The radio stations that didnt play it hated it. 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 so, the story was cooked up. 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. Editors picks Wrote Rick Bragg: If Jerry Lee was so smart, Elvis reportedly responded, how come Elvis was playing the big room, and Jerry Lee was playing the lounge?. On December 12, 1957, Jerry married his third cousin, Myra Gale Brown. He was an utterly convincing and affecting barroom singer, like Merle Haggard, and like Haggard, he wielded singular tone and timing. And how old is Myra? he asked Lewis. 1954). Alamy Stock Photo One of the most shocking scandals involving cradle-snatching rock stars was the marriage of. Lewis didnt quite fit in that new world, but he could still be a startlingly authoritative rock & roll performer; and he proved it on a live album recorded at the Star-Club, the venue in Hamburg, Germany, where the Beatles had played legendary shows in 1962. In my little mind, I couldnt believe that they could not see that I was a grown woman. In 1959, he and Myra had had their first child, Steven Allen Lewis. The book was adapted into the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire!, starring Dennis Quaid and Winona Ryder. 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. Despite re-marrying Brown, this time in a legal ceremony during which he was not already married, and moving in with her parents afterward, the public remained firmly anti-Lewis. She has been in news due to the death of her husband, on October 28, 2022. He didn't understand that at the very least, marrying someone when you're already married is illegal? Jerry Lee Lewis knew how to inhabit that role. Things had been turning bad in the marriage. What was happening back then, rock n roll was coming on very, very strong. He went immediately from being a guy who made $10,000 a night to a guy who didnt make $100 a night.". 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. Little did they know what it was going to turn into," she reflected. 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. In May 1958 at the peak of a career some thought could overtake Presleys he left for a 37-date tour of the U.K. Moreover, by the time Lewis tried to reestablish his rock & roll credentials in America, the Beatles were expanding all the possibilities of the music Jerry Lee and Carl Perkins and Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley and Little Richard had pioneered, creating new styles and unprecedented dimensions in which rock artists and their audiences might shake up the world. With Another Place Another Time, he returned to the upper reaches of the charts. Jerry Lee Lewis and his 13-year-old wife, Myra, get set for a motorcycle ride on June 14, 1958. They said Jerry played to a half-empty house, and they booed and that kind of stuff, and that was not true. "Jay" Brown. Elvis and Jerry Lee had once been close. The press also learned that Myra was Jerry Lees cousin. Jerrys fame and money went down to almost nothing, it was very turbulent for ten years, but it was the happiest years of our marriage. Lewis was charged with a misdemeanor: firing a gun within city limits. Tweets. Lewis has been married seven times; twice before eloping with Brown. He came into country music with respect for its verities, but he didnt worry about respecting anybody elses likening. The album of the same name proved not only among his best, but also among the best country albums of the period. 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? He hit the gate, he went on, Cause Is drunk.. J What can you do but accept it? Hes no longer part of my life. Brown was injured on the job, he decided to start a band. Cramer didnt accuse the performer of murder, but he argued persuasively that the matter merited a more careful inquiry. He kept marrying: In 1984, the year after Shawn Stephens death, he wed Kerrie McCarver; the couple divorced in 2005. Myra Lewis Williams At Lees McRae WJHL 58K views 5 years ago Hank Williams. Myra Gale Brown today known as Myra Lewis William, was an American author. 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. Myra Brown, of Andover Community Care, talks about the organization's efforts to help raise money for those in need. However, she indicated that his 2012 marriage to the ex-wife of her brother had put a strain on their relationship. Later, he pulled the new car up to Gracelands gates and hit the gates head on. (Couples married young in his Louisiana hometown of Ferriday, and he wed for the first time when he was 16 and had seven wives over the course of his life.). A few years ago, Rolling Stone sent me to the Lewis Ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi. Likes. My 1988 book and the resulting movie, Great Balls of Fire, were just the beginning. That's exactly what it was," Williams told Light. It was crude and rude and ridiculous what it was doing to the teenagers. Fellow singer, Kris Kristofferson, who was also in the UK at the time,remembered the way Lewis was treated. Elvis had been drafted into the military, and Lewis was poised to take his place as rocks biggest name. 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. But when they landed in New York, the reception was just as bad. What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses. He said to their seven-year-old daughter, Phoebe, who was witnessing all this, Look, Phoebe, your mamas gone crazy. 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. "I was the one who let the big ol' cat out of the bag," she told Cuepoint. When Lewis didnt show for his hearing the next day, a Memphis judge ordered him arrested again, but changed his mind when he learned the piano player was in the hospital with a peptic ulcer. After thirteen years of marriage, they were divorced in 1970, when Myra charged that she has been subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable; Jerry Lee later said that it was all my faultshe caught me cheating. When we met, she described their relationship as a successful divorce, though more recently it seems theyve been clashing over his current, seventh wife. What happened that night could never really be separated from the myths of the two men. It is said that Myra still believed in Santa Claus when they were married. [4] After Lewis finalized his divorce from Mitcham, he remarried Brown on June 4, 1958. [5] She married her third husband, Richard Williams, in 1984, and joined his Century 21 Real Estate office. Im really glad I didnt though because its gotten better as Ive gotten older.. She was controversial in the news due to her marriage to Jerry Lewis. 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.. At one time, it seemed like I was burying somebody every week.. When the woman who owned the house could no longer see her, she sent her son to look for her. A musician whod worked with the country singer Mickey Gilley asked Jerry Lee if he would consider driving to Nashvillle to record a song. I was the one who let the big ol' cat out of the bag. Rick Bragg related that months later, performing on a TV show in London, he was able to interrupt a scorching rendition of Whole Lotta Shakin to smite the audience with Shakespeare: Divinity of hell!