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. That night Jerry Lee went to a club, drank champagne, and admired a brand new .38 derringer the club owner had given him. 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. They would later marry. Priscilla Presley Disputes Invalid Amendment to Lisa Maries Trust Myra Brown, of Andover Community Care, talks about the organization's efforts to help raise money for those in need. With Another Place Another Time, he returned to the upper reaches of the charts. My 1988 book and the resulting movie, Great Balls of Fire, were just the beginning. She was the daughter of a preacher, and their union lasted just 20 months, ending in October 1953. Apparently it wasn't uncommon at the time. But when the Lewis party landed in London, the press wanted to know about the teenage girl at his side. Browns daughter,' she said, looking back on the day it was revealed she was 13 and Jerry Lee Lewis spouse. Unfortunately, returning stateside did nothing to stop the flood of vitriol that was spewing about Lewis and Brown. When we went back home, the whole country was Shame on you, bad boy. The other thing we had back then was a hypocritical society. Life and career. Myra Lewis Williams At Lees McRae WJHL 58K views 5 years ago Hank Williams. The label hoped, in 1964, it had a surefire hit that would put him back on top, Im on Fire. Instead, the song was like a parody of Jerry Lees early style, a parody that wasnt funny. Discover Myra Lewis's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. She refused and soon grabbed her housecoat and got in her car, but Jerry was right after her, throwing rocks as she drove away. My generation was taught to hide under our desk when the bomb came, so you always had in the back of your mind that any minute, any day, life could come to an end. Hulton Arcive/Getty ImagesJerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. You scared of me? he once asked her sister. It was a perfect stormit couldn't have happened at a worse time, at a worse place. He could be unmerciful and abusive. 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). It wasnt easy persuading country writers to write for somebody they considered a hopped-up rock & roll piano man, but eventually Jerry had a song in front of him, Another Place Another Time, and he thought it spoke to him. The preachers preached against it, it was the devils music. She also described herself as the adult in the relationship with Lewis. Because that was the truth! Myra Gale Brown (born July 11, 1944) is the cousin and former wife of singer Jerry Lee Lewis. Thats my little brother, thats my mother. Because that was the truth! My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.. According to Rick Bragg in Jerry Lee: His Own Story, Owens handed it over to the singer and said, Careful. We were just kids in love at the time. Because we have a daughter, Jerry and I remained in contact for many years, she wrote. The 'Great Balls Of Fire' singer started performing in the early 1950s, in his late teens. Myras voice was relegated to a quote or two. Jerry Lee clearly had long enjoyed his reputation as some kind of archetypal modern outlaw, living out tragedy, violence, and dissolution as the fruits of his self-willed fall from grace. Now Im older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. "I was the one who let the big ol' cat out of the bag," she told Cuepoint. A good person. But it brought me and Jerry very close, and we had ten incredible, wonderful years together after that. Light later recounted in a story published in Medium's Cuepoint in 2014 that Lewis and Williams "were playful and affectionate" during the photo shoot for the Rolling Stone story. In 2016 she published her memoir, The Spark That Survived. Jerry Lee Lewis knew how to inhabit that role. 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,. Brown and Lewis had two children together: Steve Allen Lewis and Phoebe Allen Lewis. Im still the 13-year-old child bride. Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Despite the end of their marriage, the pair remained close as they co-parented Phoebe. Related She joined The Times in 2010 as a MetPro trainee and has reported from homicide scenes, flooded canyons, red carpet premieres and award shows. "They were looking for a place to stick the knife into rock & roll. Hes no longer part of my life. They would sit up late at Graceland talking. The mystery of Iago is the greatest of all Shakespeares mysteries: Why did he scheme to turn Othellos heart so terribly against the woman he loved that he strangles her to death? She ran outside, calling his name. 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. A few years ago, Rolling Stone sent me to the Lewis Ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi. Sometimes I say something about Jerry and people say, Isnt he the one married the little girl? and I say, Wait a second, youre talking to the little girl nowbe careful what you say.. If Myra doesnt go, he told them, Im not going.. American actor Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis and Winona Ryder as Myra Gale Brown in the film "Great Balls of Fire!", a 1989 biopic of the famous rock 'n' roll musician. "And it really seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was doing anything wrong. One paper called for him to be deported. The press found out after Brown accidentally told a reporter that she was Lewis's wife. [4] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months. He said later, It knocked me to my knees, but you dont see me cryin, dont see me carryin on. Im Myra, answered the girl. All to no avail. Earthy colored was brought into the world on July 11, 1944, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, the girl of Lois and Jay "J.W." Brown. [1] They went on to make rock and roll history, recording hit singles on Sun Records. Jerry Lee Lewis and his 13-year-old wife, Myra, get set for a motorcycle ride on June 14, 1958. The daughter of J.W. His third marriage was to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, which lasted from 1958 to 1970. 1954). Id figured out my style, I done it my way, and I was very hardheaded.. (She filed for divorce in 1970, citing allegations of abuse and adultery.). 