Hes no longer part of my life. [5] This caused an uproar and after a few dates the tour was cancelled. He thought the age was mature enough to put to rest any concerns the reporter might have, but it did not. 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. The rock & roll establishment, always willing to look the other way, embraced him. My little brother was born because I begged my parents for a baby at ten years old.". The 'Great Balls Of Fire' singer started performing in the early 1950s, in his late teens. 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. 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. She also said she felt their marriage was their own business and not for the world to judge. When I visited her, Myra told the L.A. Times this year, I would still see him, too. Phoebe quit working for him and I havent seen him since. A musician whod worked with the country singer Mickey Gilley asked Jerry Lee if he would consider driving to Nashvillle to record a song. Inside The Short And Tumultuous Life Of Gia Carangi, "The World's First Supermodel", 44 Grim Photos That Show The Brutal Reality Of Mid-Century America's Polio Epidemics, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. She was also Jerry Lee's second cousin, as well as the daughter of Jay 'JW' Brown, the bass player in his band. Hulton Arcive / Getty Images Jerry Lee Lewis og Myra Gale Brown kort efter deres bryllup i 1957. Brown, 62, is no stranger to the family as she was previously married to the star's cousin Rusty. The singer married his first wife, Dorothy Barton, when he was just 16. 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. Though his rock career was forever marred by his marriage to Myra Gale Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis eventually found success in country music. But because he is never fully explained, Iago is a void a void incarnate. That did.. What kind of redneck hell was he raised in that it was apparently fine, in his mind, to marry a thirteen year old child? His managers had warned him about the British press and their delight in tearing down American superstars, but Lewis hadnt listened. 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 were looking for a place to stick the knife into rock & roll. Lewis had told everyone that Brown was his wife but failed to mention her actual age, instead, telling them she was 15. 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. [9], By 1970, Lewis' drug addiction, alcoholism, and infidelity took a toll on their marriage. Maybe during what Miles called the wilderness years, Lewis played with this much ferocity on God knows how many nights. The preachers hated it. 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. In 1981, Lewis entered a Memphis hospital in enfeebled shape the result of years of steady consumption of liquor and drugs. Then, when he fell from grace, he was untouchable in a different way, but he was dogged. 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, Brown recalled in an interview. Lewis's latest marriage is to Judith Brown. A mean sonofabitch. 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. What was happening back then, rock n roll was coming on very, very strong. When all of this hit in London in 1958, it just took the world by storm. [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. 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. 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. Williams, 78, said in 2016 that shes been right here the whole time but she apparently no longer had a relationship with her notorious ex-husband after 2015. Myra Gale Brown's Tweets. That was a fairly romantic conception, but it raised another, equally troubling question: Did Lewis fans and chroniclers really care much about whether he married a 13-year-old, whether he brutalized his wives, or, in fact, whether he played a part in Shawn Stephens death? 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. She is the co-author of the book Great Balls of Fire: The Uncensored Story of Jerry Lee Lewis. Oct. 28, 2022 3:46 PM PT 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. I could so easily have said, Im J.W. Because that was the truth! The singer passed away, aged 87, just days after false reports of his death had been made. We were just kids in love at the time. Browns daughter'," Brown later said when reflecting on the day. However, things became strained between the pair when Lewis began a relationship with his final wife, Judith Brown. However, upon landing in the country with his child-bride, it became clear that the Brits were not on board with Jerry Lee Lewis. In the end, she says, Jerry Lee Lewis downfall was a bigger issue than her age. 1, Sings the Country Music Hall of Fame Hits, Vol. Indeed, it was. Myra knew what he was doing, and she told him she would leave him. He said to their seven-year-old daughter, Phoebe, who was witnessing all this, Look, Phoebe, your mamas gone crazy. You cant go through a life like that and come out and be OK. 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. She co-wrote many books, such as Great Book Of Fire and The Spark That Survived, and earned people's love and popularity through her book. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. What Happened To Her? It was detailed in a March 1984 Rolling Stone article, The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis. Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ben Cramer, it was a painstaking account of Lewis two-and-a-half-month marriage to his fourth wife, Shawn Michelle Stephens, who died at 25 on Aug. 24, 1983, and the mystifying events surrounding her death: the bruises and blood on her body, the scratch-like wounds on Lewis forearm, the permeation of fresh, small bloodstains around Lewis Mississippi home, and the superficial police investigations and coroners reports that followed. Select from premium Myra Brown of the highest quality. This is a video of Jerry . There were so many stories told that were not necessarily the truth, or else it was the truth wearing a mask. Myra would join him for his U.S. tours, riding with him in the car, often arriving at venues where there had been no promotion. Myra Lewis Williams (ne Gale Brown, 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 is her first cousin once removed and was 22 at the time. Myra Gale Brown today known as Myra Lewis William, was an American author. Likes. She is the cousin removed and former wife of late popular singer and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis. in 2004.. Or did that possibility somehow further his antihero standing? Post continues below. She later pursued a career in music and worked on the movie Benji: Off the Leash! 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. She was 13 at the time. It was thought to be an exciting time for Lewis: Elvis Presley had just been drafted into the military, meaning he had less competition in the rock 'n' roll scene. 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). 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. Jerry Lee Lewis, left, poses with Myra Gale Brown at a London press conference on May 24, 1958. His second marriage in September 1953 had caused quite a stir when people realized it had taken place 23 days before his first divorce was final. And they just werent ready for that. She is an American author and is famed with her botched marriage with Jerry Lewis. Myra Lewis Williams, as she's now known, made those comments to journalist Alan Light when he met up with her and Lewis for a 2010 story for Rolling Stone. The Whole Lotta Shakin Goin On and Great Balls of Fire hitmaker had eloped with Myra Gale Brown in December 1957, the result of a romance that developed when he moved into the Memphis home of Myras father, JW Brown, who was Lewis cousin and bass player, according to Lewis obituary in The Times. When the woman who owned the house could no longer see her, she sent her son to look for her. They called Lewis a cradle robber.. ", A post shared by Myra Lewis Williams (@mlwauthor). The friend wanted to show Jerry Lee a .357 magnum. She described the memoir as her story of how to overcome lifes worst tragedies and your own dumbass decisions.. Brown's age and blood relationship to Lewis caused an uproar on his first tour of England and was later criticized . I not only survived it, Im better for it, having gone through it. ), Lewis, though, wasnt planning on leaving rock & roll. Anyway - Myra is obviously a woman with a story and I am just sad that it was not told better. That little girl I used to be, she died. Jerry Lee Lewis is often tagged The Last Man Standing these days, a reference to his status among the core group of musicians who helped ignite the big bang of rock n roll of the 1950s. Myras voice was relegated to a quote or two. Brown played electric bass, and Lewis played piano and sang. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright . 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. It was crude and rude and ridiculous what it was doing to the teenagers. After just a few shows, Lewis' tour was cancelled, with the British press calling him a 'cradle robber' and a 'baby snatcher'. At 13, Brown didnt see anything wrong with her marriage to Lewis. Jerrys wife. The reporter was startled. 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