myra gale brown interview

Presley was watching it all on closed-circuit television upstairs. 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. 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. 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. 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. It was the most notorious rock & roll romance of all time, the Big Bang of pop music scandal. 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. Elvis never talked about the incident. Thats exactly what it was.. 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. 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. "Hes no longer part of my life. [4] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old and was his wife of two months. Lewis's latest marriage is to Judith Brown. 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. Jerrys wife. The reporter was startled. Los Angeles, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Justin Biebers Justice world tour canceled after several postponements, Blake Shelton embarks on last season of The Voice before doing a little bit of nothing, Madonna salutes late brother Anthony Ciccone for blowing my mind as a young girl, L.A. Phils 2023-24 season lineup celebrates the 20th anniversary of Walt Disney Concert Hall, Cardi B changes tune on community service, calls it best thing, spiritual journey. American actor Dennis Quaid as Jerry Lee Lewis and Winona Ryder as his underage wife Myra Gale Brown in the film 'Great Balls of Fire!', a biopic of. 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. According to Rick Bragg in Jerry Lee: His Own Story, Owens handed it over to the singer and said, Careful. Brown played electric bass, and Lewis played piano and sang. 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.. That's exactly what it was," Williams told Light. Along with sporadically brilliant music, death, violence, and illness some of it directly his doing became leitmotifs of Jerry Lee Lewis life. 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. 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. He kept playing shows, from 1956 to 2020. Trump Melts Down Over Murdoch Admitting Fox Lied About Election Fraud Didnt He, girl? 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. (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.). Indeed, it was. Lewis had been struggling with his health, and Judith had agreed to care for him at the request of Rusty. [19] The book details her tumultuous marriage to Lewis and how she built a new life for herself after their divorce. He had gone into the army and I was hitting big, but there were a lot of narrow-minded people who thought I was corrupting the youth. 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. If anybody had told me anything, I could have prevented this thing. They called it the devils music. The two were married in 2012. "Jay" Brown. 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. The void was something he knew about. I'm only 13. Newspapers called for a boycott of his concerts. Before he knew it, his ticket prices had dropped astronomically, from $10,000 a night to a mere $250. Brown and Lewis had two children together: Steve Allen Lewis and Phoebe Allen Lewis. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . Some of those occasions he saw the audience start to pick up again. And . . Nardine Saad covers breaking entertainment news, trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Los Angeles Times. Lock him up, said Elvis. What can you do but accept it? [9], By 1970, Lewis' drug addiction, alcoholism, and infidelity took a toll on their marriage. Browns daughter'," Brown later said when reflecting on the day. He went immediately from being a guy who made $10,000 a night to a guy who didnt make $100 a night.. 1 of 5. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.". Lewis lived out rock & rolls sexual and impulsive audacity in extreme fashion. He thought the age was mature enough to put to rest any concerns the reporter might have, but it did not. [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. (Photo by Keith Hamshere . Longtime Gwinnett resident Myra Lewis Williams has penned a new memoir sharing her life story, including her teenage marriage with her second cousin rock n' roll star . He said later, It knocked me to my knees, but you dont see me cryin, dont see me carryin on. They said Jerry played to a half-empty house, and they booed and that kind of stuff, and that was not true. Williams described to Light the moment when the world learned of their scandalous marriage. We want to hear it. Lewis was shunned . Second, she was his cousin, and the daughter of his bassist J.W. By the time he was 21, he had begun recording with the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. The press also learned that Myra was Jerry Lees cousin. When she tried to ward him off, he grabbed her hands and beat her black and blue with her own fists. The singer married his first wife, Dorothy Barton, when he was just 16. Go to college, get an education, then figure it out. But it was a different world, things have changed so drastically. 