The pair claimed they wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" with Frankie Lymon and asked for a declaration of rights to the copyright of the hit song. NEW YORK The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and died 20 years ago of a heroin overdose has found Elizabeth Waters, 46, of Philadelphia, to be Lymon's legal widow. What is less clear from the file is why, 20 years afterward, it has become so important to be Frankie Lymon's legal widow. ", But in 1984 (as the original copyright term of the song was expiring) Emira Eagle Lymon brought suit in U.S. District Court in New York against Levy, his attorney, his record label and his publishing company. If Emira won, she would share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. ("I thought royalties was a dessert," says Elizabeth.). Emira refused. When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone; she never saw him alive again. Unfortunately for Zola, she was unable to locate records documenting her Mexican wedding to Frankie, or documentation of her Mexican divorce from her previous marriage (her second). He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. Then he called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. Also Read:David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books. Emira refused their counter offer. She also turned to prostitution to support her daughter from her first marriage, to one Charles Phillips, when she was just 16. Most record buyers did not become aware of this latest change until the Happenings recorded a cover version of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" in 1967 with Levy's name listed on the label. Rodgers, who had been Roulettes top-selling artist in the 50s and early 60s with his #1 hit Honeycomb and 26 other charting singles, suffered traumatic head injuries from a blunt instrument in the beating. For part of Lymons appeal to women was how uncommonly young he was; the singers first hit came before he was 14, younger than most romantic leads can play. All these arguments are laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. She knew a soldier., Frankie was interviewed by The Augusta Chronicle while he was stationed at Ft. Gordon. He then called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. Taylor's attorneys could not be reached for comment. The way '50s singer Frankie Lymon is presented in "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" is "mostly true. Zola got to be pretty friendly with the first wife. According to Spans story, Frankie moved into Zolas home and her bedroom. Elizabeth Lymon said in court papers that she married Lymon on Jan. 23, 1964, in Alexandria, Va., and had his daughter, Gloria Francine, who died shortly after birth in 1965. At the least, records and witnesses' recollections seem to indicate that Frankie Lymon did stand before a magistrate or minister on three occasions to promise himself to each of these women until death parted them, which turned out to be a fairly short time. Final briefs are due next week, with a decision expected later this spring. Emiras attorneys argued that Elizabeth and Frankie separated in mid-1965 and never lived together as man and wife thereafter, invalidating her claim to a common-law marriage. When she recovered, she declared that "she knew it; she'd had faith all along," Peterson said. All these arguments were laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda, and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. with Frankie Lymon, and they have filed their own federal suit against Levy et al., with Emira also named as a defendant. Also Read:Uplift Suasion: the notion to change racism, Your email address will not be published. Rubin's 200 or so clients, from the Del Vikings to the Coasters, constitute an honor roll of early rock 'n' roll. DAPHNE, AL 36526. I know some of these characters, and some I like very muchI knew Cardinal Spellman, too. The opinion dismisses the claims of Taylor, who was unable to produce "credible proof" of her marriage to Lymon or her divorce from her previous husband, both of which she said occurred in Mexico. View our. The two surviving members of the Teenagers claim that they wrote the song with Lymon when they were all Harlem street-corner harmonizers hoping for a break. Elizabeths claim to be Frankies wife and heir was weakened by the fact that she was still legally married when she wed Frankie in 1964. As the lead vocalist for the Teenagers, Lymon (played by Larenz Tate) helped turn Why Do Fools Fall in Love into one of the biggest hits of 1956. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. 1, "that would draw people to him.". The stone was dedicated by his fans and friends on February 27, 1988, the 20th anniversary of Frankie's death and one month before the opening arguments in the case that would determine his legal wife and rightful heir. It also dooms, at least for now, the hopes of singer Zola Mae Taylor of Los Angeles, the female member of the original Platters, and Emira Eagle, a schoolteacher from Augusta, Ga., each of whom had claimed in court that she was Lymon's widow and heir. He seemed clean during her pregnancy in 1963 and he was genuinely shaken, Elizabeth says, when their daughter Francine died shortly after her birth. Levy had been arrested earlier in 1986 as part of the F.B.I. And yet -- what was it about him? A pop record seemed disposable then, before the rise of the nostalgia industry. Artist Rights Enforcement Corporation was heralded by the New York Times as the white knight of rock n roll for its efforts in recovering uncollected royalties for a host of artists including Wilbert Harrison, Richard Berry, the Coasters, and the Dell Vikings to name