"Jerry Lee Lewis" by Rick Bragg (2014)

The first time I ever saw Jerry Lee Lewis was in Virginia Beach. It was about 1980; just after the “Killer” had been stricken with bleeding ulcers. It was at a small venue; a place with tables. I had one only a few feet from the small stage. He did a short set with the band and then dismissed them from the stage and offered to take requests.

I was quick to call out for some Webb Pierce. Just as quickly he looked at me and said, “You’re too young to know Webb Pierce!” It was like an accusation on his part, but then he grew thoughtful; fingers roaming the keys of the piano; and said, “I can’t drink anymore, but I sure do love to sing about it!” Then he launched into a wonderful barrel house piano version of “There Stands the Glass.” When he was through playing it he looked at me and asked, “How’d I do, son?” I do not recall my reply; probably because I was speechless.

Now, author Rick Bragg has written a biography of Mr. Lewis which most likely will serve as his oral autobiography; much in the same way that Merle Miller’s “Plain Speaking” serves as Harry Truman’s. Mr. Bragg spent 2 years with Mr. Lewis while writing this book; sometimes in the entertainer’s bedroom; which is equipped with a locking metal gate. The author doesn’t tell us whether or not the gate is there to keep the imaginary demons out; or the real ones inside. At any rate, this is where Mr. Lewis spends some of his time when not touring. (He was still performing on a limited basis until a year or so ago.)

Along with Jerry Lee’s own story; and the demons which haunt him; Mr. Bragg has given a good history of Ferriday and Louisiana in general. He describes it as a hard place; and as a southern boy himself he recognizes the dichotomy between religion and reality. He understands why Jerry Lee worries that playing rock and roll may exclude him from Heaven. It is only through his strong belief in the forgiveness of Jesus Christ that he manages to hold on these days.  He is; after all is said and done; the cousin of Jimmy Swaggart; an evangelist of note, if not an entertainer in his own right.

The book has a surprising humanity to it, given all that one associates with Jerry Lee Lewis and the Devil’s music. And Rick Bragg is just the right person to put it all done on paper. The conflict he feels with the talent God gave him to play rock and roll; or what just may be “the devils music” after all; worries him. It is plainly apparent that he comes from a place of ghosts, some of which haunt him. But at the same time he makes no apologies for who he has been and what he has done. He would; he believes; have done it differently now, but acknowledges freely that he probably wouldn’t. He’s a walking contradiction.

Rick Bragg does an excellent job in conveying the true essence of Jerry Lee Lewis; the original “bad boy” of rock and roll. He was there at the beginning and is still around today; at a time when most of his colleagues, and rivals, are gone. He is; as they say; the last man standing. He’s had health troubles; women troubles; financial troubles; you name it. He’s buried wives and children; been to the top of the pops and then down to playing cheap bars and clubs; then back up again, several times.

He’s been counted out as many times as Keith Richards; yet he’s always bounced back.  At 79 years of age; his body is ravaged by pain and he can only sit or stand in any one position for a few minutes at a time. But, recently married in 2012 to his longtime friend and recent caregiver; Judith Ann Coghlan; 14 years his junior, he is still rocking his life away.

"Barrymore" with Christopher Plummer (2012)

Christopher Plummer, in one of the finest roles of his storied career, portrays the classic actor John Barrymore; brother to Lionel and Ethel; and the slave of alcohol. The movie is very simply set, with most of the monologue; which the movie is, with the exception of the unseen “prompter” who feeds him his lines when he strays off course; taking place in a vacant theater which the aging actor has rented in order to stage a comeback that would never take place.

In a brilliant screenplay, Mr. Plummer is allowed to float seamlessly between the stage where the rehearsal takes place; and the dressing room; to flights of fancy borne of the aging masters past experiences. Sometimes you are not certain who he is, or where he is supposed to be performing; but so did he. He was a man lost to himself, and Mr. Plummer does such an excellent job of portraying him that I often found myself thinking that I was watching the real John Barrymore in all his eccentric glory. He has that ability to evoke the madness which raged within Mr. Barrymore, making him the one of the most talented actors of our time.

Capturing all of the demons which haunted Mr. Barrymore; the excesses and regrets; the writer has given all the room the actor needs in which to rant and rave his way through this remarkable film. If you are a fan of Mr. Plummer’s work, and a fan of Mr. Barrymore as well, then this will be a double delight for you. And if you are unfamiliar with the contradictions which were the man, then this film will have you wishing to know even more.

"River Of No Return" by Jeffrey Buckner Ford (2008)

When I was 1 year old Tennessee Ernie Ford hit it really big with his recording “Sixteen Ton”. Consequently I don’t remember a time when that song wasn’t around, either on TV, or radio. And you still hear the song today, being played on “oldies” stations, as well as classic country ones. And it’s a great song. But, aside from that song, just who was Tennessee Ernie Ford? (As a child of 4, I thought it odd that he was named after a state and a car.)

