Congratulations to Linda Gail Lewis, the undisputed Queen of Rock´n Roll & Country Music!
No one deserves it more than Linda Gail to be honored with an award like this, as musician and as person!

Many Thanks to Linda, Annie & Phyllis!

´This means a lot to me´ Lewis said. ´This is very exciting. I haven´t performed around Ferriday in years, so I´m looking forward to that´.
Lewis performed for a while with her brother, Jerry Lee Lewis, before going out on her own and also performing with Stephen Ackles and Van Morrison.
She also has recorded with her two daughters MaryJean Ferguson, and Annie Marie Dolan in a group called The Lewis 3.

´I am very proud of my daughters´, she said.
Linda Gail Lewis and Annie Marie Dolan will perform at 8:15 p.m. on April 28. At 9:15 p.m., Gilley will follow his cousin on the stage.
Lewis will be inducted into the Delta Music Hall of Fame at 8 p.m. Jerry Lee, Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart were the first three inductees into the Delta Music Hall of Fame in
´I´m really excited about working with Mickey´, Lewis said.´This will be a first´.

Linda Gail, who is married to former Stax promotions director Eddie Braddock, still talks in glowing terms of her brother, Jerry Lee.
Their first musical experiences were at The Ferriday First Assembly of God where Jerry and Linda sang, moving toward what would be their life long career in music.
´I´ve been in the music business my whole life´, says Linda.´I went into Sun recording studio, in Memphis, with my brother for the first time when I was 12 years old and went out on the road with him when I was 14´.
The impressionable Linda Gail idolized her brother and he returned her love with big brotherly concern.
´He protected me when we were out on the road. He wouldn´t even let anyone cuss in front of me´.

´I started out on my brother´s show, but my former sister-in-law (Kerrie McCarver) did not want me on the show anymore´, Lewis said.´I´m very devoted to my brother. We had a top 10 hit on Billboard´.
Jerry Lee and Linda Gail joined forces in the early 70´s creating a duet album entitled, *Together*, which launched a top 10 hit with their Mercury/smash single, *Don´t Let Me Cross Over*, followed a few months later by a revival of *Roll Over Beethoven*. From there she went out on her own to pursue her own dreams and visions in an effort to step out of the shadow of her famed brother. At that time she scored a solo hit with *Smile, Somebody Loves You*.
´You know, having name recognition is a two sided- thing´, she said.´It helps you get in the door, but once you´re in, you have to blow people´s minds or else they will not like you. If I was Jerry Lee’s sister, I better be good´.
Linda Gail also mentioned her sister, Frankie Jean Terrell of Ferriday.
´Frankie Jean has been so wonderful to me´, she said.´At one time I did´t have much going for me, but she always believed in me´.

Lewis performed on Beale Street in Memphis and found a number of Europeans attending her concerts.
´I thought I would always work with my brother, but when that became unrealistic I started a solo career in Memphis´, Lewis said.´The United States is a very large country. I thought it would be easier to promote myself in a small country, so I went to the United Kingdom and Sweden. They are small, by very highly populated and I could get around to radio stations in a shorter amount of time than here. I had some wonderful gigs in America, just not as many´.
Linda Gail is just as masterful on the piano as her brother.
´I always knew the basics´, she said.´Unlike Jerry Lee and Mickey, I had to develop my piano playing. That wasn´t easy in the beginning, but I stuck it out. I had a lot of people around Memphis help me. I learned a lot working with Van Morrison. I was 10 times better playing the piano after working a year with Van. I learned a lot of his songs. I´ve been very fortunate to work with some wonderful and nice people´.
(source: The Concordia Sentinel)

J.D. Davis will be signing his book, *Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley* before and after the concerts.

The Weekly Roundtable Radio Interview

The Weekly Roundtable radio broadcast of April 15, 2012 featured an interview with J.D. Davis, author of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. Thank you, Mark Stansberry, for an excellent discussion.
INTERVIEW - J.D. Davis 4-15-12 by TheWeeklyRoundtable
PODCAST

