In April of 1961, my date and I were lucky enough to get tickets to see Jerry Lee Lewis perform at the Birmingham Armory. My date was the sibling of a close friend with whom I had a friendship but no deep feelings. Jerry Lee was on top of his game and sang his hit tunes from the stage in front of about 1000 fans who were all standing – no seats even then. Jerry Lee, if you don’t remember, arrived on the music scene just after Elvis Presley and did a lot to convince our parents that Rock and Roll was truly devil sent. Although Jerry Lee’s new song, Great Balls of Fire, was topping the charts, the fact that he had taken as his third wife a girl of just 13, Myra, still turned many against him. My date was somewhat of a conservative person and was not at all happy that we had paid money to see him. I guess I was even them a bit liberal and just liked his music. A “fight” ensued and we left early. What a shame.
