Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. When she left to tour Japan with the Platters in December 1965, she says, she left Frankie living in her hillside house with instructions to pay the bills out of an allowance forwarded by her attorney. She plays Lemmons second wife. She's going to call it "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?". By now, publishing rights to the song may have earned $750,000, or even more. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein said. This time his bride was Emira Eagle, an educated, churchgoing elementary school teacher who lived with her family in nearby Augusta. "Frankie was that kind of person, your honor," she said. He moved into her home and her bedroom. He was characterized as The Octopus by Varietymagazine for his far-reaching control and power in the record industry and his connections to organized crime. Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? Elizabeth Lymon says she married Lymon on Jan. 23, 1964, in Alexandria, Va., and bore him a daughter the following year. As legacies go, it's not bad. He was staying in his grandmother's apartment on West 165th Street. He took the bus to the post from her familys home each day. 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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, 19 cafes that make L.A. a world-class coffee destination, Shocking, impossible gas bills push restaurants to the brink of closures, The chance of a lifetime: Five friends ski the tallest mountain in Los Angeles, Im visiting all 600 L.A. spots on the National Register. Artist Rights Enforcement Corporation was heralded by the New York Times as the white knight of rock n roll for its efforts in recovering uncollected royalties for a host of artists including Wilbert Harrison, Richard Berry, the Coasters, and the Dell Vikings to name just a few. "He had been busted in California again for drugs." But Elizabeth's attorneys argue that she and Frankie lived in Philadelphia and therefore established a common-law marriage under Pennsylvania law. Ten years after his initial success, however, he was wearing an Army uniform as a private at Fort Gordon. (All three women used the surname Lymon in court documents at least part of the time.) With black rhythm and blues releases beginning to win white audiences, music had become a ticket to glory. They became lovers, Zola testified, one night in Bangor, Maine, when Frankie had won $1,700 gambling with Clyde McPhatter and she had gotten "a little loaded drinking scotch and water." Opened 1940 | Named after Elizabeth Waters. I cant just sit here and tell the court anything different. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. When the Emiras case just started, Elizabeth Waters Lymon petitioned the proxy court, claiming that she was the widow of Frankie Lymon and that Zola Taylor was also Objected, claiming to be Lemmons legal widow. Elizabeth Waters was not yet divorced when she married Lymon, but the marriage became lawful once her first husbands divorce was finalized. The origins of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Lymon and his group followed up with three more hits in 1956 and another in 1957. It was engraved with the words, In Memory Of Frankie Lymon Sept. 30, 1942 - Feb. 27, 1968 "We Promise To Remember". "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. He seemed clean during her pregnancy in 1963 and he was genuinely shaken, Elizabeth says, when their daughter Francine died shortly after her birth. Emira Lymon, who was appointed administrator of his estate in Georgia in 1973, sued her dead husband`s record company in 1984 for $500,000 in royalties. A memorial service. McCracken said his client "has a strong religious background and beliefs, so I don't think she'll be devastated, but I know she's disappointed to say the least. He is skeptical, too, about some of the harrowing descriptions of Lymon that have surfaced during the legal jousting. Parts of the above testimony and chronology of events were disputed in court. Though Waters was not yet divorced from her first husband when she and Frankie Lymon married in a civil ceremony in Alexandria in 1964, their union became valid when that divorce became final in 1965, the judge found. If Emira wins, she'll share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. Elizabeth testified that she saw him on that visit, as she had a number of times both before and after his wedding (which Elizabeth says she knew nothing of). Lymon C. Reese Lymon Clifton Reese was born in Stanley, Pike County, Arkansas, on April 27, 1917, to Samuel Wesley Reese and Nancy Elizabeth (Betty) Daniel Reese. And it stalls or kills a federal lawsuit Eagle had brought to reclaim control of the publishing rights to his song. Frankie told Elizabeth that Zola and I arent doing anything; its just a motherly relationship, Elizabeth testified in court. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. Like the jazz and blues artists before them, the rock 'n' rollers of the '50s and '60s were often ripe for rip-offs. With the matter now in a confused state, the federal judge stayed Emiras lawsuit. So the trial went forward. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Lymon's work had largely been reduced to lip-syncing at record hops; he said Zola could help get him some gigs in Los Angeles. The original lineup of the Teenagers, an integrated group, included three . DAPHNE, AL 36526. Frankie Lymon/Wife. Back in New Jersey, Ronnie Italiano and the UGHA had adhered to Emiras aforementioned wishes and held off on moving forward with their project to acquire and place a memorial tombstone on Frankie Lymons grave until her lawsuit was settled. At the least, records and witnesses' recollections seem to indicate that Frankie Lymon did stand before a magistrate or minister on three occasions to promise himself to each of these women until death parted them, which turned out to be a fairly short time. Her divorce didn't come through until 1965. When trading Miss Thing"-type insults doesnt clear the air, a lawsuit to determine the identity of the true widow and heir to Lymons royalties becomes inevitable. Span wrote that back in Los Angeles, the club where Zola was performing tossed a celebration with a cake and champagne. -- those he abused and betrayed seem loath to condemn him. They got married at City Hall in Alexandria, Va., early in 1964. Levy ruled his empire with an iron hand, using both fear and intimidation as part of his business model. Emira's attorneys have advised her not to talk to reporters until after the Surrogate Court decision. It makes him not only a good soldier, but a better individual. "She did not know the druggie described in this trial She knew a soldier.". Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. And if he put others through hell too, well, didn't he say, right in that song, that love is a losing game? His widow in 2013 said she was lucky to know and love Lymon at a good time in his life when he was happy being in the Army and still had hopes for the future. However, it turned out she had been married to someone else at the time. As a result, they fought and separated numerous times. Left-Wing Meloni: Italys Attempt to Replicate Giorgia Meloni, Europe is dumping its migrants in Africa in exchange of money, Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies, David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books, Uplift Suasion: the notion to change racism, Mexicos constitutional crisis has its roots in Washington, The EU-Mercosur Deal: Macrons Duplicity Unveiled, Paraguay declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. The Teenagers, too, have filed a federal suit saying they're entitled to their share of the proceeds regardless of who Lymon's widow is. 8822 County Road 64. "Emira's Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum," Pomeroy says. Smalls Mortuary - Eastern Shore. Macron wont let go off Africa so easily, he is love sick, Canadas Debt Crisis: A Never-Ending Burden Passed On From Generation to Generation, Alcohol tax in Canada: Canadian government is taking a sip out of your beer. Frankie, bouncing at the mike, was "this adorable little boy, with this little smile, the little suit; you wanted to take him home All I remember was the girls screaming about how cute he was.". It is Frankie Lymon's only real legacy, that two minutes and 15 seconds of doo-wop. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. He established his Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. in 1981 to hound, bully or sue record companies that he thought were depriving artists of their earnings, taking a substantial cut for his efforts. The stone was dedicated by his fans and friends on February 27, 1988, the 20th anniversary of Frankie's death and one month before the opening arguments in the case that would determine his legal wife and rightful heir. Cinematographer Ed Lachman. In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. Leon Borstein, Levy's attorney, said that Levy "assisted in the writing of the song; you have to remember, if he added one word, that's sufficient" to justify co-authorship. But Anne Pomeroy of the Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. (which has played a major role in the Lymon case, and about which more later) spoke with Emira at length. Zola Taylor said she married Lymon on Oct. See all Elizabeth Waters' marriages, divorces, hookups, break ups, affairs, and dating relationships plus celebrity photos, latest Elizabeth Waters news, gossip, and biography. Artists Rights helped secure a financial settlement for Richard Berry, composer of "Louie, Louie" just before the song was used in a wine cooler ad. 2010-02-12 00:06:12. Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. Others still do, however. Zola Taylor Lymon. View our. Sound Veda Campell. and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. The elephant in the room was the large sum of money that would be awarded to whoever was determined to be the songwriters of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love. It was copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy. Each woman suspected he was sleeping with the other, and both were apparently correct. He was used and misused, and he used others also, she concluded. Unfortunately for Elizabeth's claims to the estate, she was then still wed to one Charles Phillips, whom she'd married when she was 16. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emiras family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. "He had such presence, he'd just take over a stage and wipe an audience out. He was previously married to Emira Lymon, Zola Taylor and Elizabeth Waters. "As far as I know, he was a very nice guy. He told his family that night he was on his way to a gig. When you made a deal with Ronnie, it was usually oral, a real old-school type of business person. Then he called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. "She's a square," Zola decided, noticing that Emira was coming to court in sneakers. