Remember When Jerry Lee Lewis Broke All the ‘Grand Ole’ Rules During His 1973 Performance Banning Him From the Opry

Years after establishing himself in the genre with country hits “She Even Woke Me Up to Say Goodbye,” “To Make Love Sweeter for You,” “What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me),” “End of the Road,” and “Another Place Another Time,” Jerry Lee Lewis, was asked to perform at the Grand Ole Opry on January 20, 1973.

That evening, Lewis had another repertoire in mind and broke several of the Opry house rules in one night.

“Let me tell ya something about Jerry Lee Lewis, ladies and gentlemen,” Lewis said to the Opry crowd. “I am a rock-and-rollin,’ country-and-western, rhythm-and-blues-singin’ motherf–ker.”

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No cursing and no playing rock songs

Instead of sticking to the eight-minute and two to three-song max at the Opry, Lewis broke another rule by playing a nearly 40-minute set, ignoring pauses for commercial breaks. Despite starting with the Jerry Chesnut country song “Another Place, Another Time,” which helped Lewis re-enter the charts in 1968, the majority of the set was harder rock and blues, including his hits “Great Balls of Fire,” “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On,” Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode,” Elvis Presley’s “Mean Woman Blues,” Little Richard (“Good Golly Miss Molly,” “Tutti Frutti”), and more.

[RELATED: The Only Song Kris Kristofferson Wrote for Lifelong Friend Jerry Lee Lewis]

“This is The Killer speaking, and I do what I like, baby,” Lewis added after breaking into the Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace.”

During his set, Lewis also threw some country with a cover of Merle Haggard‘s “Workin’ Man’s Blues” and Kris Kristofferson‘s “Once More With Feeling” and also invited Opry pianist Del Wood to join him on a softer “Down Yonder” before closing on Hank Williams “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”

I am a rock-and-rollin,’ country-and-western, rhythm-and-blues-singin’ motherf–ker.

Jerry Lee Lewis at the Grand Ole Opry, 1973

Though he never became an Opry member and was banned from performing there after his notorious ’73 appearance, Lewis did end up playing there again on December 3, 1981.

Despite his country accolades, Lewis never felt accepted by the Nashville country community, and in 2022, he was finally inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, just weeks before his death. Though Lewis couldn’t attend the ceremony due to illness, his longtime friend Kristofferson drove to his home to present him with his award.

Photo: Paul W. Bailey/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank