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George Strait Delivers ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ Cover To Honor Jerry Lee Lewis In 2017

Published Feb 9, 2018 By Miranda Raye

StraitCinema / YouTube

All Sorts Of Artists Step Out To Honor Jerry Lee

Jerry Lee Lewis may be considered a pioneer of rock and roll music, but his influence can be felt across multiple genres. That’s why a whole host of country stars turned out in August 2017 to honor him in a special tribute concert hosted by the online music series Skyville Live.

Toby Keith, Chris Stapleton, and Kris Kristofferson were three of the artists who stepped up to honor Lewis by performing some of his biggest hits. 

But it was George Strait who was tasked with singing one of the most iconic songs of Lewis’ career, “Great Balls of Fire.”

Some “Great” Song History

Lewis released “Great Balls of Fire” as a single in 1957, and it was an instant hit. The song sold a million copies within its first 10 days of release in the U.S., and has since sold over five million copies.

These sales numbers make “Great Balls of Fire” one of the best-selling singles in music history.

Surprisingly, “Great Balls of Fire” did not reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It stalled at the second spot on that chart, but did claim the top spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.

The “King Of Country” Takes It On

Since “Great Balls of Fire” was such a major hit in the country genre, it only made sense to have “The King of Country” honor Lewis by singing it for him at the Skyville tribute concert.

Strait fully embraced the character of the song, and performed with an unbridled amount of energy.

Turning on the charm, Strait smiled at those watching from the audience and even started dancing around a little bit. It has to be one of the most swoon-worthy performances we’ve ever seen from him.

Tune in below to watch Strait work his magic on his tribute performance of “Great Balls of Fire.” He kept it true to Lewis’ original, which we’re sure made “The Killer” proud!