Great Balls of Fire – A song written by a man whose sound inspired #Elvis. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #OtisBlackwell #JerryLeeLewis #JackHammer

If I gave you an opportunity to name a list of songwriters who have written songs that have sold in excess of 185 million copies you would probably rhyme off expected names such as Lennon, McCartney, Jagger, Richard, John, Taupin, Goffin, King, Leiber and Stoller. Today, I give you Otis Blackwell…pause. Hardly a household name unless you are a die hard music fan. If you are aware of him and his library of great songs give yourself a pat on the back. Admittedly, I became aware of him earlier this year when I wrote about ‘All Shook Up’ on February 16th. Simply put, the man was a hit machine. he wrote ‘Fever’, ‘All Shook Up’, ‘Return to Sender’, just to name a few. Today’s song is ‘Great Balls of Fire’ which became an absolute classic over 60 years ago when recorded by the immortal Jerry Lee Lewis. To be fair Otis co wrote ‘Great Balls of Fire’ with Jack Hammer. Otis Blackwell died on this day in 2002 of a heart attack. He has been called ‘the most influential songwriter in rock n’ roll history.’ He was also incredibly humble. He deserves more credit. Look him up if you have time. There is a beautiful trail of the early days of music and how his influence can still be felt today. 

Here he is doing a ‘Great Balls of Fire’.

As a bonus here is a fantastic interview with Otis on Letterman from 1984. Take note of the fact that Elvis emulated Otis Blackwell in his delivery. It was not the other way around. At the end of the interview he performs ‘Don’t Be Cruel’ and this becomes so clear. This is influence with a capital I. 

For today’s cover there is no other option than to go with the Iconic Jerry Lee Lewis version. In many ways this song defines rock n’ roll. It is loud, brash and heavy. It is accented with an in your face showmanship that must have set conservative America on it’s collective ear. It speaks to rebellion and even today these performances stand out as incredibly provocative. Here is a performance from 60 years ago. 

Then consider that Elton John didn’t come around with his incredible style until more than ten years later and he didn’t evolve into the wild showman he became until the early ’70s. This just speaks to how influential and ahead of their time people like Otis Blackwell and Jerry Lee Lewis are/were. 

Bonus

Here is an excerpt from the Jerry Lee Lewis bio pic depicting the origin of the setting the piano on fire legend. Unbelievable and hysterically funny. 

That’s rock and roll.