More info about that book: HERE

VIDEO CLIP of The Urbanettes via Mickey Gilley’s Personal Update Page

Radio and Television Appearances
You may have already heard interviews on XM Satellite radio as well as stations around the country, including in Atlanta, Tulsa, and Memphis.
Following is a current schedule of additional interviews and appearances lined up, which we will continue to update and expand on the website over the next several weeks:
April 26
•104.7 The Gator in Ferriday, LA
•95.1 WQNZ in Natchez, MS
April 29
• Clear Channel nationally syndicated radio with Jim Brown
May 1
•98.3 WKSR in Pulaski, TN
•97.7 KAPB in Marksville, LA
•Forever Communications in Tennessee - Froggy 104.1, Rock 92.3, TJ Network, 94.3, 105.3, 1390 AM
May 2
•99.9 KMOO in Mineola, TX
May 4
•WREG - TV5 in Memphis, TN
Contact Cindy Birne at cindy.birne@brownbooks.com (or Sherry Koven at sherry.koven@brownbooks.com) to schedule a radio or television appearance. You may also contact them at 972-381-0009.

Book Order-Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
B A M
Indie Bound

Thanks to J.D. Davis

The Queen of Rock´n Roll & Country Linda Gail Lewis will play her this year´s show in Germany together with her daughter Annie Marie Dolan and band Some Like It Hot on 01. June 2012 in Bocholt at Kinodrom Multiplex Cinema Theatre. The show will take place in there at Spencer´s.

Don’t miss this music highlight and order your TICKET and follow the NEWS on Facebook.

Exactly one year after Killer´s live recorded show at Third Man Records on 17. April 2011 now that abum has been official released. The fans have been long waited for it!
Available on black vinyl (limited black&blue LP came out end of 2011 already) & CD.

Order Link

Excerpt - Young Mickey´s Piano Practice
(by J.D. Davis, 19.April 2012)

In his youth, Mickey wrestled with practicing the gospel music that so pleased his mother versus pounding out the boogie-woogie tunes that gave him such exhileration to play. This excerpt from Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley illustrates Mickey´s conflict during a typical piano practice.

One July afternoon, Mickey was playing songs from the little brown church hymnal on the piano his mama had recently bought for him. Irene didn´t want him playing ´worldly music´, and so when she was home, Mickey appeased her by diligently playing hymns like *Amazing Grace* and *The Old Rugged Cross*.
Irene could hear the sounds coming from the other room. While he still hit wrong notes, they were fewer and further between. To Irene, the music was perfect. As Mickey pounded out the melody of *Standing on the Promises*, she could imagine him at the front of the church someday, playing piano, preaching the gospel, and pursuing the noble calling of ministering to his own church flock
´Mickey´, Irene said, ´I´m goin´ over to your Aunt Ada´s for a little bit. There are cold pork chops in the kitchen if you get hungry´.
As soon as his mother was out of earshot, Mickey stopped playing hymns. Within seconds, he was testing out the hand movements of the boogie-woogie music he had heard Jerry playing at Uncle Elmo and Aunt Mamie´s house. Smiling, elated, he concentrated on the disparate movements of his left and right hands. The music fascinated him. He figured that he probably had an hour—forty-five minutes just to be safe—until his mama returned and he´d have to play those hymns again.
´But, man´, he´d recall many years later, as he smiled his cheek-to-cheek grin,´when she´d leave, the boogie-woogie would roll!´

´Unconquered´ tells story of cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley
Thank you to Jodi Belgard and The Town Talk for the following article on Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley.

J.D. Davis grew up in the rural east Texas town of Quitman, one not unlike the Concordia Parish town of Ferriday.

It was a staunch conservative Christian community that could have easily produced a rock and roller, a holy roller and that one guy who perfectly splits the difference.
That´s why Davis, a finance and business executive by trade, decided to tell the story of north Louisiana trinity: Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart.
Davis did research for his first book for three years. He formed close relationships with the Lewis family, and even developed a friendship with Mickey Gilley.
*Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley* will officially launch April 28 with a booksigning at the Natchez City Auditorium in Natchez, Miss., just across the Mississippi River from the former stomping grounds of Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart in Ferriday and Vidalia.
The event will feature a concert by Jerry Lee’s sister, Linda Gail Lewis. Gilley will close the show.

Davis, who now lives in Dallas, spoke to The Town Talk about the book.

