Last Man Standing (Jerry Lee Lewis album)


Last Man Standing is the thirty-ninth studio album released by American rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis in September 2006. The album consists of duets between Lewis and some of the biggest names in both rock and country music, past and present. The title derives from the generation of 1950s Sun Studios recording artists such as Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Carl Perkins, and Elvis Presley—all of whom had died, leaving Lewis the "last man standing". Lewis died in October 2022, sixteen years and one month following the album's release. Following the success of the album, a DVD Last Man Standing Live was released featuring similar duets with famous artists.

Track listing

  1. "Rock and Roll" – 2:14
  2. *With Jimmy Page
  3. "Before the Night Is Over" – 3:39
  4. *With B. B. King
  5. "Pink Cadillac" – 3:55
  6. *With Bruce Springsteen
  7. "Evening Gown" – 3:57
  8. *With Mick Jagger and Ron Wood
  9. "You Don't Have to Go" – 4:00
  10. *With Neil Young
  11. "Twilight" – 2:48
  12. *With Robbie Robertson
  13. "Travelin' Band" – 2:01
  14. *With John Fogerty
  15. "That Kind of Fool" – 4:14
  16. *With Keith Richards
  17. "Sweet Little Sixteen" – 3:04
  18. *With Ringo Starr
  19. "Just a Bummin' Around" – 2:43
  20. *With Merle Haggard
  21. "Honky Tonk Woman" – 2:21
  22. *With Kid Rock
  23. "What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)" – 2:39
  24. *With Rod Stewart
  25. "Don't Be Ashamed of Your Age" – 1:59
  26. *With George Jones
  27. "Couple More Years" – 5:13
  28. *With Willie Nelson
  29. "Old Glory" – 2:05
  30. *With Toby Keith
  31. "Trouble in Mind" – 3:49
  32. *With Eric Clapton
  33. "I Saw Her Standing There" – 2:21
  34. *With Little Richard
  35. "Lost Highway" – 2:59
  36. *With Delaney Bramlett
  37. "Hadacol Boogie" – 3:18
  38. *With Buddy Guy
  39. "What Makes the Irish Heart Beat" – 4:12
  40. *With Don Henley
  41. "The Pilgrim Ch. 33" – 3:00
  42. *With Kris Kristofferson
;Bonus tracks
The album was released with several promotional download-only tracks depending on the venue at which the album was purchased. For physical retail outlets, the bonus track was available from their official web site.
  • "Before the Night Is Over"
  • "Bright Lights, Big City"
  • "Don't Put No Headstones on My Grave"
  • "I Don't Want to Be Lonely Tonight"
  • "Last Cheaters' Waltz"
  • "Mexicali Rose"
  • "Trouble in Mind"
  • "Why You Been Gone So Long?"
  • "You Belong to Me"
  • "A Couple More Years" — Live

Personnel

In addition to the guest stars, the album features Kenny Lovelace and producer Jimmy Rip on guitar, James "Hutch" Hutchinson on bass, and Jim Keltner playing drums. The liner notes were written by Peter Guralnick. Kris Kristofferson's track produced by J. Carter Tutwiler at NoCanBeat Studios and mixed by Steve Gamberoni.

Unreleased songs

Lewis recorded several more songs for the album than were released, including:

Critical reception

Last Man Standing received very positive reviews from critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called the recording, "a record that celebrates life, both in its joys and sorrows, and it's hard not to see it as nothing short of inspiring" and the editorial team of the site gave it four out of five stars. The same score was awarded by Gavin Edwards in Rolling Stone, praising the performance by writing, "his throat is in better shape than you might expect, most of his command now comes from the slamming, swinging passion of his barrelhouse piano". For PopMatters, Vladimir Wormwood gave the album seven out of 10, summing up his review by focusing on the Merle Haggard duet "Just Bummin' Around": "It is a portrait of the aging musician with the showmanship removed. Long live Jerry Lee Lewis".