The Greatest Live Show on Earth

The Greatest Live Show on Earth is a live album by pianist and rock and roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis. It was released on Smash Records in 1964.

Recording

Lewis had already released a live album in Europe on the Philips label in 1964 - the astounding Live at the Star Club, Hamburg - but Philips was unaffiliated with Smash and, due to legal constraints, the album did not come out in the United States. Producer Shelby Singleton decided to record a live album that could be released on Smash, and The Greatest Live Show on Earth was assembled mainly from shows performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama in front of 18,000 fans. "Shelby had microphones set up all across the stage," Lewis is quoted in Joe Bonomo's book Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found. "It was the first time anyone had set up a live recording like that. We got some real momentum goin' out there and it all had to be captured in one take. No second chances. I think Shelby edited out some of the talking but that was all." Lewis is backed by his new touring band that would soon become known as the Memphis Beats.

Track listing

1. "Jenny, Jenny" (Johnson/Penniman)
2. "Who Will the Next Fool Be" (Charlie Rich)
3. "Memphis" (Chuck Berry)
4. "Hound Dog" (Leiber/Stoller)
5. "I Got a Woman" (Ray Charles/Renald Richard)
6. "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (Tommy Tucker)
7. "No Particular Place To Go" (Chuck Berry)
8. "Together Again" (Buck Owens)
9. "Long Tall Sally" (Johnson/Penniman)
10. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" (David/Williams)