From what I know about Jerry Lee, he developed a reputation early on for being an erratic performer(much like Mr. McIsaac)--"erratic" meaning that he did what he felt like doing instead of what managers, promoters, booking agents, and audiences expected.

Roy Orbison said that he is the greatest raw rock'n'roll performer ever, but even before his marriage problems came out, he'd burned a lot of bridges by being "raw"--

Jerry Lee and cousins Jimmy Lee, and Mickey Lee are worth studying--Jerry and Jimmy were considerably more compelling, but Mickey was the one who tried the hardest to hang in the game, and he's the one who has had the most enduring success.