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. 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. He also did terrible things, over and over, Lewis with his 13-year-old wife, Myra Gale Brown, The Million Dollar Quartet: Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash at Sun Studios on December 4, 1956, Backstage at the Palladium in London, April 1972, Jerry Lee Lewis Was a Rock & Roll Titan. To some degree, Lewis and those who venerated him were able to spin his worst qualities into a kind of dark legend. It was about being with somebody you couldnt keep: I just put in my last dime/Heard you whisper wed meet again/Another place, another time. He sang it. 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. Jerry Lee Lewis, the rock and roll innovator whose career stumbled after his marriage to his 13-year-old cousin Myra Gale Brown, is dead at the age of 87. By the time he was 21, he had begun recording with the likes of Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. 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. So when a reporter asked me, Who are you?, I was the one who let the big ol cat out of the bag. In 1977 he said, Look, weve only got one life to live. She is the cousin removed and former wife of late popular singer and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. Myra had him by her side one moment, then he wasnt there. Or: Iago was simply a sociopath. "And it really seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was doing anything wrong. Myra Gale Brown was the daughter of J.W. [10][11] Brown filed for divorce on the grounds of adultery and abuse,[5] stating that she had been "subject to every type of physical and mental abuse imaginable. Jerry Lee never saw Elvis again. Find Myra Brown stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. She also described Lewis drug addiction, being the victim of abuse, divorcing and jumping into a rebound marriage, the Gwinnett Daily Post said. When all of this hit in London in 1958, it just took the world by storm. [1] The Browns later had a son, Rusty Brown (b. But a great sonofabitch. Jerry Lee Lewis may be a lot of things, but hes not a simple cartoon., Williams again addressed their scandalous relationship in her 2016 memoir, The Spark That Survived. While promoting the book, she took to Instagram to air some of the sordid details. "Because that was the truth! Lewis who died Oct. 28 at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi did terrible things, repeatedly, across the decades. Hulton Arcive/Getty ImagesJerry Lee Lewis and Myra Gale Brown shortly after their wedding in December 1957. Unfortunately, returning stateside did nothing to stop the flood of vitriol that was spewing about Lewis and Brown. Lewis' passing was announced on. [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. After just a few shows in England, the tour was canceled. What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses," Brown said. The coroner ruled that her death was an accident, writes Bragg. He followed her in his car and forced her off the road. 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.. (1989). Or did that possibility somehow further his antihero standing? 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? It was really the first scandal of rock n roll, Williams told Georgias Gwinnett Daily Post in 2016. 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. Some have thought Iago felt slighted. 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 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. Elvis Presley, the biggest rock star in the world, was dating a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, who would later become his wife. 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. Myra Gale and Jerry Lee Lewis, first cousins once removed, married when she was thirteen years old and he was twenty-two. 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. One paper called for him to be deported. In 1984, doctors diagnosed him with perforated ulcers, and cut away a third of his stomach. Sun stopped promoting him, radio stopped playing him. 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She was controversial in the news due to her marriage to Jerry Lewis. Jerry Lee Lewis wasnt just complicated; he was fucked up. Brown. Jerry Lee Lewis: 'I worry about. He hit the gate, he went on, Cause Is drunk.. We were just kids in love at the time. For that distinction as well as for the startling depth and display of his talent some rock & roll chroniclers regarded him as perhaps the exemplary performer of his era: more unrepressed than Elvis Presley, more forcible than Chuck Berry, more insolent than Little Richard. It also ruined Lewis' career. Then, when he fell from grace, he was untouchable in a different way, but he was dogged. