Rock & RollThe stuff included here certainly is only a drop in the bucket in the huge world of rock music. But I’m including some of my favorite stuff from groups & artists you don’t hear every day ... but it’s material that will be familiar to a lot of boomers, and even pre-boomers, like your webmaster! You won’t find Elvis or the Beatles here, because their music is familiar to everyone, and heard frequently. We’re featuring stuff that’s a bit less frequently heard.Jerry Lee Lewis aka "The Killer" Along with Cash, Presley, Orbison, and Carl Perkins, Lewis was one of the stars who began at Sam Phillips' Sun Records in Memphis in the mid 1950s. A world-class honky-tonk piano player, he had some huge hits such as "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" and "Great Balls of Fire." The guys from Sun sometimes called themselves “The Class of 55” ... and their impact on early rock & roll cannot be overstated. They were giants.A scandal broke when Lewis married his 13 year old cousin, and it impacted his career. Troubles with drugs and family tragedies knocked him down, but never out. Fifty years ago, it would have been hard to believe he'd outlast his contemporaries, but one of his most moving performances was at the tribute to Johnny Cash, where he performed the grand finale, "Will the Circle be Unbroken" (You’ll find it at the end of the Cash section in Country). Here are a few Lewis gems you may not have heard before. "You Win Again" is a shortened version of a Hank Williams tune, and it was the flip side of "Great Balls of Fire." Most folks don’t seem to know that Lewis and TV preacher Jimmy Swaggart were cousins who took very different paths (Mickey Gilley was a cousin, too). In my vision of heaven, Jerry Lee is singing and playing piano forever. In my vision of hell, Swaggart is preaching forever. Amen. Lewis bio25 Years of Jerry Lee Lewis (1 hr)Crazy Arms first hit, Sun Records, 1956Crazy Arms with Emmylou HarrisCrazy Arms with Norah JonesYou Win Again original, recorded from 45Me and Bobby McGee 1983, LondonCold, Cold Heart 1983, BristolSweet Little Sixteen w/ ElvisHello Josephine w/ ElvisSave the Last Dance for Me w/ElvisSweet Dreams cover of Patsy Cline hitWho's Gonna Play This Old Piano took years to find thisThis World is Not My Home (gospel song)Your Cheatin' Heart 1983 w/ K Richards, M FleetwoodPick Me Up on Your Way DownTrouble in MindOnly Love Can Get You In My Door just Killer & pianoShe Even Woke Me Up To Say GoodbyeThink About It, Darlin' (read the notes on this one)Once More With Feeling w/ Kris Kristofferson (KK wrote it)Lucky Old SunAutumn Leaves (rare ... vocal, no piano)Rockin' Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie FluMemphis, Tennessee cover of Johnny Rivers hitCandy KissesGeorgia On My MindBobby Darin Born Walden Robert Cassotto, Darin had a massive range of talents ... singer, songwriter, actor, producer, and he did everything well despite frail health (heart). He died at 37. His first big hit was "Splish, Splash" ... but he's probably remembered best for "Mack the Knife" and "Beyond the Sea." Darin left an astonishing body of work, and his music ranged from rock to jazz to standards to country to folk to protest songs. The list below includes many you don't hear often, and covers of the hits of others. Darin introduced many young performers as his opening acts. It's very difficult to summarize his career in a brief paragraph ... we suggest reading this Darin bio.You're the Reason I'm LivingClementineYou Must've Been a Beautiful BabyThingsArtificial FlowersDream LoverAll By MyselfHelp Me Make It Through the NightDon't Think Twice, It's All Right by Bob DylanBlowin’ in the Wind by Bob DylanLonesome Whistle by Hank WilliamsWhere Have All The Flowers Gone by Pete SeegerSimple Song of FreedomDr Hookaka Dr Hook and the Medicine Show, they were a popular band in the 1970s. Many of their lyrics were penned by Shel Silverstein, best known as an author of very entertaining children's books. He also wrote the lyrics to one of Johnny Cash's best-known songs, "A Boy Named Sue" ... and "The Unicorn," a hit for the Irish Rovers. Dr Hook's biggest hit was probably "Cover of the Rolling Stone." Others included "Sylvia's Mother," "Queen of the Silver Dollar," "Freakin' at the Freakers' Ball" (which I never heard played on the air) ... and which my then-young son was always admonished to "NEVER sing that one for grandma!" They covered a few songs that had been done by others, including the simple and sweet "Only Sixteen," which had been a hit for the late Sam Cooke many years before, and not at all typical of their music. Oh yeah ... they had censorship problems, too! Band infoCover of the Rolling StoneSylvia's MotherQueen of the Silver DollarFreakers' Ball (not for the easily offended)Only SixteenCarry Me CarrieThe Things I Didn't SayIf I'd Only Come and GoneHey Lady Godiva ,,, great slide show!When You're In Love With a Beautiful WomanI Never Got to Know Her