Town Talk: Coming from the world of finance and business, what made you want to write a book about these three guys from Concordia Parish?
Davis: I´ve been a fan of these guys´ music for decades - going back to childhood. This book is my first book, and it’s a significant departure from my training. And even among people who´ve never heard of (Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart), just the story itself was just a fascinating human interest story about the Depression and post-Depression south, and growing up in such a close family.
TT: How is this book different from any others about Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart?
Davis: What surprised me is that while a lot has been written about any of these three, there has not really been any effort to combine the three. I´m a little surprised, frankly, that their story hasn´t already been written. (A person´s) understanding any of the three becomes thoroughly enhanced with the understanding of all three. What most people don´t realize is how close in age they are — they were born within 12 months of each other — and how close the families were. In particular, Jerry and Jimmy are double first cousins. Their mothers were sisters, and their granparents were brother and sister. Those two almost have the same DNA. While Jerry became the rock and roll icon, he was always conflicted (with religion). I´ve heard it said that Jerry and Jimmy are like different sides of the same coin.
TT: What about Mickey Gilley?
Davis: Mickey Gilley is an interesting twist in all this. He is genuinely a nice guy. I think a lot of it comes from the fact that he didn´t achieve his first No. 1 hit until he was 38 years old.
TT: Have you developed relationships with all three of them?
Davis: I´ve developed a friendship with Mickey. I´ve actually met the other two, neither were heavily involved in this project. They were much less involved than Mickey.
TT: Why release this book now? People could argue that Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart are out of the spotlight.
Davis: I think the timing was important, not only are they in their late 70s, but to some extent over the last several years, the three have made a bit of a resurgence. Jerry put out *Last Man Standing* in 2006, Mickey is in Branson and Jimmy´s ministry is on an upswing. He´s got a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week ministry. By some strange set of circumstances, all three of them have made a comeback.
TT: What´s the most significant thing you learned about the men?
Davis: Really, what´s amazing, and I come back to what I said earlier, people do things for a reason, and if you look through their lives and the influences they came up under, you begin to understand why they did what they did.

More info about that book: HERE

Radio and Television Appearances
You may have already heard interviews on XM Satellite radio as well as stations around the country, including in Atlanta, Tulsa, and Memphis.
Following is a current schedule of additional interviews and appearances lined up, which we will continue to update and expand on the website over the next several weeks:
April 26
•104.7 The Gator in Ferriday, LA
•95.1 WQNZ in Natchez, MS
April 29
• Clear Channel nationally syndicated radio with Jim Brown
May 1
•98.3 WKSR in Pulaski, TN
•97.7 KAPB in Marksville, LA
•Forever Communications in Tennessee - Froggy 104.1, Rock 92.3, TJ Network, 94.3, 105.3, 1390 AM
May 2
•99.9 KMOO in Mineola, TX
May 4
•WREG - TV5 in Memphis, TN
Contact Cindy Birne at cindy.birne@brownbooks.com (or Sherry Koven at sherry.koven@brownbooks.com) to schedule a radio or television appearance. You may also contact them at 972-381-0009.

Book Order-Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
B A M
Indie Bound

Thanks to J.D. Davis

VIDEO

It’s good to see how well it goes with the progress of his health step by step after his bad accident and the partial paralysis. He for sure is a good example what I call a strong guy…patience, persistence, tenacity…this guy really rocks!

Respect!

source: Mickey Gilley

Carl Perkins would have been 80 years old today!
Never forgotten by his fans!
Bear Family Records comes out with a new intersting box in this month…here some info about (for German & Spanish translation scroll down).

(Jerry Lee Lewis, Linda Gail Lewis & Carl Perkins, The Jerry Lee Lewis Show 1971)

5-CD Mini-Box (CD-format) with 132-page booklet, 152 tracks. Playing time approx. 360 mns.
152 tracks and 45 separate songs. Outtakes from all of Carl´s Sun era recordings in one place! Everything from Carl´s earliest hillbilly titles through his final recording for the film *Jamboree*! Contains previous unissued titles and outtakes of almost all known songs. Lavishly illustrated booklet contains previously unpublished vintage photos. Complete up-to-date discography. Detailed track-by-track music commentary. Previously unpublished interviews with Carl´s son Stan, and drummer WS Holland.
Carl Perkins was the best guitar player who ever set foot in the Sun studio. He was no slouch as a singer and song writer also. Until Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis became megastars, nobody - and that includes Elvis - sold more records at Sun than Carl Perkins.
But Carl was so much more than *Blue Suede Shoes´. In addition to eight singles and an album´s worth of material, Carl left behind a treasure trove of recorded material consisting of unissued titles and studio outtakes. Many of these tracks have appeared over the years but, incredibly, there were still vintage recordings awaiting discovery. We present them here for the first time, along with every known Carl Perkins outtake from the Sun era. Finally - it´s all here in one place, along with some delicious moments of studio chatter, false starts and song fragments. You´ve never heard Carl like this before.
We also offer some memorable home recordings from the Sun era - some of them previously unissued. They show Carl playing and singing in the privacy of his own living room. The accompanying book written by Sun historians Hank Davis and Scott Parker provides extensive song by song commentary to bring you even closer to the music. The book includes rare photos, and revealing and previously unpublished interviews with Carl´s son Stan and drummer WS Holland.

CD 1 :
1. Honky Tonk Gal / Babe (alt 1)
2. Honky Tonk Gal / Babe (alt 2)
3. Honky Tonk Gal / Babe (alt 3)
4. Honky Tonk Gal / Babe (alt 4)
5. Honky Tonk Gal / Babe (alt 5)
6. Turn Around (fragment 1)
7. Turn Around (alt 1)
8. Turn Around (fragment 2)
9. Movie Magg (alt 1)
10. You Can’t Make Love To Someb..
11. You Can´t Make Love To Someb..
12. You Can´t Make Love To Someb..
13. You Can´t Make Love To Someb..
14. You Can´t Make Love To Someb..
15. Gone Gone Gone (alt 1)
16. Gone Gone Gone (alt 2)
17. Gone Gone Gone (alt 3)
18. Let The Jukebox Keep On Play..
19. What You Doing When You´re C..
20. What You Doing When You´re C..
21. Dixie Bop/Perkins Wiggle (al..
22. Dixie Bop/Perkins Wiggle (al..
23. Dixie Bop/Perkins Wiggle (al..
24. Tennessee (fragment 1)
25. Sure To Fall (alt 1)
26. Sure To Fall (alt 2)
27. Sure To Fall (alt 3)
28. Blue Suede Shoes (alt 1)
29. Blue Suede Shoes (alt 2)
30. Honey Don’t (alt 1)
31. Honey Don’t (alt 2)

CD 5 :
1. Look At That Moon (alt 1)
2. Look At That Moon (alt 2)
3. Pink Pedal Pushers (alt 1)
4. Pink Pedal Pushers (alt 2)
5. Pink Pedal Pushers (alt 3)
6. Pink Pedal Pushers (alt 4)
7. Pink Pedal Pushers (alt 5)
8. Pink Pedal Pushers (alt 6)
9. Pink Pedal Pushers (fragment..
10. Keeper Of The Key (alt 1)
11. Listen To The Mockingbird (a..
12. The Way That You’re Living (..
13. The Old Spinning Wheel (alt 1)
14. Try My Heart Out (alt 1)
15. Try My Heart Out (alt 2)
16. The Poor People Of Paris (al..
17. Roll Over Beethoven (alt 1)
18. Take Back My Love (alt 1)
19. Silver Bell (alt 1)
20. Somebody Tell Me (alt 1)
21. Lonely Street (alt 1)
22. Lonely Street (alt 2)
23. Lonely Street (alt 3)
24. Lonely Street (alt 4)
25. Drink Up And Go Home (alt 1)

Deutsch:
5-CD Mini-Box (CD-Format) mit 132-seitigem Booklet, 152 Einzeltitel. Spieldauer: ca. 360 Minuten.
Insgesamt 152 Aufnahmen und 45 verschiedene Songtitel, alle Outtakes aus Carls gesamter Schaffenszeit bei Sun Records hier vereint, von Carls frühesten Hillbilly-Titeln bis zu seiner fertigen Soundtrack-Einspielung für den Film *Jamboree*. Hinzu kommen bisher nie veröffentlichte Titel und Outtakes von fast allen bekannten Songs, begleitet von einem aufwändig illustrierten Booklet mit nie gezeigten, unveröffentlichten Fotos und Zeitdokumenten, einer komplette Diskographie nach neuesten Erkenntnissen und detaillierten Erläuterungen zu jeder einzelnen Aufnahme. Und bisher unveröffentlichte Interviews mit Carls Sohn Stan und Schlagzeuger W.S. Holland.
Carl Perkins war der beste Gitarrist, der jemals das Sun Studio betrat und er war auch keine Niete als Sänger und Komponist. Bis Johnny Cash und Jerry Lee Lewis Megastars wurden, hat niemand - einschließlich Elvis - mehr Platten bei Sun verkauft, als Carl Perkins.
Aber Carl war noch sehr viel mehr, als nur *Blue Suede Shoes*. Neben den acht Singles und dem Material für ein ganzes Album, hat Carl eine Schatztruhe voller unveröffentlichter Songs und Studio-Outtakes hinterlassen. Viele dieser Aufnahmen wurden im Laufe der Jahre hier und da veröffentlicht, jedoch gab es noch immer reichlich unentdeckte Schätze, die darauf warteten, gehoben zu werden. Wir präsentieren sie hier zum ersten Mal, inklusive aller bekannter Carl Perkins Outtakes aus der Sun-Ära. Fazit - diese Schaffensperiode ist hier komplett zusammengefasst, einschließlich besonderer Leckerbissen, wie Studiogesprächen, das Anspielen und wieder Abbrechen von Songs, sowie Songfragmenten. So hat man Carl noch nie zuvor gehört.
Zusätzlich bieten wir einige, erinnerungswürdige Privataufnahmen, die während der Sun-Ära bei Carl Perkins zuhause in seinem Wohnzimmer entstanden - einige davon bisher unveröffentlicht! - Das dazugehörige Buch, geschrieben von den beiden Sun Historikern Hank Davis und Scott Parker, enthält ausführliche und detaillierte Kommentare zu jedem einzelnen Song, um jedem diese Musik noch näher bringen zu können. Illustrationen, seltene und unveröffentlichte Photos sind ebenso enthalten, wie aufschlussreiche, bisher unveröffentlichte Interviews mit Carls Sohn Stan und dem Schlagzeuger W.S. Holland.