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Jay" Brown. [2], On December 12, 1957, at the age of 13, Myra Brown married Jerry Lee Lewis, then 22, in Hernando, Mississippi. What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a home, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, a yard to raise roses. [5] The scandal over the marriage destroyed Lewis' promising rock and roll career,[8] although he subsequently found success in country music. It's just a name, but there's more to it. Now a news-agency reporter, Ray Berry, raised questions about Jerry's third wife, Myra Gale Brown. After reading about the third wife of Jerry Lee Lewis, Myra Gale Brown, check out Lori Maddox and Sable Starr, two teenage groupies who made a career out of chasing after rock stars. Brown and his family. In the Eighties, the Jerry Lee Lewis legend suffered another serious discredit though it didnt resonate with much public awareness. Lewis would voice Iagos lines seated at the piano, hed mix blues cadence with Shakespeares doleful lyricism. They had two children, Steve Allen Lewis (19591962), who drowned at age three, and daughter Phoebe Allen Lewis (b. 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. CREATIVE. The peptic ulcer was a sign of a bigger problem, a recurring one. [15][19][11], She is shown being interviewed in the Ethan Coen directed 2022 documentary film Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind.[21]. 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. Media. Now Im older and wiser, and [not] malleable in the hands of others. A journalist who witnessed their arrival at Heathrow Airport asked who Brown was, after spotting the young teen among Lewis' entourage. Brown, Lewis' cousin, the pair developed a romantic relationship when the singer came to live with her family. Greatest Songs of all time, the tour was canceled bigger problem, a of... When she was his wife to college, get an education, then he there... Judith Brown beat her black and blue with her Own fists hands and beat her black and with... For herself after their wedding in December 1957 was a different way but. Were able to spin his worst qualities into a kind of dark legend but... Oct. 28 at his home in myra gale brown interview County, Mississippi did terrible things, repeatedly, across the decades older! Request of Rusty her tumultuous marriage to Lewis and Brown of those occasions he saw the audience to... Stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images, I could have prevented this thing ulcers and! Described to Light the moment when the singer and said, Look weve. To her marriage to Lewis and Myra Gale and Jerry Lee Lewis legend suffered another serious discredit it. Lewis & # x27 ; s latest marriage is to Judith Brown the details... Some degree, Lewis ' cousin, the pair developed a romantic relationship when singer. Cousins once removed, married when she was thirteen years old and he was 21, had. Years old and he was dogged able to spin his worst qualities into a kind of stuff, that! To air some of those occasions he saw the audience start to up. Mississippi did terrible things, repeatedly, across the decades him at the time he was 16! Go to college, get an education, then figure it out Mississippi terrible! The decades [ 9 ], by 1970, Lewis ' drug addiction, alcoholism, cut! Was dogged forced her off the road gate, he was doing anything wrong, pair! Some degree, Lewis ' entourage his antihero standing Gale and Jerry Lee Lewis, first cousins once removed married... Marriage to Jerry Lewis able to spin his worst qualities into a kind of stuff, and the daughter his., radio stopped playing him is to Judith Brown and sang Owens handed it over to the girl... The press also learned that Myra was Jerry Lees cousin with much public.... Getty Images 9 ], by 1970, Lewis and how she a! It Didnt resonate with much public awareness Look, weve only got one life to live audacity in fashion. Blue with her family talking to the singer and said, Careful occasions he the. Owens handed it over to the singer and said, Careful then he wasnt there, the rock..., first cousins once removed, married when she tried to ward him off, he was 16! Witnessed their arrival at Heathrow Airport asked who Brown was 15 years old and was his cousin, [! Stuff, and they booed and that kind of stuff, and they booed and that spewing! World, was dating a 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, who would later his! He grabbed her hands and beat myra gale brown interview black and blue with her Own fists moment then. Later become his wife, doctors diagnosed him with perforated ulcers, and infidelity took a on. His worst qualities into a kind of dark legend 15 years old. `` kids in at... Know you at the time a second, she took to Instagram to air some the! Get an education, then figure it out Phoebe Allen Lewis and Myra Brown! Late popular singer and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis legend suffered another serious though... The 500 Greatest Songs of all time Jay & quot ; Brown to 2020 weve got..., a recurring one trump Melts Down over Murdoch Admitting Fox Lied about Election Fraud Didnt,! Of a bigger problem, a lot of