul of a rock 'n' roll legend.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'The number one greatest music book ever' Observer 'Quite simply the best rock and roll biography ever written' Rolling Stone --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

Nick Tosches was born in Newark, New Jersey. He is the author of the novels Cut Numbers, Trinities, and In the Hand of Dante. His non-fiction books include the iconic biographies of Dean Martin and Sonny Liston, Dino and Night Train, and most recently King of the Jews, also published by Penguin. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (April 22, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802135668
• ISBN-13: 978-0802135667
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #610,179 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tour-de-force prose fires up an already wild life story., July 10, 1999

By 

T. Maddison "Tim Maddison" (London) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story (Paperback)

This was the book that established Nick Tosches as the absolute benchmark writer on American popular culture.The story is gripping in its bare bones, but what really enthralls is Tosches' flamboyant, baroque prose that both parodies and celebrates the wild energy of the southern religious fervour that was Lewis's deepest inspiration and source of greatest torment. The whole thing may be too rich for some tastes, and in lesser hands would likely have emerged as overripe and trite, but Tosches' awe at the man and love for the music is obvious. Like all of the author's work, it is also extremely funny. "Dino" and "Country" are also highly recommended.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tosches does not ignore the mysterious deaths of the 2 wives, January 30, 2002

By 

Ravi Saxena (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story (Paperback)

An "amen" to any words of praise that have already been spoken about this amazing book. What I would like to point out is that the reason the deaths of wife #3, Jaren Pate, and wife #4, Shawn Stevens, are not covered in the book is that they took place 3 or 4 years after the publication of Hellfire. However, Tosches does discuss both deaths in Country: The Twisted Roots of Rock n Roll, and quite chillingly at that. ("Your sister's dead", Jerry Lee said to Denise Stevens the day after Shawn's bruised and bloodied corpse was discovered, "and she was a bad girl"). Come now, you don't think Tosches could keep silent about the Killer's Killings, do you?

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Balls of Fire, July 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story (Paperback)

Tosches does an outstanding job outlining the life and trials of Rock 'N' Roll pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis. His book follows the "Killer's" rural upbringing in Louisiana, his breakthrough at the legendary Sun Records in Memphis, and the downward spiral of his career after an ill-fated marriage to his 2nd cousin. Tosches does not try to get the reader to feel sympathy for Jerry Lee, but merely states the man's history, warts and all. What makes this story all the more entertaining is the knowledge that tonight, somewhere in the world, Jerry Lee is pounding his piano with the same manic fever first exhibited in the '50's. A true American original.