Jerry Lee Lewis and his wife Judith renewed their wedding vows earlier this week. On March ninth, their ninth wedding anniversary, the couple gathered about a hundred people at their Nesbit, Mississippi ranch to celebrate the occasion. The Reverend Donnie Swaggart presided over the private ceremony.
Jerry Lee Lewis usually throws a huge party for his birthday every year. However, he skipped the party last year due to COVID. He and Judith didn’t let the pandemic get in the way of this beautiful occasion, though. A few weeks before renewing their vows, the couple was fully vaccinated against the virus. Before that, the couple had quarantined for months. At the same time, all of the guests had to get tested for the virus before attending the occasion. Jerry Lee Lewis may have broken all the rules when he was in his prime, but he’s doing all he can to stay safe these days.
All of the preparations were worth it, though. Jerry Lee and Judith, along with their guests were able to hear the reverend say, “Killer, you may kiss your bride,” according to “Yahoo! Entertainment.” That’s worth any number of vaccinations and virus tests. Then, everyone got to dig into a huge three-tiered wedding cake topped with an embracing couple.
Jerry Lee Lewis – The Original Wild Man of Rock and Roll
Those who are familiar with The Killer’s history might be surprised to see him following all the COVID guidelines for this ceremony. It seems that he has mellowed out considerably over the years. When he was young and in his prime, Jerry Lee Lewis never paid too much attention to the rules.
A great example of his disregard for the rules is his Grand Ole Opry debut. That was also the final time he played the Opry.
It all started when Jerry Lee Lewis was young. He and his mother shared a love for the radio show. They would listen to it together every week. He wanted to play the Opry to make his mother proud. So, when he got old enough to move to Nashville, he worked hard to earn a spot. He played the bars in Music City just about every night, trying to prove himself. However, the Opry didn’t want anything to do with The Killer. They didn’t like him or his music.
Years later, when he started playing country music, he finally got the offer he had been waiting for. The Opry finally took notice when he had a string of country hits. In 1973, they gave him a call. Unfortunately, his mother had already passed on.
Lewis Kills the Opry
Before going on, they laid out the rules for Jerry Lee Lewis. They told him he could play two songs. Furthermore, he could only be on stage for a total of eight minutes. He could only play his country songs. Also, he had to keep his mouth clean. The Opry didn’t allow any profanity. Do you want to take a guess on how many of those rules he broke? If you guessed, “all of ’em,” you were correct.
He played his first country chart-topper “Another Place Another Time,” and the crowd loved it. Then, things took a turn. Jerry Lee Lewis dug into his rock and roll catalog. The folks in the crowd ate it up. So, he kept going. He didn’t stop for commercial breaks or anything. The Killer played for over forty minutes. For those keeping count at home, that’s two of the three rules down so far. However, the crowd ate it up. He got a standing ovation at the end of the set.
At least he wasn’t using foul language on stage, though. Right? Well. Not yet anyway. As the crowd was going nuts, The Killer stood up and said, “Let me tell you something about Jerry Lee Lewis, ladies and gentlemen. I’m a rockin’, rollin’, country and western and blues singin’ mother f—-r.” He was never invited back to the Grand Ole Opry again.
Jerry Lee Lewis sure has come a long way over the years. From all of us here at Outsider, congrats on nine years, Killer. Here’s to as many more as you can stand.
