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Music

Truth be told, Lewis is still shakin'

Jerry Lee Lewis roars into town for the Tampa Bay Blues Fest, and at 71 he's still a force.

By Sean Daly
Published May 3, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [AP photo] Jerry Lee Lewis, fresh off the success of his latest album, Last Man Standing, brings his fiery brand of rock 'n' roll to the Tampa Bay Blues Fest. Lewis, whose hits include Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and Great Balls of Fire, takes the stage at 8:30 p.m. Sunday in St. Petersburg. Related content Who'd rent him a piano?

Whether the legends about Jerry Lee Lewis are true is not the point. Did the ultra-competitive Killer really set his piano on fire during a gig to keep Chuck Berry from headlining? Did the pride of Ferriday, La., really barge through the gates of Graceland and threaten to shoot Elvis? Maybe, maybe not. What matters is that the guy was capable of any of it.

In 1957, the Killer kickstarted a legendary career with the single Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On. Fifty years later, at 71, Lewis still has the ability to drop our jaws. He recently released the duets gem Last Man Standing, on which he went head-to-head with Bruce Springsteen, Mick Jagger and Jimmy Page - and more than held his own, howling at the moon and playing all the piano parts.

The old man still has oomph. He might even have some lighter fluid. Consider yourself warned.

The Killer is certainly the most intriguing act at this year's Tampa Bay Blues Fest, but he's not the "bluesiest." Neither are such other headliners as George Thorogood, Dickey Betts or Percy Sledge.

If you want a good case of the down-n-dirties, check out such acts as Watermelon Slim, a renaissance man with more wild tales than Forrest Gump; Eric Lindell, a Northern California hipster with New Orleans flair; the Kissimmee-raised Guitar Shorty, who was blues-educated by Ray Charles and Willie Dixon; and such must-sees as Lil' Ed & the Blues Imperials, Koko Taylor and Her Blues Machine and blues belter Nora Jean Bruso.

The blues fest runs Friday through Sunday in Vinoy Park on the downtown St. Petersburg waterfront. Admission is $25 a day or $60 for a three-day pass. 727 502-5000.

Sean Daly can be reached at (727) 893-8467 or sdaly@sptimes.com His blog is at blogs.tampabay.com/popmusic.

Tampa Bay Blues Fest schedule

Friday: Debbie Davies Band, 12:30 p.m.; Michael Burks, 2:30 p.m.; Sugar Ray and the Bluetones, 4:30 p.m.; Dave Mason, 6:30 p.m.; and George Thorogood and the Destroyers, 8:30 p.m.

Saturday: EG Kight, 11 a.m.; Watermelon Slim, 12:30 p.m.; Eric Lindell, 2:30 p.m.; Lil' Ed and the Blues Imperials, 4:30 p.m.; Koko Taylor and Her Blues Machine, 6:30 p.m.; and Dickey Betts and Great Southern, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday: Walker Smith Group, 1 p.m.; Nora Jean Bruso, 2:30 p.m.; Guitar Shorty, 4:30 p.m.; Percy Sledge, 6:30 p.m.; and Jerry Lee Lewis, 8:30 p.m.

[Last modified May 2, 2007, 12:48:04]