Music artists of the 1950s like Elvis Presley were characterized by exotic dance moves. And Jerry Lee Lewis was no different. Standing on the piano and shaking his legs, Lewis’ wild performances at the piano bench attracted lots of fans.
It was on this day, July 28th, in 1957 that Jerry Lee Lewis demonstrated his unique performance acts on television for the first time. On this first broadcast, the singer performed his song “Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On” for “The Steve Allen Show.”
Some of Lewis’ most famous dance moves included kicking over the piano bench so that he could play standing. He would also stroke his hands up and down the keyboard in order to produce a dramatic crescendo. At some points in his performances, he even sat on the keyboard or stood on top of his piano. Rumor has it that Lewis set fire to a piano at the end of one of his performances in order to protest being ranked below Chuck Berry. Lewis, of course, denies the veracity of this claim.