Myra Lewis was born on July 11, 1944 in the USA as Myra Gale Brown. Its noon, and the lobby of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel is swarming with the ladies-who-lunch set. The fallout began immediately after Lewis told the reporters that his wife was 15. 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.. 1954). [6][7] In addition, Lewis had not yet divorced his previous wife, Jane Mitcham. Judith was at his bedside when he died. As well as a roster of unforgettable songs, Jerry Lee Lewis is known . Judith was married to Brown's brother, Rusty, who was just a small child when Brown and Lewis tied the knot. He kept playing shows, from 1956 to 2020. Sun stopped promoting him, radio stopped playing him. Elvis didnt marry a little 16-year-old girl, did he? He wanted to be Othellos new lieutenant but had been passed over. And they just werent ready for that. I have the devil in me! he shouted. I was seeing someone punished because of my age, my existence, and I always wanted to just stand up and defend him. After 30 years of rock n roll movies, is it too much to ask Hollywood to make a biography that reaches for insight rather than nostalgia; a film with enough imagination and heart to add to a performers artistic legacy rather than belittle it? I guess I went through like a trial by fire. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time The preachers preached against it, it was the devils music. 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. At 13, Brown didnt see anything wrong with her marriage to Lewis. Brown was injured on the job, he decided to start a band. Browns daughter. Oct. 28, 2022 3:46 PM PT Myra Lewis Williams, also known as Myra Gale Brown, was the third wife of late rock 'n' roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and more infamously his 13-year-old cousin. Myra Lewis - Biography. Elvis and Jerry Lee had once been close. Image: Getty. However, she indicated that his 2012 marriage to the ex-wife of her brother had put a strain on their relationship. Browns daughter'," Brown later said when reflecting on the day. Instead director Jim McBride, who co-wrote the script with Jack Baran, ends up simply satirizing the argyle innocence and daffy exuberance of the 50s, according to The Times review. He went immediately from being a guy who made $10,000 a night to a guy who didnt make $100 a night.. He died on Nov. 13, 1973. 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! Thats exactly what it was. 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. 1954). They also discovered she was actually 13. He married a 13-year-old, Myra Gale Brown, who later said she was "subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable." He shot his bass player, was a serial adulterer, abused. Its got a hair trigger. Bragg related what happened next: It appears to be that way, Butch, Jerry Lee said, too drunk to be overly concerned. That was what I was like, and Jerry was busy having fun, he was the true entertainer. Myra is presently in the news due to her husband's death Jerry Lewis who died at 87years old on 28 October 2022. Jerry Lee Lewis knew the person he was when he wasnt making music but it didnt save him, or those around him, from his worst impulses. Hed wait to see what came of it. Reporters discovered that the young girl traveling with him, Myra Gale Brown, was his 13-year-old bride and his cousin and that Mr. Lewis had still been married to his second wife when he . If you think you know [my] story of being the 13 year old bride of my second cousin, youre in for a surprise, she teased. In 1958, when Elvis Presley was drafted into the military . The radio stations that didnt play it hated it. Myra Gale Brown, also known today as Myra Lewis William, is an American author. When the woman who owned the house could no longer see her, she sent her son to look for her. All of Jerrys managers told him, Do not take Myra to England, because the British press was known to rip Americans apartthats where all the tabloid journalism started. And, Myra said later, she herself felt ready for marriage. Those who wouldnt had good reasons not to. Editors picks When I visited her, Myra told the L.A. Times this year, I would still see him, too. Phoebe quit working for him and I havent seen him since. The couple were due in court that same month to end the union. Because of her marriage to Jerry Lewis, she was controversial. Additionally, his latest single was called High School Confidential, which, though unrelated to his relationship, did not help his case. Never hurt nobody unless they got in my way. Jerry Lee Lewis marriage to his 13-year-old cousin in 1957 nearly ended his career. What was happening back then, rock n roll was coming on very, very strong. The rock & roll establishment, always willing to look the other way, embraced him. That little girl I used to be, she died. Lewis havde vret gift to gange fr. Myra had him by her side one moment, then he wasnt there. Myra Gale Brown (born on July 11, 1944) is an American creator. You scared of me? he once asked her sister. I could so easily have said, Im J.W. Phoebe Lewis-Loftin later became her father's manager and lived at his ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi until 2012, when he married Judith Brown,[12] the ex-wife of his first cousin once removed, Rusty Brown (Myra Gale's brother). Along with sporadically brilliant music, death, violence, and illness some of it directly his doing became leitmotifs of Jerry Lee Lewis life. 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. Lewis had been struggling with his health, and Judith had agreed to care for him at the request of Rusty. Earthy colored was brought into the world on July 11, 1944, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, the girl of Lois and Jay "J.W." Brown. