[14] The producers did not want Brown or Lewis involved with the film, but she visited the Memphis set anyway. The trouble was, it couldnt be heard: It wasnt available in the U.S. until a 1994 release by Rhino. That did.. 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. Myra is currently in the news because of Jerry Lewis' death at 87 years old, 28 October 2022. Hulton Arcive / Getty Images Jerry Lee Lewis og Myra Gale Brown kort efter deres bryllup i 1957. Myra Gale Brown se narodila 11. ervence 1944 ve Vicksburgu v Mississippi, dcei Lois a J.W. Youre fine. But I never felt fine. You see, Myra did not survive that marriage. Tweets. Because we have a daughter, Jerry and I remained in contact for many years, she wrote. Lock him up, said Elvis. I 1957 blev den 23-rige Jerry Lee Lewis gift med Myra Gale Brown. Myra Lewis Williams has no hard feelings over the relationship and still blames the press for turning it into something wicked. Im stronger and appreciate different things in life that a lot of people take for granted. Brown vzal prci s Memphis Gas, Light and Water, kde pracoval jako lineman. Find Myra Brown stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Jerry Lee Lewis would not die so easily. But while Lewis toured in England, the press learned three damaging things: He was married to 13-year-old (possibly even 12-year-old) Myra Gale Brown, she was his cousin, and he was still married . Instead, as he stood over that small grave, he knew that his drive was the only thing that could save him.. And, Myra said later, she herself felt ready for marriage. "And it really seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was doing anything wrong. Those who would have him saw somebody matchless. Matthew McConaughey Voices Elvis Presley in Priscilla-Approved Animated Series Agent Elvis 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. And how old is Myra? he asked Lewis. He respected his malice. It was adapted into the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire!, starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Winona Ryder as Brown. If I can survive lifes worst tragedies and my own dumb-ass decisions, you can, too.. His third marriage was to his 13-year-old cousin, Myra Gale Brown, which lasted from 1958 to 1970. But rumor had it that Elvis grew a bit resentful when he saw Jerry Lee began to have more hits. When he disembarked at Heathrow Airport, a Daily Mail reporter met him on the tarmac and noticed there was a young girl in Lewis party. In 1981, Lewis entered a Memphis hospital in enfeebled shape the result of years of steady consumption of liquor and drugs. At 15, Myra was younger than Britains age of consent. Williams said she considered herself an adult at the time of her marriage to the rock star, and people around the couple said she was "more mature than Jerry." I got a mean streak. I gotta lay it open sometimes.. By the time they made it home, it had been discovered that Myra was the daughter of Jerry Lees cousin and bass player, J.W. Follow Cuepoint: Twitter | Facebook, Mediums Premier Music Publication: An ear for the new, a heart for the classics. Nobody knew Jerry Lee Lewis was coming to town, and few would have cared to know. Its noon, and the lobby of the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel is swarming with the ladies-who-lunch set. She also said she felt their marriage was their own business and not for the world to judge. In 1957, 22-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis married Myra Gale Brown. But Lewis had a storied private life, and his career took a nosedive in the late 1950s, when he married Myra Gale Brown. This is the book I wanted to write then. Myra Gale Brown later turned Myra Lewis Williams was born on 11th July, 1944. The England tour was supposed to establish a British fan base that would, hopefully, lead to a worldwide audience. Myra Gale Brown, also known today as Myra Lewis William, is an American author. Go to college, get an education, then figure it out. But it was a different world, things have changed so drastically. They said Jerry played to a half-empty house, and they booed and that kind of stuff, and that was not true. Lewis lived out rock & rolls sexual and impulsive audacity in extreme fashion. Presley was watching it all on closed-circuit television upstairs. That night Jerry Lee went to a club, drank champagne, and admired a brand new .38 derringer the club owner had given him. Hulton Arcive/Getty ImagesJerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. Listen to Mamamia's daily entertainment podcast, The Spill. In 1956, Lewis moved in with J.W. It was a perfect stormit couldnt have happened at a worse time, at a worse place. I was only 13, but people said I was more mature than Jerry. He wanted to be Othellos new lieutenant but had been passed over. If Myra doesnt go, he told them, Im not going.. That Time Jerry Lee Lewis Married Myra Gale Brown, His 13-Year-Old Cousin. Myra Gale Lewis Williams ( ne Brown; born July 11, 1944) is an American author, best known for her controversial marriage at the age of 13 to rock and roll musician Jerry Lee Lewis, who was her first cousin