Tennessee legislature names stretch of road for Jerry Lee Lewis
Photo by The Associated Press
Jerry Lee Lewis
NASHVILLE -- No, they didn't wheel in a piano -- The Killer didn't seem in the mood for a whole lotta shakin' anyway -- but the Tennessee legislature nevertheless honored Jerry Lee Lewis with a standing ovation Monday evening.
With Lewis, his daughter Phoebe Lewis and manager J.W. Whitten standing in the well, the House of Representatives gave final legislative approval to a bill designating the section of Getwell Road between Interstate 240 and the Mississippi border "the Jerry Lee Lewis Highway."
Documents
- Bill honoring Jerry Lee Lewis
Photo by Josh Anderson/Associated Press
Rep. Karen Camper, D-Memphis, congratulates Jerry Lee Lewis after he was honored Monday at the state Capitol in Nashville.
The vote was 95-0 in favor of the bill, and followed a 33-0 vote in the Senate earlier this month.
But as is standard with many street-naming measures, the resolution requires the City of Memphis to pay the $325 costs for the two signs to be put up at each end of the designated stretch of roadway.
Sponsored by Rep. Curry Todd, R-Collierville, and Sen. Reginald Tate, D-Memphis, the street-naming bill takes note of Lewis' "countless contributions (that) were recently recognized when he was named by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and Case Western Reserve University as an American Music Master," the first-ever living recipient of the honor.
Todd said he has known Lewis since the mid-1970s when Todd, then a Memphis police officer, occasionally helped provide security at Graceland when Lewis and other Memphis music luminaries visited Elvis Presley.
"He's the last of the living legends. Gone before him are Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley, all who recorded in Memphis," said Todd, who presented Lewis with a framed copy of the legislative resolution.
Lewis kept his remarks short: "I'd just like to say thank you very much and God bless you. It's not every day you get a street named after you. I think it's a great honor. It's a privilege to be here and God bless each and every one of you."
The star stayed afterward for a while having his picture taken and signing autographs.
Another Tennessee legend was present in the chamber, having been honored by the House just before Lewis -- former University of Tennessee head football coach Johnny Majors.
Contact Nashville Bureau chief Richard Locker at (615) 255-4923.http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/apr/27/legislature-names-stretch-road-jerry-lee-lewis/
Sujet: The Jerry Lee Lewis Highway in Tennessee... April 2009 
Un endroit a guetter lors de prochaines visites dans le Tennessee..
