Born in Louisiana to a family legacy of great courage and greater madness, Jerry Lee was torn throughout his life between a harsh Pentecostal God and the Devil of alcohol, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. He began performing publicly at fourteen, and at twenty-one he recorded "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," which propelled him to stardom. Almost immediately, news of his marriage to his thirteen-year-old cousin all but destroyed his career. Over the next twenty years, Jerry Lee, ever indomitable and ever wild, would rise again as a country star, and then lose it all again to his own inner demons.
Reviews
Boston Globe
Tosches' book is a work of art.
Esquire
The book is undeniably a feat — turning a sordid, tormented life into a rousing piece of poetic expressionism.
Philadelphia Inquirer
Hellfire sets a new standard.
Rolling Stone
Quite simply the best rock and roll biography ever written.
Esquire
The book is undeniably a feat -- turning a sordid, tormented life into a rousing piece of poetic expressionism.
Newsday
The best rock 'n' roll biography ever written....There is a novelistic intensity to this story of scandal, tragedy, triumph and love....Riveting.