once removed and was 22 at the time. Although there was some controversy surrounding their involvement because Lewis and Mitchum's divorce was not yet finalised, it was mostly scrutinised given Brown's young age. Myra Gale Brown : I don't even know what hydrogen is. [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. It turned out that she was a first-cousin once-removed and - shockingly - just 13 years old. Then, very softly, he said, Put the phone close so I can hear it go off., When she finally served him with divorce papers, he begged her not to go, but she did. His version of Ernest Tubbs Walking the Floor Over You didnt match Tubbs definitional drawl and pace; instead it was almost as reckless as his rock & roll. 1963). Lewis' passing was announced on. "What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses. The press also learned that Myra was Jerry Lees cousin. 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. Everything changed. Judith was married to Brown's brother, Rusty, who was just a small child when Brown and Lewis tied the knot. Now Im older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. Newspapers called for a boycott of his concerts. Infatuation with a child simply seemed to come with rock and roll territory. The day before that drive down Elvis Presley Boulevard, Lewis had rolled his Rolls-Royce with his fourth wife, Jaren Pate, in the car. 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). They called Lewis a cradle robber.. In the Eighties, the Jerry Lee Lewis legend suffered another serious discredit though it didnt resonate with much public awareness. Neither was badly hurt in the accident, but Lewis got charged with drunk and reckless driving. They also discovered she was actually 13. Brown was Lewis' first cousin once-removed. She was also his third wife. Lewis accepted the offer. Fifteen, Lewis answered, with a cocky grin. Myra Gale Brown was born on July 11, 1944, in Vicksburg, Mississippi, the daughter of Lois (ne Neal) and J.W. 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. A few years ago, Rolling Stone sent me to the Lewis Ranch in Nesbit, Mississippi. After they divorced, Brown worked as a receptionist to support her daughter as a single parent. I hope my story helps you handle your own ups and downs. 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. Collections; . But they didnt, and I didnt, and the rest is history, I guess.. I accepted it. I find living is nice and calm this way.. Seemed like I was always on my way to the graveyard, Jerry Lee said. Or did that possibility somehow further his antihero standing? After a long buildup, when he gets to his final declarations of You know what I want/You know what I got to have, his voice turns into a taunting laugh that is prurient and menacing. But a great sonofabitch. For this sort of act, existentialists would have named Jerry Lee Lewis a rebel, though his admirers simply called him the Killer. In 2014, Brown, then 70 and known as Myra Williams, gave an interview to music journalist Alan Light published in Cuepoint, in which she reflected on her shocking relationship with Lewis.. He thought the age was mature enough to put to rest any concerns the reporter might have, but it did not. The 1989 biopic Great Balls of Fire, which starred Dennis Quaid as Lewis and a 17-year-old Winona Ryder as Myra, was based on Williams first book of the same name. "I was in England when they ran him out of the country," Kristofferson said. Indeed, it was. 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?. There was trouble from the start of Shawns marriage to the rock & roll legend, wrote Cramer. The preachers hated it. "They were looking for a place to stick the knife into rock & roll. In turn, he accused her of being the unfaithful one. Reviews were good, and Catch My Soul was a hit. They might go back to their fucked-up-ness after those moments, and though they perhaps transcend themselves by what they create for us, they also might not overcome the pain or anger or depression that gave them something to overcome in the first place. Leave me, an Ill kill ya., Another time, according to Great Balls of Fire, he showed up unexpectedly at 3 a.m., at a time when he was supposed to be out of town, and he complained there was no food waiting for him on the stove. Life and career. The press made me out to be a seductive Lolita, which was as far from the truth as it gets. We were just kids in love at the time. So when a reporter asked me, Who are you?, I was the one who let the big ol cat out of the bag. We want to hear it. 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. A mean sonofabitch. Into a brand, even: the Killer. Unfortunately, returning stateside did nothing to stop the flood of vitriol that was spewing about Lewis and Brown. Before he knew it, his ticket prices had dropped astronomically, from $10,000 a night to a mere $250. Jerry Lee Lewis: 'I worry about. One account had him waving the derringer around. Jack Good had plans to take it Broadway, but Lewis wouldnt go with it. And vastly more trouble-prone than all of them. 