In “River of No Return”, Jeffrey Buckner Ford, son of the iconic entertainer, not only answers the question of who his father was, but also explores just how he came to be who he was. A man who seemingly had it all; from his good looks, wartime service, and his eventual marriage to Betty Jean Heminger, whom he met while in training to fly B-29’s; he was blessed at every turn with sucess.  As luck would have it, the war ended just as he was about to head for the Pacific.

The book is also a history of the music industry in the days after World War Two and the impact which television had on the industry. So much of what went on the air was live, and improvised. "16 Tons" was originally recorded in 1949 by Merle Travis for a folk music anthology. The song was risky to record, as it was pro-union in the early days of McCarthyism. The finger snapping, which Mr. Ford did before all his recordings, was left on by accident. As a matter of fact, the song was supposed to be the "B" side of "You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry." It sold 400,000 copies in 11 days!

Although mainly known as a gospel singer, Tennessee Ernie Ford was much more. His sessions with Kay Starr in 1950 and 1951 produced several gems. He also recorded with Betty Hutton, resulting in  the iconic "River of No Return", which became the title song for the Robert Mitchum/Marilyn Monroe film of the same name.

In addition to the musical history behind his Dad's career, Mr. Ford also tells the story behind the veneer of his parent’s marriage, which looked picture perfect to the 30 million people who tuned into his TV show weekly between 1956 and 1961.  I say “veneer” rather than “façade” to note the fact that these two people loved one other very much. But the rising star of Tennessee Ford’s career eclipsed the talent which his wife possessed as a painter, bringing a strain to that love.

With unflinching honesty, Jeffrey Ford writes of the struggle his father endured with alcohol, and how that struggle affected those whom the elder Mr. Ford loved the most. And when he is finished telling the history of that portion of his life, the younger Mr. Ford talks of his own journey to discover what is important in life beyond the fame and fortune which beckon us daily.

Written with great warmth for his parents; and a proper amount of disdain for his father’s second wife; Jeffrey Ford had done the seemingly impossible. He has written an account of his father’s career, his parent’s family history and marriage, and the demons that constantly lurked on the perimeter. That he has done so without rancor, and without disrespect to the memories which his father left us, is a credit to his spirit, and a testimony to his ability as a writer.

"The Tin Roof Blowdown" by James Lee Burke

One of the attractions of reading a book by James Lee Burke are the links to history which he provides. These, in turn make the story more real in the telling and inform the reader, giving his novels relevancy and keeping the reader thirsty for the next dot to connect. “The Tin Roof Blowdown”, released after Hurricane Katrina, while I was immersed in non-fiction, is a stunning tapestry, woven of history, timeless crime, human greed, government indifference to the people, and did I mention that it’s a great crime novel to boot?

With his usual cast of characters, including the loveable Clete Purcel, the introspective Dave Robicheaux, his daughter Alafair, and her pet raccoon, Mr. Burke takes on a tremendously complex disaster, creating at the same time, a compelling mystery. I should add that Mr. Burke resides in New Iberia Parish, next door to New Orleans. This undoubtedly gives the book a sense of realism impossible to capture in any other fashion.

Another aspect of Mr. Burke’s Dave Robicheaux series of novels is the continuity of the characters. What I mean is that as the reader gets older, so do his characters. This helps the reader identify with the characters and in some cases, where the reader’s life experiences may be similar with them, it can lend a stark reality to the book.

The storyline is simple enough. As Hurricane Katrina bears down on New Orleans, several lives, seemingly unconnected on the surface, are about to collide amidst one of the largest natural disasters to ever hit the United States.

There is the Baylor family, still struggling to come to terms with the rape of their 15 year old daughter, Thelma, at the hands of street thugs. Otis Baylor is an insurance salesman. He is also a self styled vigilante, but is his mouth bigger than his actual abilities? With the storm closing in, and looters prowling without, we may learn the answer.

Then there is the Kovick household. Sydney and his wife Eunice are owners of a very successful flower shop. Sydney is involved in organized crime, but how deep do his ties run? When his house is broken into during the Evacuation, large sums of money are found by the vandals smashing his walls and tearing out his ceilings. Without the Police to call, how far will Sydney go to recover the money?

Then there are the Melancon brothers and their sidekick Andre. The two brothers are wanted on Federal Warrants, but all three may be the street thugs who raped Otis Baylor’s daughter. When one is crippled by sniper fire, and another killed, outside Mr. Baylor’s home, the Police are sure he did the crime. Or did he?

And lost in the story is the heroin addicted Priest, Jude Le Blanc. He goes missing in the height of the storm as he struggles to cut a hole in the roof of a church where people are trapped in the attic, about to drown. Both the Priest and the boat disappear and the people do drown. But who took the boat and how is it connected to the Baylor’s and Kovick’s lives?

When you pick up one of Mr. Burke’s books, he has written about 30, and won the Edgar Award twice, you are transported to the jungle that is the real world. His insights into the human condition and the individual psyche make his books both a lesson in our shortcomings as people, while at the same time telling a very compelling story.

You might say that Mr. Burke and I are both stuck in a rut; he keeps on writing great novels. And I keep on reading them, although sometimes several years after the fact.