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 at the time they got married. Lewis upended pop music with Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On and Great Balls of Fire, but his personal life was a chronicle of scandal and controversy. Then, when he fell from grace, he was untouchable in a different way, but he was dogged. He wanted to go back to being Jerry Lee Lewis. Nardine Saad covers breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Los Angeles Times. We dont have the promise of the next breath. Brown took a job with Memphis Gas, Light and Water, where he worked as a lineman. "Jay" Brown. However, she indicated that his 2012 marriage to the ex-wife of her brother had put a strain on their relationship. Steve tragically drowned at age 3, and Phoebe grew up to become her father's manager. In Great Balls of Fire, Myra told of a night toward the end when Jerry came home and woke her, demanding sex. [20] Now known as Myra Lewis Williams, she resides in Duluth, Georgia with her husband; they own a real estate company. Most people might not want to be reminded of a time when, as she put it, his career took a nosedive right into the concrete, but displayed in the den, alongside the gold records, family memorabilia, keyboards, and bibles were several photos of The Killer with his adolescent wife. 8 Myra Gale Brown Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE Collections Project #ShowUs Creative Insights Custom Content EDITORIAL VIDEO BBC Motion Gallery NBC News Archives MUSIC BLOG BROWSE PRICING VisualGPS INSIGHTS BOARDS CART SIGN IN Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO Winona Ryder: Myra Gale Brown Showing all 12 items Jump to: Photos (8) Quotes (4) Photos Quotes Myra Gale Brown : All I ever wanted was a little pink house with a blue door. That stir was nothing compared to the one his third marriage would cause, however. {RP18+MovieBasedGreat Balls Of Fire} Joined February 2012. [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. However, the validity of the marriage was questionable, as he wed Jane Mitchum 23 days before his divorce from Barton was finalised. In September 1976, Lewis was celebrating his 41st birthday at his home when Butch Owens, his bass player, showed up with a friend. Williams described to Light the moment when the world learned of their scandalous marriage. The Idol: How HBOs Next Euphoria Became Twisted Torture Porn He thought the age was mature enough to put to rest any concerns the reporter might have, but it did not. Brown, now 78, found some success as a writer, publishing the book Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis, in 1982. [15][19][11], She is shown being interviewed in the Ethan Coen directed 2022 documentary film Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind.[21]. 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. Theyd had a daughter, Lori Lee Lewis, in 1972, but Lewis had grown distant from both mother and child. Brown joined Lewis on his tour of England following their 1957 nuptials. Katie Serena is a New York City-based writer and a staff writer at All That's Interesting. Arriving for a tour of England, a journalist asked her who she was when the couple arrived to London's Heathrow Airport. Maybe that was unintentional retribution on her part. When J.W. Surprisingly, the Country Music Hall of Fame which has been around since 1961 took a long time to induct him: He wasnt admitted until October 2022, the month of his death. 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. Brown, Lewis cousin and the bass player in his band. He died on Nov. 13, 1973. He survived. In America, he told them, it was quite all right to marry at age 15, even at 10, provided you could find a husband. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 77 years old? He was a coward, Jerry Lee told Bragg He hurt me. Myra Gale Brown (known today as Myra Lewis William) is an American author. Im a rompin, stompin, piano-playin sonofabitch. And, Myra said later, she herself felt ready for marriage. That was what I was like, and Jerry was busy having fun, he was the true entertainer. Though Lewis and his team had come up with a story about Brown being 15, Brown reportedly wasn't told about this plan. After just a few shows, Lewis' tour was cancelled, with the British press calling him a 'cradle robber' and a 'baby snatcher'. After my divorce, she told the L.A. Times in 1989, I had to go to a psychiatrist because I thought Ive got to have lost it. His son Jerry Lee Lewis Jr., from an earlier marriage, wanted to drum in his fathers band and to live like his father, but he didnt have the mental constitution for the drug use. 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. Fifteen, Lewis answered, with a cocky grin. And when Phoebe went on to manage Lewis, Brown would see him when she visited her daughter. Newspapers called for a boycott of his concerts. And how old is Myra? he asked Lewis. That Time Jerry Lee Lewis Married Myra Gale Brown, His 13-Year-Old Cousin. The only problem was that nobody told me anything, says Myranow Myra Williams, a real estate broker in Atlanta. However Buddy Holly's legacy has been marred due to legal disputes among his heirs. 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. The revelation resulted in the abrupt cancellation of Lewis tour; he was blacklisted by radio and his earnings dropped overnight. When the woman who owned the house could no longer see her, she sent her son to look for her. I was seeing someone punished because of my age, my existence, and I always wanted to just stand up and defend him. 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. 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.. Selena Gomez Taking a Break From Social Media After Hailey Bieber Drama: I'm 'Too Old for This. The album of the same name proved not only among his best, but also among the best country albums of the period. [13], Shortly after her divorce, Brown married Pete Malito,[14] the detective she had hired to trail Lewis and document his infidelities,[15] and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. In 1959, he and Myra had had their first child, Steven Allen Lewis. But they didnt, and I didnt, and the rest is history, I guess.". We kept thinking every year, every six months, that it was going to go away, theyre going to stop talking about it, and it just didnt happen. "[4][10] Their divorce was finalized on December 9, 1970. However, since his marriage a few years ago to my ex-sister-in-law, who wasnt an ex yet when they got together (yes, you read that correctly), Phoebe quit working for him and I havent seen him since. At one time, it seemed like I was burying somebody every week.. It turned out that she was a first-cousin once-removed and - shockingly - just 13 years old. The plan was to shoot a portrait of Jerry Lee and Myra together, and I would write up the experience and their interaction. To some degree, Lewis and those who venerated him were able to spin his worst qualities into a kind of dark legend. The day before that drive down Elvis Presley Boulevard, Lewis had rolled his Rolls-Royce with his fourth wife, Jaren Pate, in the car. The police arrived, found the gun. That did.. 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