Last Man Standing (Jerry Lee Lewis album)

Last Man Standing is the 39th studio album released by American recording artist, pianist, and rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis in September 2006. The album consists of duets between Lewis and some of the biggest names in both rock and country music, past and present. The title derives from the generation of 1950s Sun Studios recording artists such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley; all of whom had died, leaving Lewis the "last man standing". Lewis died in October 2022. Following the success of the album, a DVD Last Man Standing Live was released featuring similar duets with famous artists.

Last Man Standing
Lewis standing over a piano engulfed in flame with the name of the artist and album in white script above
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 26, 2006
RecordedDecember 2004−May 2006
StudioPhillips Studio and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee and various other studios
Genre
Length66:43
LabelArtists First, Shangri-La
Producer
Jerry Lee Lewis chronology
Last Man Standing
(2006)
Last Man Standing Live
(2007)

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Mojo[2]
PopMatters9/10[3]
Rolling Stone[4]

Last Man Standing received very positive reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the recording, "a record that celebrates life, both in its joys and sorrows, and it's hard not to see it as nothing short of inspiring" and the editorial team of the site gave it four out of five stars.[1] The same score was awarded by Gavin Edwards in Rolling Stone, praising the performance by writing, "his throat is in better shape than you might expect, most of his command now comes from the slamming, swinging passion of his barrelhouse piano".[4] For PopMatters, Vladimir Wormwood gave the album seven out of 10, summing up his review by focusing on the Merle Haggard duet "Just Bummin' Around": "It is a portrait of the aging musician with the showmanship removed. Long live Jerry Lee Lewis".[3]

Track listing

  1. "Rock and Roll" (John Paul Jones, John Bonham, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant) – 2:14
  2. "Before the Night Is Over" (Ben Peters) – 3:39
  3. "Pink Cadillac" (Bruce Springsteen) – 3:55
    • With Bruce Springsteen
  4. "Evening Gown" (Mick Jagger) – 3:57
  5. "You Don't Have to Go" (Jimmy Reed) – 4:00
  6. "Twilight" (Robbie Robertson) – 2:48
    • With Robbie Robertson
  7. "Travelin' Band" (John Fogerty) – 2:01
  8. "That Kind of Fool" (Mack Vickery) – 4:14
  9. "Sweet Little Sixteen" (Chuck Berry) – 3:04
  10. "Just a Bummin' Around" (Pete Graves) – 2:43
  11. "Honky Tonk Woman" (Jagger/Richards) – 2:21
  12. "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" (Glenn Sutton) – 2:39
  13. "Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age" (Cindy Walker, Bob Wills) – 1:59
  14. "Couple More Years" (Dennis Locorriere, Shel Silverstein) – 5:13
  15. "Old Glory" (Paul Roberts, Shelby Darnell, Jerry Lee Lewis) – 2:05
  16. "Trouble in Mind" (Richard M. Jones) – 3:49
  17. "I Saw Her Standing There" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 2:21
  18. "Lost Highway" (Leon Payne) – 2:59
  19. "Hadacol Boogie" (Bill Nettles) – 3:18
  20. "What Makes the Irish Heart Beat" (Van Morrison) – 4:12
  21. "The Pilgrim Ch. 33" (Kris Kristofferson) – 3:00
    • With Kris Kristofferson
Bonus tracks

The album was released with several promotional download-only tracks depending on the venue at which the album was purchased. For physical retail outlets, the bonus track was available from their official web site.

  • "Before the Night Is Over" (Rhapsody)
  • "Bright Lights, Big City" (Wal-Mart)
  • "Don't Put No Headstones on My Grave" (iTunes)
  • "I Don't Want to Be Lonely Tonight" (URGE)
  • "Last Cheaters' Waltz" (Target)
  • "Mexicali Rose" (Country Music Television)
  • "Trouble in Mind" (Napster)
  • "Why You Been Gone So Long?" (Best Buy)
  • "You Belong to Me" (Best Buy)
  • "A Couple More Years" — Live

Personnel

In addition to the guest stars, the album features Kenny Lovelace and producer Jimmy Rip on guitar, James "Hutch" Hutchinson on bass, and Jim Keltner playing drums. The liner notes were written by Peter Guralnick. Kris Kristofferson's track produced by J. Carter Tutwiler at NoCanBeat Studios and mixed by Jimmy Rip.

Unreleased songs

Lewis recorded several more songs for the album than were released, including:

Chart performance

Chart performance for Last Man Standing
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[5] 46
Austrian Albums Charts[6] 34
Danish Albums Chart[7] 10
Dutch Albums Chart[8] 49
French Albums Chart[9] 67
Norwegian Albums Chart[10] 26
Swedish Albums Chart[11] 7
US Billboard 200[12] 26
US Billboard Independent Albums[13] 1
US Billboard Top Country Albums[14] 4
US Billboard Top Rock Albums[15] 8

References

  1. Allmusic review
  2. Décharné, Max (November 2006). "I fought the law and … I won: Jerry Lee Lewis Last Man Standing". Mojo: 101.
  3. "PopMatters". PopMatters.
  4. Edwards, Gavin (September 20, 2006). "Last Man Standing".
  5. "australian-charts.com — Australian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  6. "austriancharts.at — Austria Top 40". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  7. "danishcharts.dk – Danish charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  8. "dutchcharts.nl – Dutch charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  9. "lescharts.com – French charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  10. "norwegiancharts.com – Norwegian charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  11. "swedishcharts.com – Swedish charts portal". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  12. "Jerry Lee Lewis Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  13. "Jerry Lee Lewis Album & Song Chart History – Independent Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  14. "Jerry Lee Lewis Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 23, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  15. "Jerry Lee Lewis Album & Song Chart History – Rock Albums". Billboard. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
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