Names and faces
Jerry Lee Lewis, one of the early pioneers of rock ’n’ roll music, says he doesn’t understand why his contributions to country music haven’t been recognized by the Country Music Hall of Fame. Now 81, Lewis said that when he first came to Nashville from Louisiana, he was advised to pick up a guitar instead of playing the piano. Lewis was in Nashville on Thursday, where he was being honored by artists such as George Strait, Kris Kristofferson, Chris Stapleton and Lee Ann Womack during the live concert series Skyville Live. He quickly found fame under the guidance of Sam Phillips at Sun Records in Memphis, where he played alongside Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash. His outrageous talent, energy and ego were showcased on his early hits like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” But his career was nearly derailed over the scandal of his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra, and he spent several years blacklisted before mounting a return to the country charts in the late ’60s. He had top country singles like “What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me),” “She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye,” and “To Make Love Sweeter for You.” Recently a petition was started online to call attention to his exclusion from the Country Music Hall of Fame.
■ Taylor Swift released the upbeat song “Look What You
Made Me
Do” — which uses an interpolation from
Right Said
Fred’s 1991 hit “I’m
Too Sexy”
— late Thursday to streaming platforms and iTunes. The song, featuring elements of pop, dance and house, includes sharp lyrics like: “Honey, I rose up from the dead I do it all the time/I got a list of names and yours is in red, underlined I check it once/Then I check it twice.” The track ends with a voice message of Swift saying, “I’m sorry, but the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now. Why? Oh, ’cause she’s dead.” The video will premiere Sunday night on the MTV Video Music Awards. Some felt the song was a jab at Kanye West, whom Swift, 27, has had spats with in the past. The anticipation of “Look What You Made Me Do” helped Swift trend heavily on social media. The song is the first single from her sixth album, reputation, to be released Nov. 10.