Myra Gale Brown's Tweets. Im right here! Though Lewis and his team had come up with a story about Brown being 15, Brown reportedly wasn't told about this plan. The rock & roll establishment, always willing to look the other way, embraced him. While fellow musicians from across the world, such as Elton John and Ringo Starr, share their condolences, others are remembering the incredible life Lewis lived. Myra Gale Lewis Williams ( ne Brown; born July 11, 1944) is an American author, best known for her controversial marriage at the age of 13 to rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis, who was her first cousin once removed and was 22 at the time. As would soon become known, Myra Gale Lewis was in fact 13 years old. Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. However, upon landing in the country with his child-bride, it became clear that the Brits were not on board with Jerry Lee Lewis. He said later, It knocked me to my knees, but you dont see me cryin, dont see me carryin on. "[4][10] Their divorce was finalized on December 9, 1970. erry Lee Lewis was rock & rolls original prodigal son. With Another Place Another Time, he returned to the upper reaches of the charts. A lot of ink has been spilled about his close blood relationship with Myra, and the fact that she was only 13 and still believed in Santa Claus when the pair were married. Brown is a basketball player, and she used to be married to the brother of Lewis's third wife, Myra Gale Brown. Learn How rich is She in this year and how She spends money? Who are you? the reporter asked. The negative press continued as Lewis and Brown returned to the United States, with people focusing on both Browns age and the fact that they had married before Lewis' last divorce was finalised. It was to Judith Brown, who was the ex-wife of his cousin Rusty Brown, Myras younger brother. The British public, fueled by the tabloids branding Lewis as a cradle robber and a baby snatcher, practically drove him out of the country, vehemently abhorring his relationship. Despite this, the pair remained married for four years, and had two sons together. They called me his deputy mom; I just took him over. He continued to record music and perform in theater during that time and mounted a comeback about a decade later. Jerry Lewis. . She later pursued a career in music and worked on the movie Benji: Off the Leash! Reviews were good, and Catch My Soul was a hit. I'm only 13. Related He kept recording music much of it unheard and he drove across America, playing for those who would have him, living hard and living mean. Light wrote that the duo were "joking and giggling, poking and swatting each other, Jerry Lee even sneaking a kiss at one point". On December 12, 1957, Lewis wed a woman named Myra Gale Brown (pictured above), who was also his cousin. The singer passed away, aged 87, just days after false reports of his death had been made. Myra Gale Brown was the daughter of J.W. We dont have the promise of the next breath. Myra had him by her side one moment, then he wasnt there. Lewis had called Presley a puppet of his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. Phoebe worked for him and when I visited her I would still see him, too. After just a few shows, Lewis' tour was cancelled, with the British press calling him a 'cradle robber' and a 'baby snatcher'. Meanwhile, Williams wrote in an Instagram post in 2015 that she had keep in contact with Lewis over the years due to their shared daughter, Phoebe. Iago is one of most formidable and daunting characters in all theater, a mystery, and he is a void: Life has wronged him and he wants to wrong others. I was serious-minded, I was like, We gotta take care of this and do this, and he was like, Wheres the piano? Thats what he is, thats what hes about. Instead, as he stood over that small grave, he knew that his drive was the only thing that could save him.. Earthy colored was brought into the world on July 11, 1944, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, the girl of Lois and Jay "J.W." Brown. A few years ago, Rolling Stone sent me to the Lewis Ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Travis Scott is sought by New York Police after alleged assault and criminal mischief, Travis Barkers finger injury delays Blink-182 tour: One of those freak accidents, The timeless creativity of De La Soul, now (finally) available for the streaming generation, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Dramatic before and after photos from space show epic snow blanketing SoCal mountains, Yet more rain expected to hit California in March. Leave me, an Ill kill ya., Another time, according to Great Balls of Fire, he showed up unexpectedly at 3 a.m., at a time when he was supposed to be out of town, and he complained there was no food waiting for him on the stove. [3][2] When Lewis arrived in London for a 37-date tour in May 1958, Brown revealed to a reporter at the airport that she was his wife. In 1977 he said, Look, weve only got one life to live. Brown's age and blood relationship to Lewis caused an uproar on his first tour of England and was later criticized . She co-wrote the book Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis (1982), which was adapted into the film Great Balls of Fire! Brown vzal prci s Memphis Gas, Light and Water, kde pracoval jako lineman. Despite Elvis success, Brown felt that the world just wasnt ready for rock and roll. Judith was at his bedside when he died. In