espanol:
5-Mini CD-Box (CD-formato) con libreto de 132 páginas, 152 pistas. Reproducción de aprox. 360 mns.
152 pistas y 45 canciones separadas. Tomas falsas de todas las grabaciones de la época de Carl de Sun en un solo lugar! Todo, desde los títulos de Carl primeros hillbilly a través de su grabación final de *Jamboree* de la película! Contiene los anteriores títulos no emitidos y tomas de las canciones de casi todos los conocidos. Profusamente ilustrado folleto contiene fotos antiguas inéditas. Completar hasta al día discografía. Detallado pista por pista de música comentario. Anteriormente entrevistas inéditas con el hijo de Carl, Stan, y el baterista WS Holland.
Carl Perkins fue el mejor guitarrista que ha puesto un pie en el Sun Studio. Era no se queda atrás como cantante y escritor de la canción también. Hasta Johnny Cash y Jerry Lee Lewis se convirtió en grandes estrellas, nadie - y eso incluye Elvis - vendido más discos de Sun que Carl Perkins.
Pero Carl era mucho más que *Blue Suede Shoes*. Además de ocho singles y un álbum de material, Carl dejó un tesoro de material grabado que consta de los títulos no emitidos y tomas de estudio. Muchos de estos temas han aparecido en los últimos años, pero, increíblemente, todavía hay grabaciones de época que esperan ser descubiertas. Les presentamos aquí por primera vez, junto con todos los conocidos descarte de Carl Perkins de la época dom Por último - ¡Todo está aquí en un solo lugar, junto con algunos deliciosos momentos de charla de estudio, salidas en falso y fragmentos de canciones. Usted nunca ha oído hablar de Carl como esto antes.
También ofrecemos algunas grabaciones caseras memorables de la época de Sun - algunos de ellos ya no emitido. Muestran Carl tocando y cantando en la privacidad de su propia sala de estar. El libro que acompaña escrito por los historiadores dom Hank Davis y Scott Parker ofrece una amplia canción por canción a los comentarios acercarán todavía más a la música. El libro incluye fotos inéditas y entrevistas reveladoras y no publicados con anterioridad con el hijo de Carl, Stan y el baterista WS Holland.

Many Thanks to Fernando!

source: Bear Family Records & Golden Forum

More info about that book: HERE

Book Order-Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
B A M
Indie Bound

Thanks to J.D. Davis

Advance Purchase Tickets
$25 General Admission
$35 Preferred Seating

Event Day Tickets
$30 General Admission
$50 Preferred Seating

Includes concert ticket and copy of
Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley

Event location:
Natchez City Auditorium
211 Main Street
Natchez, Mississippi, USA

For those interested in attending, tickets may be purchased:
In Natchez, Ms.: Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau, (601) 446-6345
In Vidalia, La.: Concordia Parish Chamber of Commerce, (318) 336-8223
In Ferriday, La.: Delta Music Museum (open Wed., Thurs., Fri.), (318) 757-9999

Book Order-Links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
B A M
Indie Bound

Thanks to J.D. Davis