Jerry Lee Lewis’ arrival on Mercury Information continued his exploration of the nation sound that had all the time been a part of his musical make-up. He had No. 1 nation hits with such singles as 1970’s “There Must Be More To Love Than This” and “Would You Take Another Chance On Me” the next yr. What made issues much more fascinating was the best way that the nation viewers of “The Killer” took to his revivals of the rock’n’roll scene that he had helped create within the first place.
Rock’n’roll, nation and soul
Lewis had one other nation chart-topper together with his remake of the Massive Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace.” Mercury adopted that with a single that took him to each nation and pop markets. On June 17, 1972, he entered Billboard’s Scorching Nation Singles chart together with his cowl of “Lonely Weekends,” a No. 22 pop hit for his former Solar Information labelmate Charlie Wealthy in 1960. The music had subsequently been lined by Wanda Jackson, Waylon Jennings, and pop artists like Brian Hyland and P.J. Proby.
Lewis’ model climbed to No. 11 nation, whereas the opposite facet, marketed to pop radio, noticed Jerry Lee embracing old-school soul. “Turn On Your Love Light,” written by Don Robey and Joe Scott, stays best-known in its basic rendition by Bobby “Blue” Bland. That gem hit No.2 on the R&B chart in 1961 and later entered the Grammy Corridor of Fame. Jerry Lee’s take had first appeared on his Soul My Manner album of 1967, which missed out on chart recognition.
Each side of the only had been on Lewis’ 1972 album The Killer Rocks On, which additionally included “Chantilly Lace.” Regardless of representing a return to his rock’n’roll roots, it solely reached No.104 on the pop LP countdown, however rose to No.4 nation. It was one other signal of his plain foothold in that market.
Hearken to uDiscover Music’s Nation Music In 20 Songs playlist.
As “Lonely Weekends” made its nation impression, the label promoted “Love Light” to US pop radio. It made a minor entry on the Scorching 100, reaching No.95 in late July 1972. It turned out to be Jerry Lee’s penultimate look on that survey.
“Lonely Weekends” and “Turn On Your Love Light” are on The Killer Rocks On.