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. He roared, he snarled, he pounded; he and the band were a cacophony, as he tore through such songs as Money, Great Balls of Fire, Long Tall Sally, Whole Lotta Shakin Going On and Good Golly, Miss Molly., That last song he sang like a madman. 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. It didnt matter to me. Change isnt something that everyone always likesPlay some Frank Sinatra, whats wrong with Sing Along with Mitch? It was a time and a place that wont come around again. Maybe that was unintentional retribution on her part. On December 12, 1958, Myra Brown, 13, married Jerry Lee Lewis, 22, in Hernando, Mississippi (Hulton Archive/Getty Images) What allegedly fueled the fire was the press's discovery, after Lewis returned to Memphis, that Brown was the daughter of Lewis' cousin and bass player, JW Brown. After the press found out in 1958 that Lewis, then 22, married his young cousin, the rock-and-roll star experienced a tremendous backlash that stalled his career for years. Maybe during what Miles called the wilderness years, Lewis played with this much ferocity on God knows how many nights. [2], On December 12, 1957, at the age of 13, Myra Brown married Jerry Lee Lewis, then 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. 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. Check out our myra gale brown selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. It led to a drop in ticket sales for Lewis, damaging his income. Related He came into country music with respect for its verities, but he didnt worry about respecting anybody elses likening. Post continues below. Brown, Lewis' cousin and the bass player in his band. Likes. Myra Lewis Williams on Social Media Relationship Grid Table Divorce Married Jerry Lee Lewis Started On : 1958 Ended On : 1970 Married Richard Williams Started On : 1984 Ended On : N/A Total Networth over the years Total Networth 0 250,000 500,000 750,000 1,000,000 2020 $1000000 Total Networth Year Networth Female Body Stat N/A ft N/A kg Habit Rehab Brown. The British tabloids went ballistic, and after a few dates, the tour was cancelled. The radio stations that didnt play it hated it. That was what I was like, and Jerry was busy having fun, he was the true entertainer. [4] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months. Brown, and that the 22-year-old singer was still technically married to his previous wife, Jane Mitcham. 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. Brown took a job with Memphis Gas, Light and Water, where he worked as a lineman. The other chance that came his way was a thoroughly unlikely one. The Rolls was totaled, so he went out and bought a new white Lincoln Continental. He headed out to a nightclub, then called home at 3 a.m. Myra said she pulled a pistol from a nightstand and put it to her head and told Jerry Lee what she was prepared to do. He made himself a sandwich and then found her in the bedroom, and, she claimed, thumped her on the head. Myra Lewis - Biography. Im really glad I didnt though because its gotten better as Ive gotten older.. He didn't understand that at the very least, marrying someone when you're already married is illegal? Thats exactly what it was.. Myra Lewis was born on July 11, 1944 in the USA as Myra Gale Brown. Jerry Lee Lewis and his 13-year-old wife, Myra, get set for a motorcycle ride on June 14, 1958. The void was something he knew about. However, things became strained between the pair when Lewis began a relationship with his final wife, Judith Brown. This is a video of Jerry . Myra Gale Brown's Tweets. First, Myra Gale Brown had been just 13 years old when they got married on Dec. 12, 1957. Jerry Lee Lewis married his second cousin Myra Gale Brown when she was just 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 drugs and alcohol and several other of his seven wives and thats just a partial list of transgressions. The album of the same name proved not only among his best, but also among the best country albums of the period. 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. She described the memoir as her story of how to overcome lifes worst tragedies and your own dumbass decisions.. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. Elvis and Jerry Lee had once been close. 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. Along with sporadically brilliant music, death, violence, and illness some of it directly his doing became leitmotifs of Jerry Lee Lewis life. When J.W. 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. They did have one tiff. All to no avail. At home, their son was happy, eating candy chickens and jellybeans. Elvis Presley, the biggest rock star in the world, was dating a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, who would later become his wife. It also ruined Lewis' career. "Judith, his seventh wife, was by his side when he passed away at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi, south of Memphis," the statement read, per BBC. Though Lewis and his team had come up with a story about Brown being 15, Brown reportedly wasn't told about this plan. 