In 1958, when Elvis Presley was drafted into the military, Lewis was perfectly poised to become rocks biggest star. Jerry Lee Lewis: 'I worry about. Everything changed. But others would. 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. They called it the devils music. 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. One paper called for him to be deported. What Happened To Her? In the Eighties, the Jerry Lee Lewis legend suffered another serious discredit though it didnt resonate with much public awareness. 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. I not only survived it, Im better for it, having gone through it. [4] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months. I find living is nice and calm this way. This week, Jerry Lee will release both Rock & Roll Time, a studio album of duets, and a memoir, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story, written with Rick Bragg. However, its thought that his rock 'n'roll career was forever marred by his marriage to Brown. Theyd had a daughter, Lori Lee Lewis, in 1972, but Lewis had grown distant from both mother and child. According to Jerry Lee Lewis: Lost and Found, by author Joe Bonomo, he later said, I was a 21-year-old kid, and I didnt know whether I was comin or goin. [6][7] In addition, Lewis had not yet divorced his previous wife, Jane Mitcham. Lewis had told everyone that Brown was his wife but failed to mention her actual age, instead, telling them she was 15. The book includes lots of details about Jerry's early career that a music historian might appreciate. Browns pozdji ml syna, Rusty Brown (b. In America, he told them, it was quite all right to marry at age 15, even at 10, provided you could find a husband. Lewis's daughter Phoebe had hired Brown to take care of her aging father when he was ill around ten years ago. 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. I didnt question God., He was supposed to travel to England in a few days his first trip there since the country had shamed him. [2], On December 12, 1957, at the age of 13, Myra Brown married Jerry Lee Lewis, then 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. But friends of Jerry Lee would say that the marriage had existed mostly on paper.. In England, Lewis found himself playing in clubs and theaters to smaller audiences than expected, and among those who attended, some heckled him and tossed slurs his way. After the controversy in the UK, Lewis could no longer find success performing rock 'n' roll music, and found he had to pivot into country music instead. Fellow singer, Kris Kristofferson, who was also in the UK at the time,remembered the way Lewis was treated. And so, the story was cooked up. Myra Gale Brown : I don't even know what hydrogen is. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old. He wanted to be Othellos new lieutenant but had been passed over. 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. Took your son away from you., In 1970, Myra filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery and abuse. (She filed for divorce in 1970, citing allegations of abuse and adultery.). He thought the age was mature enough to put to rest any concerns the reporter might have, but it did not. Though they were no longer together, they remained amicable throughout the rest of Lewis marriages and still keep up with each other. 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. When Myra Williams looks back on her life her marriage to her cousin, singer Jerry Lee Lewis, in 1957 when she was just 13 years old, their good and bad times together, the two children they. We dont have the promise of the next breath. 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. [17] Brown was paid $100,000 for her story, but was resentful that she was not consulted for the script or casting of the film despite being promised. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Jack Good, who had produced the TV show Shindig!, wanted to make a rock opera of Shakespeares Othello, and he had only one person in mind to play Iago: Jerry Lee Lewis. Thats what this book basically is, this is what happened, this is how I handled it and here I am today, she said. Because that was the truth! [14] The producers did not want Brown or Lewis involved with the film, but she visited the Memphis set anyway. Post continues below. And how old is Myra? he asked Lewis. And live with it. 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 Doesnt Justify What He Did Offstage, Charlie Watts Is a Jazz Drummer: The Lost Rolling Stone Interview. I was seeing someone punished because of my age, my existence, and I always wanted to just stand up and defend him. Copyright 2023 Penske Business Media, LLC. At 15, Myra was younger than Britains age of consent. She just dispersed into whatever. For years, their daughter worked for Jerry Lee. Nobody knew Jerry Lee Lewis was coming to town, and few would have cared to know. (Lewis denied any involvement in Shawns death.). [15][19][11], She is shown being interviewed in the Ethan Coen directed 2022 documentary film Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind.[21]. 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. 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 drugs and alcohol and several other of his seven wives and thats just a partial list of transgressions. 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. 1954). Though he had gotten married again before his divorce was final, it also came out that his new wife was also his third cousin a 13-year-old named Myra Gale Brown. 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. They would sit up late at Graceland talking. Neither was badly hurt in the accident, but Lewis got charged with drunk and reckless driving. It's just a name, but there's more to it. What can you do but accept it? 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 Brown : I don't know how to be a wife. [9], By 1970, Lewis' drug addiction, alcoholism, and infidelity took a toll on their marriage. Priscilla Presley Disputes Invalid Amendment to Lisa Maries Trust He hit the gate, he went on, Cause Is drunk.. Hes no longer part of my life. Myra Gale Brown, now known as Myra Lewis Williams, is an American author best known for her controversial marriage to her first cousin once removed, and Rock-n-Roll Legend, Jerry Lee Lewis. The album of the same name proved not only among his best, but also among the best country albums of the period. I dont think I ever resented it for me, though, I always resented it for what they did to Jerry. It turned out that she was a first-cousin once-removed and - shockingly - just 13 years old. That night Jerry Lee went to a club, drank champagne, and admired a brand new .38 derringer the club owner had given him. Williams also covered their marriage in the 1982 book Great Balls of Fire, which was adapted into a 1989 film starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as Williams. I was in England when they ran him out of the country, Kris Kristofferson has said, and it really seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was doing anything wrong. They would say, Youre fine. Lewis' passing was announced on. But Lewis had a storied private life, and his career took a nosedive in the late 1950s, when he married Myra Gale Brown. He wanted to do harm. Jerry Lee would try to stop him, but they would get into fights. Great Balls of Fire is the toon of rock movies, with Jerry Lee Lewis reduced on screen to Roger Rabbit, Times music critic Robert Hilburn wrote at the time. (1989). That stir was nothing compared to the one his third marriage would cause, however. "Hes no longer part of my life. It is said that Myra still believed in Santa Claus when they were married. 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. Jerry Lewis. They had two children, Steve Allen Lewis (19591962), who drowned at age three, and daughter Phoebe Allen Lewis (b. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The marriage lasted a year and a half. Newsweek attempted to reach Williams for comment. And when Phoebe went on to manage Lewis, Brown would see him when she visited her daughter. It was a perfect stormit couldnt have happened at a worse time, at a worse place. Rock & roll is mean and corrupting music, said Jerry Lee, who was raised deeply religious in Louisiana (his cousin was the televangelist Jimmy Swaggart). Others think he suspected Othello of having slept with his own wife. He went immediately from being a guy who made $10,000 a night to a guy who didnt make $100 a night.. I 1957 blev den 23-rige Jerry Lee Lewis gift med Myra Gale Brown. ", A post shared by Myra Lewis Williams (@mlwauthor). "He told her, in his final days, that he welcomed the hereafter,and that he was not afraid.". He stepped from the car. It was as if now being onstage wasnt saving him like it had; it was simply a means to stay on the road with musicians he could party with. "Because that was the truth! The British press reacted with outrage. If I didnt, Id be a Christian! (Greil Marcus transcribed the full, remarkable conversation in his 1975 book, Mystery Train: Images of America in Rock n Roll Music. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 77 years old? He was there for 93 days. Im a rompin, stompin, piano-playin sonofabitch. 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