On such piano-pounding rockers from the late Fifties as " Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire,"ÂÂ Lewis combined a ferocious, boogie instrumental style with rowdy, uninhibited vocals.
Lewis was born on September 29, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. He began playing piano when he was eight years old. He learned how to play piano by ear based on the music around him: Western swing, boogie-woogie, uptempo R&B and Delta blues. Lewis' first influence was the country-blues sound of Jimmie Rodgers, though he also absorbed the gospel and R&B of the local black community. When he was 14, he made his public debut, playing with a local country & western band at a car dealer's parking lot. In 1956, he went to Memphis to audition for Sam Phillips' Sun Records label, whose stable of talent also included Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, and Roy Orbison. After a country-flavored audition for Philips in 1956, Lewis was told that if he could come up with some rock and roll, "we could probably do something." Lewis didn't write much himself, but he transformed other people's songs into unbridled rock and roll that even he called "the devil's music.ÂÂ"
Version:1.0 StartHTML:000000236 EndHTML:000081126 StartFragment:000080285 EndFragment:000081045 StartSelection:000080285 EndSelection:000081045 SourceURL:http://www.epiphone.com/Products/Les-Paul/Les-Paul-Standard-Plaintop.aspx Epiphone Les Paul Standard
Epiphone's history with legendary guitarist and innovator Les Paul dates back to the early 1940's when Les, working late at night at the Epiphone factory on 14th Street in New York City, created what might have been the world's first solidbody electric guitar, better known as "The Log." Over the years, Les continued to work closely with Epiphone luthiers reviewing new product ideas and offering suggestions. "Epiphone always made a good guitar,"ÂÂ Les often said.
Perhaps Les' greatest achievement, the Les Paul Standard, remains one of the most sought after guitars in the world 50 years since its first issue. Now, Epiphone's Les Paul Standard brings you the classic features and tone of Les' invention with legendary Epiphone quality and value.
Features signatures of the following artists:
Kris Kristofferson
Shelby Lynne
George Thorogood
Jimmy Swaggert