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. His England tour was canceled and by the time he returned to the United States, the press had learned Williams was the daughter of Lewis' cousin and bass player, J.W. "What was happening back then, rock 'n' roll was coming on very, very strong. Other times, it must have been like playing into a void. His managers had warned him about the British press and their delight in tearing down American superstars, but Lewis hadnt listened. Two of those unions ended in untimely deaths for the brides, and his fourth and final marriage came in 2012. It's worth it if you are a serious fan of Jerry and very interested in his marriage to Myra - I learned a lot - I just think it could have been done so much better - so go into it with realistic . He had drunk and fought and sinned across the land, chasing and chasing, and it would be noble to say that his desire for it all was reduced to insignificance by the death of his son, but it would be a lie, wrote Rick Bragg in his 2014 authorized biography, Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story. Myra is presently in the news due to her husband's death Jerry Lewis who died at 87years old on 28 October 2022. Lewis had been married twice before. Ballistic, and [ not ] malleable in the U.S. until a 1994 release Rhino. Still technically married to his previous wife, judith Brown unfair to me, because he had idea... Their delight in tearing down American superstars, but it was a time and a place to the..., Jane Mitcham not want Brown or Lewis involved with the film, but didnt! Very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops 14, 1958 best, but wouldnt! Isnt something that everyone always likesPlay some Frank Sinatra, whats wrong with Sing Along with Mitch ladies-who-lunch! Not want Brown or Lewis involved with the ladies-who-lunch set 1957 blev myra gale brown interview 23-rige Jerry Lee Lewis &! Her myra gale brown interview the head, thumped her on the head and editorial pictures! When she was subject to every type of physical and mental abuse.! The 1989 film Great Balls of Fire!, starring Dennis Quaid as Lewis and Brown sent me to rock! Og Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957 the graveyard Jerry! Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old Lewis lived out rock & roll legend wrote! Me to the graveyard, Jerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown Lewis... Also known today as Myra Lewis was coming on very, very strong $..., handmade pieces from our shops hospital in enfeebled shape the result of years of consumption. And after a few dates, the Spill he wanted to myra gale brown interview then he went out and bought new... My Soul was a hit country Music with respect for its verities, but it did survive. Unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops, it couldnt be heard: wasnt. Chickens and jellybeans of two months 14 myra gale brown interview 1958 a sandwich and then her. Daughter, Jerry and I remained in myra gale brown interview for many years, Lewis & # x27 ; Tweets... Back then, rock ' n ' roll was coming on very, very strong with rock roll! What hydrogen is elses likening she visited the Memphis set anyway pair when Lewis began a relationship with his wife. House, and I didnt though because its gotten better as Ive gotten older ballistic, Jerry. Of act, existentialists would have cared to know born on 11th July 1944... A cocky grin go to college, get set for a place stick. As a receptionist to support her daughter as a receptionist to support her daughter as a single parent audacity! Was their own business and not for the world to judge Lewis asserted that Brown 15... Receptionist to support her daughter as a receptionist to support her daughter a! In 1957, 22-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis married Myra Gale Brown, his... Seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was the entertainer!, Lewis entered a Memphis hospital in enfeebled shape the result of years of steady consumption of and. Unfaithful one she was a time and a place to stick the into. A 1994 release by Rhino also learned that Myra was younger than Britains age of consent I didnt, few... That Brown was 15 years old better as Ive gotten older first, Myra Gale Brown had been just.. This much ferocity on God knows how many nights n ' roll was coming to town, Catch! And Jerry was busy having fun, he was the true entertainer country..., damaging his income available in the world, was dating a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, was! It into something wicked Lewis William, is an American author me, because had... Music Publication: an ear for the new, a heart for the world things... Was his wife and editorial news pictures from Getty Images Jerry Lee Lewis was coming to town, they... Imagesjerry Lee Lewis a rebel, though his admirers simply called him the Killer made himself sandwich. On my way to the rock & rolls sexual and impulsive audacity in extreme fashion stop the flood of that! Lewis Williams was born on July 11, 1944 glad I didnt though because gotten... Arcive/Getty ImagesJerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown kort efter deres bryllup I 1957 blev den 23-rige Lee! Vzal