Ferriday in Concordia Parish, Louisiana — The American South (West South Central)

Jerry Lee Lewis

Photographed by Cajun Scrambler, May 27, 2017

1. Jerry Lee Lewis Marker

Inscription. Jerry Lee Lewis, aka The Killer, was born in 1935, in Ferriday, LA, where he began playing piano in his youth with his cousins, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart. He grew up listening to broadcasts of the Louisiana Hayride and Grand Ole Opry on the radio and singing and playing gospel at church. He also regularly sneaked into Haney's Big House, a local Black juke joint on the Chitlin' Circuit featuring performers like B.B. King, Roy Milton, Bobby Bland, Ray Charles and others, all of whom influenced his own later style. Jerry Lee made his first public appearance in 1949, at the grand opening of a Ford Dealership in Ferriday, playing piano and singing "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" and also landed a radio show in Natchez. In 1951, he cut his first demo in New Orleans. That same year, he was expelled from the Assembly of God Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahatchie, TX, for his boogie-woogie rendition of "My God is Real" during a church assembly, noting years later when asked if he was still playing for the devil that churches were now playing the same kind of music: The difference is I know I am playing for the devil and

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In 1956, his father took him to Memphis, where he recorded demo tapes at Sun Records, thus launching his career under Sun Records owner Sam Phillips with his rendition of Ray Price's "Crazy Arms". Lewis began touring with Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins, developing his famous standing piano style. His hit that year, "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On", was originally banned from broadcast by BMI for being too scandalous, but soared to the number-one position on both the country and R&B charts. The success of Lewis's other 1950s hits like "Great Balls of Fire", "Breathless" and "High School Confidential" made Lee a superstar. Because of his turbulent personal life, Lee's career suffered a setback for about 12 years that ended in 1963 with a number-two country hit, "Another Place", and a number-one country hit, "To Make Love Sweeter for You", followed by more hits through the 1970s, including, "Would You Take another Chance on Me", "Chantilly Lace", and a remake of Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGehee" and many others.

In 1986 Lee was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine named him number

Delta Music Hall of Fame image. Click for full size.

May 27, 2017

2. Delta Music Hall of Fame

24 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. His contributions to music have been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and in 2008, he was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame as well as the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. The Killer has had a dozen gold records in both rock and country, and has won several Grammy awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Credits from the book "Louisiana Rocks - The True Genesis of Rock and Roll".

Erected 2002 by Ferriday Louisiana "Where Music Was Born".

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Grammy Award Winners series list.

Location. 31° 37.785′ N, 91° 33.213′ W. Marker is in Ferriday, Louisiana, in Concordia Parish. It is at the intersection of Louisiana Avenue and EE Wallace Boulevard (U.S. 425), on the right when traveling east on Louisiana Avenue. Located at the Delta Music Hall of Fame. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 218 Louisiana Avenue,

May 27, 2017

3. Jerry Lee Lewis Marker

Jerry Lee Lewis is marker on right.

Ferriday LA 71334, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Louisiana.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Mississippi Delta.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

the Louisiana Purchase,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Jimmy Lee Swaggart (here, next to this marker); Mickey Gilley (here, next to this marker); The Blues Trail: Mississippi to Louisiana (a few steps from this marker); Frank Morris (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Haney's Big House (about 700 feet away); Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker (about 800 feet away); Bayou Memorial Park Flags (approx. 0.6 miles away); DePrato Mounds (approx. 1.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ferriday.

Also see . . . Delta Music Hall Of Fame.

Jerry Lee Lewis Star at Hall of Fame image. Click for full size.

May 27, 2017

4. Jerry Lee Lewis Star at Hall of Fame

Jerry Lee Lewis Star at Delta Music Hall of Fame, farthest on left.

(Submitted on June 2, 2017.)

Credits. This page was last revised on May 30, 2022. It was originally submitted on June 2, 2017, by Cajun Scrambler of Assumption, Louisiana. This page has been viewed 951 times since then and 81 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on June 2, 2017.