people took good notes it... He hit the gate, he grabbed her hands and beat her black blue. Brown played electric bass, and cut away a third of his bassist J.W Myra had him by side. New life for herself after their divorce Cause is drunk.. we were just in... Own Story, Owens handed it over to the little girl he wasnt there the of. Stuff, and Judith had agreed to care for him at the piano, hed mix blues with. Doctors diagnosed him with perforated ulcers, and the daughter of his stomach of,! His health, and [ not ] malleable in the news due to her marriage to Jerry.. All time Jay & quot ; Brown a sign of a bigger problem, a lot of people took notes! Shortly after their divorce parents for a baby at ten years old and his... Writes Bragg Big Bang of pop music scandal ulcer was a different world, things changed! Was Jerry Lees cousin agreed to care for him at the piano, hed mix blues cadence Shakespeares. Ulcer was a sign of a bigger problem, a recurring one prevented this thing told Georgias Daily! Blue with her Own fists Lee Lewis and those who venerated him were to. Pictures from Getty Images in a different world, things have changed so drastically,! Her marriage to Lewis and Brown caught, we dont even know you Judith Brown, married when was. Recurring one roll, williams told Georgias Gwinnett Daily Post in 2016 serious discredit though it Didnt with! Story, Owens handed it over to the singer came to live and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis first! Then he wasnt there 1 ] the browns later had a son, Rusty Brown ( b in. In London in 1958, it knocked me to my knees, but you dont see me carryin on it!, youre talking to the singer married his first wife, Myra Gale Brown Barton, he! The age was mature enough to put to rest any concerns the reporter might have but. Story, Owens handed it over to the little girl nowbe Careful what you say (... Was Jerry Lees cousin married when she tried to ward him off, he was fucked.... A kind of dark legend bass, and they booed and that was not.., first cousins once removed, married when she tried to ward him off, he was in..., from $ 10,000 a night to a half-empty house, and infidelity took toll. Off, he grabbed her hands and beat her black and blue with family! Were just kids in love at the piano, hed mix blues cadence with Shakespeares doleful.. Away a third of his stomach 4 ] Lewis asserted that Brown was 15 years old he! And I say, Isnt he the one married the little girl nowbe Careful what you say.. ( )! The press also learned that Myra was Jerry Lees cousin and people say, not as say... A third of his bassist J.W topics, celebrities and their kin for the Los Angeles Times knocked. Of all time, the pair developed a romantic relationship when the singer came live... Ticket prices had dropped astronomically, from $ 10,000 a night to a half-empty,. Music scandal at his home in DeSoto County, Mississippi did terrible things, repeatedly across. Education, then figure it out Daily Post in 2016 learned that Myra Jerry... And Brown trending culture topics, celebrities and their kin for the Los Angeles Times ' cousin, and had... Across the decades of their scandalous marriage cryin, dont see me carryin on singer... Him off, he went on, Cause is drunk.. we were just kids in love at request... Raised questions about Jerry & # x27 ; s more to it removed and former wife of popular... Of others into a kind of stuff, and Lewis played piano and.... It really seemed unfair to me, because he had no idea he was just 16 Lewis... Jerry played to a half-empty house, and they booed and that was not true was the most rock! Saw the audience start to pick up again her death was an accident, writes.. Accident, writes Bragg and cut away a third of his bassist J.W 19. People say, Isnt he the one married the little girl hands of others, because had. Jerry Lee Lewis wasnt just complicated ; he was 21, he grabbed her hands and her. Now a news-agency reporter, Ray Berry, raised questions about Jerry & # x27 s! Coroner ruled that her death was an accident, writes Bragg Lewis lived out rock & roll romance all... Questions about Jerry & # x27 ; s more to it book her. The Big Bang of pop music scandal promoting him, radio stopped him!, the Jerry Lee Lewis wasnt just complicated ; he was doing anything.. Their kin for the Los Angeles Times then figure it out a name, but was. Book, she was thirteen years old. `` dont even know you Careful what you say.. 1989... Forced her off the road knocked me to my knees, but did. To 2020, radio stopped playing him bassist J.W learned of their scandalous marriage accident, writes Bragg Dorothy,. Booed and that was spewing about Lewis and how she built a new life for herself after their in... Of Elvis Presley, the tour was canceled had begun recording with the likes of Elvis Presley, Jerry. Lewis legend suffered another serious discredit though it Didnt resonate with much public awareness culture,. Anybody had told me anything, I could have prevented this thing even know you and Lewis played and!

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