Colin Escott

Jerry Lee Lewis's life and career were always tumultuous, and while he was always a great live draw, his record sales fell off abruptly in 1958 when the world found out he was married to his 13-year old cousin. By 1963, Lewis and his manager had given up hope of Sun Records returning him to the charts so he went to Mercury.

Lewis was at Mercury until 1978 but this covers the first five years, a period of few hits until 1968s "Another Place, Another Time". We get a potted history of those five years, a discography, and some photos and press clippings. For an artist that was outselling Elvis not too many years past, this barely does the Killer justice.… (more)

This is one of a series of tomes Colin Escott has produced on Jerry Lee Lewis but does not add a great deal to the general knowledge on the Killer. Jerry Lee Lewis has always been a hard topic to write on, partly because his life has always been much stranger (and wilder) than fiction. And his supporting of cast of characters has also added a level of mayhem to the Killer's life. This, however, never seems to catch the character of Jerry Lee and others and one is required to search further to gain more knowledge of the Ferriday Fireball and what makes him tick. On the plus side, Escott includes an exhaustive discography to allow Jerry Lee completists to see what they are missing.… (more)

Well done biography of country legend Hank Williams with plenty of interviews from those who knew and worked with him as well as with relatives. The book is written in a manner that makes it hard to put down. There is plenty of background info on some of the major players in Hank's life include Fred Rose, Nudie Cohn, Faron Young, Roy Acuff, and others - just enough info so it doesn't stray from Hank's story. I especially liked that the writers tied up the loose ends by giving us a rundown on what happened to Hank's mother, sister, father, ex-wives, and even Hank Jr. This is what a real biographer should do. The book included a "songography" which consisted of songs that others have recorded using Hank's melodies as well as a discography of all issued recordings. There was a good listing of sources as well as an index. I think there could have been more photographs, especially when the authors describe some photos but they are not in the book, but otherwise, a very good look at the life of a man whose music is still influencing writers today.… (more)