There is a great endorsement that appears on the back cover of one of Ben McIntyre’s books about WWII; it reads, simply, “The best book ever written.”
This book, by Nick Tosches, may actually come close. Written in a schizophrenic style which alternates between a straight narrative and the hellfire and brimstone voice of religious guilt and condemnation, Jerry Lee Lewis is reconstructed in this book as one of the first great rock and roll stars- screaming drunk, waving a handgun, at the front gates of Graceland, yelling for Elvis to come out; one-upping Chuck Berry, who insisted that Lewis precede him on stage; and suffering, from alcohol abuse and the oppressive weight of his strict Pentecostal upbringing.
Few books capture the fevered brain of an artist at full pitch- this one does. And gives you a glimpse of the earliest days of rock and roll. A classic.