Jimmy "JM" Van Eaton played drums in the band behind legendary rock and rock start Jerry Lee Lewis.



JM Van Eaton was born on December 23, 1937 in Memphis, Tennessee. He was still a teenager when he began recording at Sun Records in Memphis in 1956. He was part of a core of young musicians who were stretching the possibilities of what was "acceptable" in the once staid environment of country music. By laying on heavy backbeats, distorted guitars, honking saxophones, and pumping pianos, these young players gave rockabilly its distinctive sound, and helped define the character of rock.



During Sun's brief but hot run as a hit-making machine, Jimmy Van Eaton played on more than two thirds of all the recordings made on the label, including Jerry Lee Lewis's biggest hits: "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," "Great Balls of Fire," and "Breathless."



His hard-driving style can also be found on various gems by Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison, as well as rockabilly cult classics from Billy Lee Riley ("Red Hot" and "Flyin' Saucers Rock & Roll") and Bill Justis ("Raunchy").