Why did Jerry Lee marry his thirteen-year-old cousin?
Why did Jerry Lee marry his thirteen-year-old cousin?Answer: Jerry Lee Lewis had already gone through two marriages by 1957; he’d married Jane Mitcham, his second, 23 days before his divorce from his first wife, Dorothy Barton, was final. On December 12, 1957, Jerry married his third cousin, Myra Gale Brown. A lot of ink has been spilled about his close blood relationship with Myra, and the fact that she was only thirteen and still believed in Santa Claus when the pair were married. For a man from his time and place, however, marrying at thirteen and marrying one’s third cousin (twice removed) were both fairly commonplace occurrances, although Lewis further complicated matters by again marrying before the divorce from his second wife was final. Lewis didn’t seem to realize that this was offensive to most urban markets (and to other countries): in fact, Sun Records’ Jud Phillips (brother of producer Sam) had warned him against taking Myra with him to England on his first European tour.
