At the age of 13, Myra Gale Brown married 22-year-old Jerry Lee Lewis in Hernando, Mississippi, a marriage that effectively ended Lewis’ career.
Jerry Lee Lewis married Myra Gale Brown in 1957, at the age of 22.
Lewis has been married twice before. His second marriage in September 1953 caused quite a stir when people discovered it occurred 23 days before his first divorce was finalized.
That uproar was nothing compared to what his third marriage would bring. Despite remarrying before the finalization of his divorce, Myra Gale Brown, a 13-year-old, revealed herself as his new wife.
Myra Gale Brown was the daughter of J.W. Brown, Lewis’ cousin and bassist in his band. At the time, she had no idea there was anything wrong with her relationship with Lewis. Elvis Presley, the world’s biggest rock star, was dating 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu, who eventually became his wife. A child’s infatuation seemed to be a common occurrence in the realm of rock and roll.
And, Myra later said, she felt ready for marriage.
“My generation was taught to hide under our desks when the bomb came, so you always had in mind that any minute, any day, life could come to an end,” Brown recalled during a recent interview. “What I wanted was a baby in my arms, a house, a husband, a kitchen to cook in, and a yard to grow roses. I begged my parents for a baby when I was ten years old, and my little brother was born as a result.
Lewis planned to take Brown on a tour of England after they married on December 12, 1957. With Elvis drafted into the military, Lewis stood ready to take his place as the biggest name in rock. The England Tour aimed to cultivate a British fan base, potentially paving the way for a global audience.
However, when Jerry Lee Lewis arrived in the country with his child-bride, it became clear that the Brits were not on board with him. Lewis’ managers warned him about the British press’s tendency to criticize American stars, but he ignored their advice.
“If Myra doesn’t go,” he said, “I’m not going.”
So, the story was made up. Lewis had told everyone that Brown was his wife but failed to mention her actual age, instead telling them she was 15. He told them it was fine to marry at 15, or even 10 in America if you could find a husband.
On the other hand, Myra Gale Brown had not heard the story and therefore did not believe it.
“I could so easily have said, ‘I’m J.W. Brown’s daughter,'” she said, reflecting on the day it was revealed she was 13 and Jerry Lee Lewis’ wife. “Because it was the truth!” If anyone had told me something, I could have prevented this. However, neither they nor I took action, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Indeed, it was. Only a few shows in England led to the cancellation of the tour. Fueled by tabloids that branded Lewis as a “cradle robber” and a “baby snatcher,” the British public practically drove him out of the country, abhorring their relationship.
Regrettably, Lewis and Brown’s return home did not dampen the torrent of hate. Not only were they criticizing her age, but they also pointed out that Jerry Lee Lewis had remarried prior to the finalization of his divorce. Furthermore, his last single, “High School Confidential,” was unrelated to his relationship and did not help his case.
Before he knew it, his ticket prices had dropped dramatically, from $10,000 per night to a mere $250. The public remained staunchly opposed to Lewis despite his remarriage to Brown, this time in a legal ceremony in which he was not previously married, and her subsequent move home with her parents.
Jerry Lee Lewis’s marriage to Myra Gale Brown forever marred his rock career, although he eventually found success in country music.
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 of whom currently manages his career. Though they were no longer together, they remained friendly during Lewis’ subsequent marriages and continued to communicate with one another.
Myra Lewis Williams has no negative feelings about the relationship and continues to blame the press for turning it into something wicked. Ultimately, she claims that Jerry Lee Lewis’ downfall was a bigger issue than her age. Despite Elvis’ success, Brown believed the world wasn’t ready for rock and roll.
She recalled, “They’re searching for a place to insert the knife.” “Jerry gave it to them—well, I did,” she recalled. I opened my mouth. “That is exactly what it was.”