blistering heat, with nine dogs scurrying underfoot, I found that Myra was a bright, funny woman, with a very clear perspective on her notorious past, and she gave new insight into this pivotal moment in rock & roll history. In 1957 Lewis recorded two titanic rock & roll hits, Whole Lot of Shakin Going On and Great Balls of Fire. At the session for the latter, Lewis told Sam Phillips who owned and operated Memphis Sun Records, where Lewis was recording that the music he was playing, worldly music rock & roll, meant he was broken off from God. Seemed like I was always on my way to the graveyard, Jerry Lee said. Priscilla Presley Disputes Invalid Amendment to Lisa Maries Trust Steve tragically drowned at age 3, and Phoebe grew up to become her father's manager. But while Lewis toured in England, the press learned three damaging things: He was married to 13-year-old (possibly even 12-year-old) Myra Gale Brown, she was his cousin, and he was still married . Everything came together at one time, and heres Elvis and heres rock & roll and heres Dick Clark and Ed Sullivana new generation born, a new music born. Myra, who was 13 years old when she got married to Jerry, was Jerry's cousin. His bride, Myra Gale Brown, was also thrust into the spotlight, and years later discussed how she "never lost the first name '13-year-old-child-bride-Myra.'". He re-married soon after, also in 1953. He went immediately from being a guy who made $10,000 a night to a guy who didnt make $100 a night.. Jerry Lee & Myra Lewis Interview ( 1958 ) robin haugsnes 5.68K subscribers Subscribe 793 Share 365K views 14 years ago Jerry telling about his tour in London, where everything went pretty bad,. ), Lewis, though, wasnt planning on leaving rock & roll. This is a video of Jerry . [14], Brown hired writer Murray Silver to co-write a book that was meant to be her autobiography, but after a publisher's editing it became Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis. Lewis later said the pistol had simply slipped from the dashboard to the floorboard. After they divorced, Brown worked as a receptionist to support her daughter as a single parent. But when the Lewis party landed in London, the press wanted to know about the teenage girl at his side. Lewis's latest marriage is to Judith Brown. Jerry Lee Lewis passed away Friday at age 87, and along with the outpouring of tributes to his talents came reminders of his notorious marriage to his 13-year-old cousin in 1957. I find living is nice and calm this way.. He kept playing shows, from 1956 to 2020. What kind of redneck hell was he raised in that it was apparently fine, in his mind, to marry a thirteen year old child? He followed her in his car and forced her off the road. 2, In Loving Memories: The Jerry Lee Lewis Gospel Album, The SessionRecorded in London with Great Artists, By Request: More of the Greatest Live Show on Earth, She Still Comes Around (To Love What's Left of Me), What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me), When He Walks on You (Like You Have Walked On Me), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Myra_Lewis_Williams&oldid=1138714619, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 05:24. Since his death he has appeared in movies, music videos, and his memorabilia has been highly collectable; a pair of his glasses sold for $45,000 in an auction. She also described herself as the adult in the relationship with Lewis. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.. 108 Following. I got a mean streak. I gotta lay it open sometimes.. (1989). Before Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown divorced in 1970, the couple had two children, one of whom died as a child and the other who manages his career today. "Judith, his seventh wife, was by his side when he passed away at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis," the statement read, per BBC. He sought out his cousin, Jerry Lee Lewis, who was also an unknown musician at the time. The singer, who has died aged 87, married seven times in total, his third wedding to Myra Gale Brown in 1958, his first cousin once removed, which massively damaged his career. In his 2002 review for Rolling Stone, Milo Miles wrote: Live at the Star Club, Hamburg is not an album, its a crime scene: Jerry Lee Lewis slaughters his rivals in a 13-song set that feels like one long convulsion.. Lewis had been struggling with his health, and Judith had agreed to care for him at the request of Rusty. Thats what this book basically is, this is what happened, this is how I handled it and here I am today, she said. The two were married in 2012. Since Myra Lewis Williams, now 70, was never able to go on with, or even to start, her life as usual, it seemed a good time to finally let her tell her own story, in her own words. All Rights reserved. Sun stopped promoting him, radio stopped playing him. In the end, she says, Jerry Lee Lewis downfall was a bigger issue than her age. For all his scandals, for all his awful misdeeds, he nevertheless built up a reserve of goodwill, in part because he was indefatigable. The revelation resulted in the abrupt cancellation of Lewis tour; he was blacklisted by radio and his earnings dropped overnight. I dont think I ever resented it for me, though, I always resented it for what they did to Jerry. I find living is nice and calm this way.. She is an American author and is famed with her botched marriage with Jerry Lewis. 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