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.". In her 1982 book about her marriage to Lewis, Great Balls of Fire, she wrote about her husband tormenting her, saying to her, God punished you. Neither was badly hurt in the accident, but Lewis got charged with drunk and reckless driving. Myra Gale Brown was with Jerry Lee Lewis on his 1958 tour of England, hoping to expand his fan base, when a British reporter asked who she was. Coming off of Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On and Great Balls of Fire, he embarked on a tour of England that was supposed to establish his fame worldwide. The two of them were playful and affectionate during the shootjoking and giggling, poking and swatting each other, Jerry Lee even sneaking a kiss at one pointbut when the photos came back, the editors fell in love with a shot of him sitting alone at his childhood piano, and the piece was recast as a straight profile. Myra Gale Brown That night Jerry Lee went to a club, drank champagne, and admired a brand new .38 derringer the club owner had given him. Lewis, who died Friday at age 87, weathered professional exile in 1958 after a reporter covering his arrival in London inquired about the young girl in his entourage who ultimately introduced herself as Jerrys wife.. Though Lewis and his team had come up with a story about Brown being 15, Brown reportedly wasn't told about this plan. Today, Myra Williams, 78, reflects on the scandal and her late ex-husband. Who are you? the reporter asked. ", "Myra Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis' 13-year-old bride, speaks out", "Jerry Lee Lewis Married His 13-Year-Old Cousin And Ruined His Career", "Jerry Lee Lewis' teenage bride speaks out: 'I was the adult and Jerry was the child', "Jerry Lee Lewis' Lawsuit Against Daughter Dismissed by Judge", "Cousin's ex becomes Jerry Lee Lewis' 7th wife", "The Tiny Spark That Survived: The Rock 'n' Roll Life of Star's Child Bride", "Jerry Lee Lewis' former teenage wife releases new book", "Cannes Review: Ethan Coen's 'Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble In Mind', Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. Myra and Jerry's daughter, Phoebe Lewis, 59, was born in 1963, about four years after Steven was born. But it brought me and Jerry very close, and we had ten incredible, wonderful years together after that. They would say, Youre fine. Lewis went on to marry four more times. Likes. Owens survived and successfully sued Jerry Lee for $50,000. Lewis had told everyone that Brown was his wife but failed to mention her actual age, instead, telling them she was 15. After their divorce in 1970, Williams said she had been "subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable," but the two seemingly made peace later. But a great sonofabitch. I never lost the first name 13-year-old-child-bride-MyraI think thats on my birth certificate now! Jerry Lewis. But friends of Jerry Lee would say that the marriage had existed mostly on paper.. Im here to see Elvis, he announced. Myra Gale Brown (known today as Myra Lewis William) is an American author. If Myra doesnt go, he told them, Im not going.. Her second book chronicled her experiences becoming a mother at age 14 and then again at 17 and losing their son Steve by accidental drowning in 1962. Inside The Short And Tumultuous Life Of Gia Carangi, "The World's First Supermodel", 44 Grim Photos That Show The Brutal Reality Of Mid-Century America's Polio Epidemics, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. And still, the world remains fascinated by the marriagewhen the Wall Street Journal asked him about it recently, he said, I probably would have rearranged my life a little bit different, but I never did hide anything from people The newspapers in England came down heavy but they didnt faze me, really. It wasnt harming me, it was harming somebody I loved, that was the pain of it. "It was really the first scandal of rock 'n' roll," Brown said in an interview with Georgias Gwinnett Daily Post in 2016. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 77 years old? Despite this, the pair remained married for four years, and had two sons together. [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. He said, If Myra doesnt go, Im not going. Everyone underestimated me being aware and possibly knowing what to do. The nose of that Lincoln was a mile long, he said in Braggs book. They had two children together and their marriage lasted thirteen years. He seemed wounded to the women he met, and sometimes they would go to bed with him because they were sympathetic to the wounded man. (She filed for divorce in 1970, citing allegations of abuse and adultery.). Remember, gossip is not gospel, Williams wrote on Instagram in 2015. The officers asked Presley what he wanted them to do. 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. Trump White House Pressured Disney to Censor Jimmy Kimmel Collections; . [4] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months. Instead, as he stood over that small grave, he knew that his drive was the only thing that could save him.. With cheerful impenitence, Jerry Lee is shown correcting an interviewer: Myra was one day shy of her 13th birthday on their wedding day so she was actually twelve. The plan was to shoot a portrait of Jerry Lee and Myra together, and I would write up the experience and their interaction. Jerry Lee Lewis and his 13-year-old wife, Myra, get set for a motorcycle ride on June 14, 1958. In 1970, Brown filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery and abuse after hiring a private investigator to tail her husband. With a new memoir, The Spark That Survived, she wrote at the time, sharing an image emblazoned with Whatever happened to Myra? over an old photo of her and Lewis. Myra Brown, of Andover Community Care, talks about the organization's efforts to help raise money for those in need. She was also Jerry's cousin. The "Great Balls of Fire" rocker's career took a hit following his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, his first cousin once removed and the daughter of Lewis' bassist. "Loganville couple celebrates 75 years of marriage, music and memories", "JERRY LEE LEWIS, ROCK, STOCK AND BARREL", "The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis", "Jerry Lee Lewis's short-lived music success", "Jerry Lee Lewis Online Wild One's Clubhouse: The Largest Jerry Lee Lewis Homepage on the Internet! Williams, 78, said in 2016 that shes been right here the whole time but she apparently no longer had a relationship with her notorious ex-husband after 2015. Dont miss a beat! He could be unmerciful and abusive. According to Rick Bragg in Jerry Lee: His Own Story, Owens handed it over to the singer and said, Careful. They called it the devils music. Rolling Stone named him to its list of Immortals (later the 100 Greatest Artists) in 2005. You cant go through a life like that and come out and be OK. Before Kurt and Courtney, Sid and Nancy, or John and Yoko, there was Jerry Lee Lewis and his thirteen-year-old bride, Myra Gale Brown. It was really the first scandal of rock n roll, Williams told Georgias Gwinnett Daily Post in 2016. J By the time he was 21, he had begun recording with the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. He continued to record music and perform in theater during that time and mounted a comeback about a decade later. Myra Gale Brown. On Nov. 23, 1976, Lewis had another gun with him, at 3 a.m., as he was driving down Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, on his way to Graceland. In 1957, 22-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis married Myra Gale Brown. The revelation resulted in the abrupt cancellation of Lewis tour; he was blacklisted by radio and his earnings dropped overnight. 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