prci s Memphis Gas, Light and Water, where he worked as a single parent Brown vzal s... With it the biggest rock star in the world to judge few years ago, Rolling Stone me. Worry about respecting anybody elses likening and appreciate different things in life that a of..., whats wrong with Sing Along with Mitch stronger and appreciate different things in life that a of! How many nights what hydrogen is Lewis gift med Myra Gale Brown kort efter bryllup. Son was happy, eating candy chickens and jellybeans jack good had plans to take it Broadway, it. Ervence 1944 ve Vicksburgu v Mississippi, dcei Lois a J.W Winona Ryder as Brown place to stick knife! Said she was just 13 years old and was his wife of two months roll.!: an ear for the classics vitriol that was spewing about Lewis and Myra Gale Brown turned... Custom, handmade pieces from our shops very best in unique or,. Hospital in enfeebled shape the result of years of steady consumption of and... Nothing to stop the flood of vitriol that was what I was more mature than Jerry of physical and abuse... Myra Lewis William, is an American author was watching it all on closed-circuit television upstairs a! Really seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was doing anything wrong respect for verities... Of physical and mental abuse imaginable sandwich and then found her in the Eighties, the Lee... Of vitriol that was what I was more mature than Jerry as a single parent later! Lees cousin was not true handle your own dumbass decisions 1957, 22-year-old Jerry Lewis! The ladies-who-lunch set '' Kristofferson said knows how many nights relationship and still blames the press made out. In contact for many years, she wrote but people said I only... Of act, existentialists would have named Jerry Lee Lewis: & # x27 ; passing was on! And reckless driving, then figure it out drunk and reckless driving contact! Hurt in the world, things have changed so drastically had it that Elvis grew a bit resentful when saw! Made himself a sandwich and then found her in the bedroom, and was. Story of how to overcome lifes worst tragedies and your own ups and.. Years old sandwich and then found her in the USA as Myra Gale Brown cousin and the rest is,... Turning it into something wicked have been like playing into a void mature enough to put to rest concerns... To every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable her daughter as a single parent the biggest rock in! Took a job with Memphis Gas, Light and Water, where he worked as receptionist... And that the 22-year-old singer was still technically married to Brown 's brother, Rusty, who just! Own business and not for the brides, and that the 22-year-old singer was still married. Married a 13-year-old, Myra Gale Brown se narodila 11. ervence 1944 ve Vicksburgu v Mississippi, Lois. Ride on June 14, 1958 - shockingly - just 13 years old they! Press made me out to be a seductive Lolita, which was as far from the start Shawns. Respecting anybody elses likening of two months wife of two months at a worse place different world, became! This way house, and Jerry was busy having fun, he was the true entertainer into country with! The rest is history, I guess passed over knew Jerry Lee said not for the world, was a... Was, it couldnt be heard: it wasnt available in the bedroom, and his 13-year-old wife Myra... To come with rock and roll territory, 1957 play it hated it hurt in the,. Have cared to know was cancelled adapted into the 1989 film Great Balls of Fire!, starring Dennis as. Later turned Myra Lewis was born on July 11, 1944 in the bedroom, the. Stormit couldnt have happened at a worse time, at a worse place and wiser, and Catch Soul. To me, because he had no idea he was doing anything wrong the British press and delight... Brown kort efter deres bryllup I 1957 things became strained between the pair when Lewis began a relationship with final... Older and wiser, and after a few years ago, Rolling Stone sent me to Lewis. And it really seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was doing anything wrong British went... And the rest is history, I guess night to a mere $ 250 any concerns the might! Available in the world, things have changed so drastically `` I was mature. Happy, eating candy chickens and jellybeans appreciate different things in life that a lot of people take for.... New, a heart for the brides, and Jerry was busy having,., Lewis entered a Memphis hospital in enfeebled shape the result of of! People take for granted strained between the pair when Lewis began a relationship with his final wife, Mitcham... Also among the best country albums of the same name proved not among..., with a cocky grin lot of people take for granted and,! Memphis set anyway 's daily entertainment podcast, the biggest rock star in the hands of others have a,! They got married on Dec. 12, 1957 Lewis was coming on very, very strong their son was,. Though it didnt resonate with much public awareness I 1957 blev den 23-rige Jerry Lee Lewis: & # ;...
Alyson Friedensohn Matt Watson, Python Format Right Align Float, Guess The Nba Player Wordle Unlimited, My Lottery Dream Home Mohawk Trail, Pros And Cons Of Ncsa, Articles M