just a few. Next comes the feisty Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. Levy ruled his empire with an iron hand, using both fear and intimidation as part of his business model. "Frankie had a very good appetite for the best of life," she says. Each woman suspected he was sleeping with the other, and both apparently were correct. She says he didn't mean to hurt her, and blames his behavior on his addictions. Paula Span reported that neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite figure Emira Eagle Lymon, the 48-year-old third wife from Augusta, Georgia. According to the obituary published Sunday in The Augusta Chronicle, funeral arrangements will be announced by W.H. He told Elizabeth that "Zola and I aren't doing anything; it's just a motherly relationship," Elizabeth testified. Elizabeth Waters - Director STEM Outreach - The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art | LinkedIn Elizabeth Waters Director STEM Outreach at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of. The fact came to notice from a judge during a trial where three middle-aged women (Ash Taylor, Elizabeth Waters, and Amira Eagle) spoke about their miseries. The retired Richmond County schoolteacher in her years after Lymon was married to Augustan Leroy Bryant. She'd come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. "I can't just sit here and tell the court anything different. But the case may not end there, of course. The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. I know its been good for me.. "Sell, sell, sell," he advised. Its a mark of how shallow Fools is that even as gifted an actor as Tate (excellent in Menace II Society and Dead Presidents) cant turn Lymon into anything more than a cipher. But he will apparently have little trouble with Elizabeth Waters. Friday, November 06 2020. If the judge's ruling stands, "then we go to federal court and advise the judge that the party who commenced the action is the wrong party," says Levy's attorney in the case, Leon Bornstein. "She was speechless, actually unable to talk," reported the attorney, Dwight Peterson. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6P329DMKY. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. Id have killed him, I was so angry, Zola told Span. It was painfully revealed in court testimony, however, that Frankie Lymon, for all his talent, was a bigamist, hustler, liar, and thief. Artists Rights helped secure a financial settlement for Richard Berry, composer of "Louie, Louie" (just before the song starred in a wine cooler ad), and represents several of the artists featured on the "Dirty Dancing" album. Zola had also been a teenage star. Span wrote that Elizabeth called her work as a prostitute moonlighting in her testimony, and that Elizabeth said she had been arrested for it 15 or 20 times. He was energetic; dynamic; charismatic. He was a hustler, a liar and a thief. It was Bryant who was depicted in the 1998 movie "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Back in Los Angeles, the club where Zola was performing tossed a celebration, with a cake and champagne. Span wrote that she was conscious of her stardom and arrived at court daily in a limousine. She'll use a 16-piece band and her own group, Zola Taylor's Platters, as backup singers. The Surrogate Court judge hearing the widowhood case has been pushing for a settlement. Music Stephen James Taylor. Set designers Clare Scarpulla, Michael Bernard. Click the "All Sizes" button above to read an article or to see the image clearly. But Anne Pomeroy of the Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. (which has played a major role in the Lymon case, and about which more later) spoke with Emira at length. 1200 Observatory Drive | Madison, WI 53706-1212 | Map. He was previously married to Emira Lymon, Zola Taylor and Elizabeth Waters. According to Paula Span, people sometimes compared Frankie with the young Michael Jackson, who also knew how to combine innocence and knowingness. He claimed that both women thought that their agreements with Levy were fair, and that neither planned to take legal action against him if she is found to be Frankies widow. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. "A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.". "He had the type of personality that would draw people," she said. Sound Veda Campell. Key parts of this chronology are in dispute, of course. He had a bad year in 1966. When the Emiras case just started, Elizabeth Waters Lymon petitioned the proxy court, claiming that she was the widow of Frankie Lymon and that Zola Taylor was also Objected, claiming to be Lemmons legal widow. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. He got on that stage, and baby he was huge! Also Read:Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies. Lymon was only 12 when he hooked up with the foursome that became the Teenagers, but there was an aura about him that the city's doo-wop entrepreneurs recognized. At the trial, Elizabeth testified that she saw Frankie on that visit, as she had a number of times both before and after his wedding to Emira, which she said she knew nothing of. Emiras case was just beginning when Elizabeth Waters Lymon petitioned the Surrogate Court claiming that she was Frankie Lymons widow, and Zola Taylor also objected claiming that she was Lymons rightful widow. Kenneth Turan is the former film critic for the Los Angeles Times. He can't remember what Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers sounded like that day -- the girls' shrieks all but drowned them out -- but he recalls the excitement. Elizabeths lawyers, on the other hand, maintained her marriage was valid, which meant that neither Zolas nor Emiras could have been. Lymon C. Reese Lymon Clifton Reese was born in Stanley, Pike County, Arkansas, on April 27, 1917, to Samuel Wesley Reese and Nancy Elizabeth (Betty) Daniel Reese. As Waters' claim went to court, Taylor claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock "n" Roll Show of 1956" tour. Absent the kind of star performance Jennifer Lopez gave in Selena (and that films cleaner, more direct story line), cornball dramaturgy can take audiences only so far and not one note further. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emira's family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone with the money. She had insisted that he check himself into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit. and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. She testified that she and Frankie had started living together shortly after they met. According to Span, Rubin was not opposed to generating new income from old music. Her complaint charged fraud, misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses. In a matter that grew steadily more complex, Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers, filed their own federal suit against Levy and his companies, with Emira also named as a defendant. Family and friends said goodbye Friday to Emira Eagle Lymon Bryant, who. Zola: "I perform all over the world"), she arrived at court daily in a limousine. She claimed to have . LYMON REESE OBITUARY. Yes, the three women are gorgeous and talented, and it is fun to see them having at one another. (All three women used the surname Lymon in court documents at least part of the time.) And if he put others through hell too, well, didn't he say, right in that song, that love is a losing game? Her singing group, the Platters, had been even more successful than the Teenagers, and the group was sometimes referred to as the Four Platters and a Dish. Ms. As a child star, however, I was subjected to discipline from agents, managers and lawyers, but it was a discipline that protected me from myself so to speak. But "I couldn't get my hands on him, couldn't find him." Borstein also says that Lymon, who was always pestering Levy for money, sold Levy the copyright to all his songs and that Levy has a signed document to that effect. "He had been busted in California again for drugs." Production design Cary White. Frankie's particular scam, she thinks, was getting married. Not to mention that two other members of the Teenagers have filed suit claiming they cowrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" Ah, Frankie. When trading Miss Thing"-type insults doesnt clear the air, a lawsuit to determine the identity of the true widow and heir to Lymons royalties becomes inevitable. Lymon signed with both 20th Century Fox Records and Columbia Records, but both deals were short-lived. Here are 10 you cant miss, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Moroccan singer convicted of rape in Paris, gets 6-year term, Jonas Brothers promise Broadway residency will be a walk down musics memory lane, Toxic sex, social anxiety, 90s guitars: How L.A.s Blondshell pulled off the rock debut of 2023, Rihanna making the FCC work, work, work, after Super Bowl viewers file 103 complaints, Brad Paisley drops new song featuring President Zelensky to mark one year of Ukraine war. , A thief turns to prostitution to help Lymon fund his drug addiction. Frankie Lymon Music - Singer Why Famous: Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, band Age: 25 (8/30/1942 - 2/27/1968) Frankie Lymon's Relationships (3) Elizabeth Waters Other - Spouse An employee of a furniture store in north Philadelphia, she was in South Carolina for a family funeral. The elephant in the room was the large sum of money that would be awarded to whoever was determined to be the songwriters of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love. It was copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy. The beautiful granite tombstone that Ronnie ordered weighed over 1,000 pounds. Elizabeth, now 46, says she's been born again, but she still strives for glamor, her skirt fashionably above the knee, her fingernails long and orange. Taylor,. "He had been busted in California again for drugs. The record company executive has other problems: He was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison for his conspiracy conviction arising from an FBI investigation of racketeering in the recording industry. "Sell, sell, sell," he advises. She attempted to recover all the royalties from the date of the records release because she alleged that neither Levy nor his predecessor as co-writer, George Goldner who discovered and recorded the Teenagers, was actually a songwriter. Lymon in February 1967 talked about his life and show business career with Chronicle reporter P.K. "I didn't want her to hear it on the news," he said. And it was not uncommon for someone -- an agent, producer or record label head -- to name himself cowriter of a group's songs, entitling him to half the author's publishing royalties. "She's a square," Zola decided, noticing that Emira was coming to court in sneakers. He was a soldier for most of their brief marriage, taking the bus from her family's home to the post each day. Span wrote that Frankies relationship with Zola was not entirely maternal. Zola, the second supposed wife, got to be pretty friendly with the first. So Lymon was already a 20-year-old has-been when he met Elizabeth Waters backstage at the Audubon Ballroom. News, '' he said n't just sit here and tell the court anything different he had been earlier. In her years after Lymon was already a 20-year-old has-been when he Elizabeth! 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