Linda Gail Lewis (sister of Jerry Lee Lewis)
Like her brother Jerry Lee Lewis, Rockabilly Hall of Fame member Linda Gail Lewis soaked up the sounds of hillbilly music and rhythm and blues in the rural areas of Louisiana. When Jerry Lee began to score hits with “Whole Lot of Shakin’ Going On” and “Great Balls of Fire”, he single-handedly lifted the family from dire poverty to a life of relative ease.
Linda Gail’s chief inspiration was Jerry Lee, but later, as the era of rock ‘n’ roll came into play, she also tuned into the sounds of Brenda Lee, Patsy Cline, and Lavern Baker. Linda Gail Lewis’s official recording debut came when she performed as Jerry Lee’s duet partner on “Seasons of My Heart” for SUN RECORDS in 1963. She recorded a full duet album with her brother in 1969, “Together” on Smash Records, which featured their rowdy duet style on a variety of country standards and rockers, they scored a top ten country hit with their version of “Don’t Let Me Cross Over.” And later that year their rousing duet remake of Chuck Berry’s “Roll Over Beethoven,” followed it onto the charts. The Lewis duo’s album did so well it led to Linda GailLewis’s first solo album for the label, “The Two Sides of Linda Gail Lewis". During this time, Lewis toured and recorded almost non-stop as part of her brother’s live show, appearing on shows like The Midnight Special with Wolfman Jack, Mike Douglas Show, Johnny Cash Show and her brothers show The Sounds of Jerry Lee Lewis.
Lewis’s biggest career boost came via legendary Irish rocker Van Morrison. Lewis met Morrison at a Jerry Lee Lewis convention in England. After a sound-check jam session, Morrison proposed the collaboration, which resulted in the 2000 Pointblank/Virgin duet album You Win Again The album reached the pop charts and sold strongly at the duo’s live shows. It became Lewis’s best-selling disc.
Over the next 15 years, Delta Music Hall of fame member Linda Gail Lewis, toured the world constantly. She has played some of the biggest and most prestigious rock and roll festivals. During 2014 Lewis met Rockabilly guitarist Danny B Harvey (Rockats, Nancy Sinatra, Lemmy Kilmister) who introduced her to Lanark Records where during four extremely creative days at Lanark Studios in Lancaster PA, Linda Gail Lewis, Danny B. Harvey, and her daughter Annie Marie Lewis, cut 12 new rocking tunes which was released worldwide on an album called “Hard Rocking Woman” in 2015 by Lanark Records. In August 2018 a new duo album will be released by Chicago based Bloodshot Records. The duo album is with Grammy nominated highly critically acclaimed Americana / Folk singer and amazing guitar player Robbie Fulks. It was recorded and produced by Robbie Fulks who wrote most of the songs. In the past few years Linda Gail has had a career retrospective album, “Early Sides 1963 -1973, and a live Linda Gail Lewis, Annie Marie Lewis & Danny B. Harvey CD & DVD, “Family Jewels” released by Cleopatra Records. In 2022 she returned to her Alma Mater SUN RECORDS in Memphis with Danny B. Harvey, Annie Marie Lewis and Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom to record a tribute to her brother that was released by Cleopatra records only a few months after his death in Oct 2022. During that session they recorded 4 original songs of hers and in 2023 put them on an exciting brand-new album called “LINDA GAIL LEWIS – QUEEN of ROCKABILLY” which was released in August 2024 by cleopatra Records. This album also features Danny B. Harvey, Annie Marie and Slim Jim Phantom as well as Tiger Army’s Bassist Djordje Stijepovic.
GOLDMINE MAGAZINE recently listed ROCKABILLY QUEEN as one of the best q25 albums of 2025, along with WILLIE NELSON, JOE ELY, CHRISTOPHER CROSS, ELTON JOHN & BRANDI CARLISLE. Things are really looking up for LINDA GAIL LEWIS going into 2026. https://www.goldminemag.com/articles/top-25-releases-that-have-impacted-2025-so-far