Hellfire
The Jerry Lee Lewis Story
Published on 7. May 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-0-14-104185-8 (ISBN)
Description
'The greatest rock 'n' roll biography ever written' Rolling Stone
'You're lookin' at a livin' legend.' He said, and then fell silent for a moment. 'Y'know, that really worries me. I always thought a legend was somethin' dead.'
The tormented life of Jerry Lee Lewis is the most fabled in rock 'n' roll history.
Demon-shadowed and God-fearing, his relentless, all-consuming pursuit of self-destruction clouded his life and his music.
Born in deep south Louisiana and raised on the Old Testament, 'The Killer' was continually torn between a harsh Pentecostal God and the worship of alcohol, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Nick Tosches's electrifying account chronicles the monumental highs and lows of the ever indomitable and ever wild Jerry Lee, who rises to dizzying heights as a rock 'n' roll icon, only to lose it time and time again to his inner demons.
Searing, mythic and gloriously written, Hellfire is an evocative, audacious journey into the soul of rock 'n' roll itself.
'The finest book ever written about a rock 'n' roll performer' - Greil Marcus
'The best rock-and-roll biography ever written' - Newsday
'Probably the best, certainly the most readable, account of a rock performer's life' - Guardian
'A work of art' - The Boston Globe
'You're lookin' at a livin' legend.' He said, and then fell silent for a moment. 'Y'know, that really worries me. I always thought a legend was somethin' dead.'
The tormented life of Jerry Lee Lewis is the most fabled in rock 'n' roll history.
Demon-shadowed and God-fearing, his relentless, all-consuming pursuit of self-destruction clouded his life and his music.
Born in deep south Louisiana and raised on the Old Testament, 'The Killer' was continually torn between a harsh Pentecostal God and the worship of alcohol, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. Nick Tosches's electrifying account chronicles the monumental highs and lows of the ever indomitable and ever wild Jerry Lee, who rises to dizzying heights as a rock 'n' roll icon, only to lose it time and time again to his inner demons.
Searing, mythic and gloriously written, Hellfire is an evocative, audacious journey into the soul of rock 'n' roll itself.
'The finest book ever written about a rock 'n' roll performer' - Greil Marcus
'The best rock-and-roll biography ever written' - Newsday
'Probably the best, certainly the most readable, account of a rock performer's life' - Guardian
'A work of art' - The Boston Globe
Reviews / Votes
The number one greatest music book ever * Observer * Quite simply the best rock and roll biography ever written * Rolling Stone * The best rock 'n' roll biography ever written . . . There is a novelistic intensity to this story of tragedy, triumph and love. Its portrayal of a society alien to mainstream America is riveting * Newsday * Brilliant . . . the best account we have of how the first rock and rollers were torn between salvation and the Devil's music * New Statesman *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Illustrations
None
Dimensions
Height: 205 mm
Width: 131 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
261 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-14-104185-8 (9780141041858)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
08/2015
1st Edition
Penguin Books Ltd
€10.99
Available for download
Person
Nick Tosches was a critically acclaimed American journalist, novelist and poet. Celebrated for defining the emerging genre of rock journalism in the 1970s, he is renowned for chronicling the lives of the great icons of his time.
His biographies include Country: The Biggest Music in America, Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis, Power on Earth, Arbor House, Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams, The Devil and Sonny Liston, Where Dead Voices Gather and King of the Jews.
He is also the author of the novels Cut Numbers, Trinities, In the Hand of Dante, and Me and the Devil, and the poetry collection Chaldea and I Dig Girls. He died on 20th October 2019.
His biographies include Country: The Biggest Music in America, Unsung Heroes of Rock 'n' Roll: The Birth of Rock in the Wild Years Before Elvis, Power on Earth, Arbor House, Dino: Living High in the Dirty Business of Dreams, The Devil and Sonny Liston, Where Dead Voices Gather and King of the Jews.
He is also the author of the novels Cut Numbers, Trinities, In the Hand of Dante, and Me and the Devil, and the poetry collection Chaldea and I Dig Girls. He died on 20th October 2019.