/When devils will the blackest sins put on/They do suggest at first with heavenly shows/As I do now. The crowd loved it. It bumped De Gaulle off the front page of the newspaper. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.". In 2016 she published her memoir, The Spark That Survived. She refused and soon grabbed her housecoat and got in her car, but Jerry was right after her, throwing rocks as she drove away. And, Myra said later, she herself felt ready for marriage. [2], On December 12, 1957, at the age of 13, Myra Brown married Jerry Lee Lewis, then 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. Thats what this book basically is, this is what happened, this is how I handled it and here I am today, she said. The fans there were so excited to see Jerry that the biggest problem was his safetyScotland Yard said, We dont know how to protect you. The people were climbing on the buildings, looking through windows trying to find us and we couldnt go out. However, the validity of the marriage was questionable, as he wed Jane Mitchum 23 days before his divorce from Barton was finalised. On Easter Sunday, 1962, Jerry Lee was in Minnesota for a show. When she tried to ward him off, he grabbed her hands and beat her black and blue with her own fists. 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. Also learn how She earned most of networth at the age of 77 years old? In America, he told them, it was quite all right to marry at age 15, even at 10, provided you could find a husband. We were just kids in love at the time. Myra Gale Brown was born on July 11, 1944, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the daughter of Lois (ne Neal) and J.W. Hed wait to see what came of it. Fifteen, Lewis answered, with a cocky grin. Theyd had a daughter, Lori Lee Lewis, in 1972, but Lewis had grown distant from both mother and child. Not only were they criticizing her age, they were also pointing out the fact that Jerry Lee Lewis had once again married before his divorce was finalized. I find living is nice and calm this way.. @rush Poor working class, Louisiana. Jerry Lee seemed to not comprehend the gravity of his actions. In a separate Instagram post from 2015, Williams elaborated on her later relationship with the rocker, sharing a photo of them with their daughter, Phoebe. Select from premium Myra Brown of the highest quality. Before he knew it, his ticket prices had dropped astronomically, from $10,000 a night to a mere $250. People didn't know it at the time that they wed, but although she was listed as a 20-year-old, legally Brown was actually only 13 (via Biography). The coroner ruled that her death was an accident, writes Bragg. Despite this, the pair remained married for four years, and had two sons together. 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. Despite the end of their marriage, the pair remained close as they co-parented Phoebe. Cause you appear to be sittin in the wrong spot, said Jerry Lee.. [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. Williams maintained it was a different time, and she would now discourage any 13-year-old girl from marriage and instead pursue going to college. 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. I find living is nice and calm this way.. Myra Gale Brown was the daughter of J.W. Now Im older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. The nose of that Lincoln was a mile long, he said in Braggs book. Reviews were good, and Catch My Soul was a hit. 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. 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. That was what I was like, and Jerry was busy having fun, he was the true entertainer. Myra Gale Brown, during their divorce proceedings in 1970, accused him of subjecting her to "every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable." He ran into various legal, financial and. It's just a name, but there's more to it. Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. The police arrived, found the gun. Earthy colored was brought into the world on July 11, 1944, in Winnsboro, Louisiana, the girl of Lois and Jay "J.W." Brown. Jerry Lee never saw Elvis again. He followed her in his car and forced her off the road. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Myra Brown, first cousin once removed and third wife of American rock and roll star, Jerry Lee Lewis, in London at the beginning of Lewis's planned British tour, 26th May 1958. 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. But when the Lewis party landed in London, the press wanted to know about the teenage girl at his side. They were looking for a place to stick the knife into rock & roll, she said. The British press reacted with outrage. I was only 13, but people said I was more mature than Jerry. I dont think I ever resented it for me, though, I always resented it for what they did to Jerry. When all of this hit in London in 1958, it just took the world by storm. ), Lewis, though, wasnt planning on leaving rock & roll. "[4][10] Their divorce was finalized on December 9, 1970. By the time he was 21, he had begun recording with the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. Myra Gale Brown, however, hadnt been told of the story and failed to follow along with the fib. In the Eighties, the Jerry Lee Lewis legend suffered another serious discredit though it didnt resonate with much public awareness. Everything just came together and a major explosion happened.. Back at home, he told Myra, If you ever leave me, Ill throw acid in your face, and then kissed her. J.W. But they didnt, and I didnt, and the rest is history, I guess.". Jerry Lee Lewis, left, poses with Myra Gale Brown at a London press conference on May 24, 1958. Still, somehow, Jerry Lee got second chances, albeit in unexpected ways. CHESAPEAKE Myra Gail Brown was a child of the hydrogen bomb. He was in the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986, along with Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers, Little Richard, Ray Charles, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, and James Brown. Priscilla lived with his grandmother for, what, seven or eight years? The day before that drive down Elvis Presley Boulevard, Lewis had rolled his Rolls-Royce with his fourth wife, Jaren Pate, in the car. After they divorced, Brown worked as a receptionist to support her daughter as a single parent. Im Myra, answered the girl. Jerry Lee Lewis wasnt just complicated; he was fucked up. The Idol: How HBOs Next Euphoria Became Twisted Torture Porn She married Lewis on December 12, 1957, at the age of 13. Brown vzal prci s Memphis Gas, Light and Water, kde pracoval jako lineman. I think this book will warm your heart, tickle your funny bone, and touch your soul. Light wrote that the duo were "joking and giggling, poking and swatting each other, Jerry Lee even sneaking a kiss at one point". [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. Brown took a job with Memphis Gas, Light and Water, where he worked as a lineman. It was the most notorious rock & roll romance of all time, the Big Bang of pop music scandal. I'm only 13. It was Do as I say, not as I doand if you get caught, we dont even know you. Also, a lot of people took good notes when it happened. All Rights reserved. 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