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. He was busy preparing for an April 11 trial for extortion and conspiracy in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, stemming from an F.B.I. Zola, in her low-cut gowns, was the dish. In lieu of sentencing, Frankie was allowed to undergo another rehab programAfter completing another rehab program and was inducted into the Army in December 1966. When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone with the money. The losing widows might appeal. Levy declined direct comment on the Lymon matter. He was apparently a bigamist, or maybe a trigamist. probe. When a star-struck group like the Teenagers finally got to audition for a doo-wop impresario, such matters as copyright barely figured in the conversation. A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.. Morris Levy - Roulette Records. Frankie was that kind of person, Your Honor, Elizabeth said. Dr. William Eugene Sexton Age 88 Hephzibah, GA, GA Dr. William Eugene Sexton, 88, husband of 69 years to Martha Frances Greenway Sexton, entered into rest Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Elizabeth Waters Found 1,173 people in Florida, Georgia and 49 other states. He was a soldier for most of their brief marriage, taking the bus from her family's home to the post each day. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. No one foresaw that the people who grew up with the music would refuse to relinquish it, repeatedly recycling it into movie sound tracks and albums, cover versions, oldies compilations and TV commercials. None of whom had ever divorced, was his legal widow and heiress. The sum, he said, "might have been $1,500. Instead, he has posthumously provoked a trial that will determine which of the three women he is said to have married -- without ever scrupling to divorce any of them -- is really his widow and heir. "She's a square," Zola decided, noticing that Emira was coming to court in sneakers. * Playing in general release throughout Southern California. He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother, she said. In a matter that grew steadily more complex, Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers, filed their own federal suit against Levy and his companies, with Emira also named as a defendant. And that led to his 1955 smash hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," singing for Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium and performing in nightclubs and theaters worldwide. "He was honest, completely honest," Elizabeth insists. The Surrogate Court judge hearing the widowhood case has been pushing for a settlement. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, they do everything to sustain that habit." He didn't mind. None of the many tracks they made together or separately ever duplicated the jubilance of their early records. He was told, after he raised the money, that she didnt want the headstone for the grave and that he wasnt authorized to put it on there.. Emira came to New York to arrange for Frankies funeral mass and burial. Also Read:David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books. By the time of the trial, publishing rights to the song might have been worth seven figures. The Platters. Pearl, who emulated Frankie Lymon with a distinctive sound all her own, sealed the deal for Robinson, and the Kodaks were signed to the Fury label. She says she's never recovered financially from the loss of her home and still feels "cheated," yet she also talks about Lymon's ruptured family, and, again, his drug dependency. Ms. But "I couldn't get my hands on him, couldn't find him." Zola and Elizabeth declined, but say they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split. So Lymon was already a 20-year-old has-been when he met Elizabeth Waters backstage at the Audubon Ballroom. "Frankly, we do not believe that the claims set forth in the federal court case have merit," says Terrance McKnight, one of Zola's attorneys. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, and they do everything to sustain that habit." Elizabeth 'Mickey' Waters : You see, y'all gotta understand. Her singing group, the Platters, was sometimes referred to as the Four Platters and a Dish; Zola, in her low-cut gowns, was the dish. Zola Taylor had also been a teen-aged star. * MPAA rating: R, for language and some sexuality. NEW YORK -- It's been 32 years, but the song still shimmers and bops: first that calliope-like bass ("ehhh toom ah-ta toom ah-ta toom ah doe doe"), then a wash of "ooh-wahs," followed by the swooping soprano of 13-year-old Frankie Lymon, asking his immortal musical questions: Why do birds sing so gay? She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. With the trial about to begin and still believing that he had a firm agreement with Emira, Ronnie ran a second benefit concert in the fall of 1985 to raise additional funds for Frankie Lymons tombstone. As Waters' claim went to court, Taylor claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock "n" Roll Show of 1956" tour. Similarly, one of the unexamined factors in his turning to hard drugs was apparently the difficulties caused by his voice beginning to change. Kenneth Turan is the former film critic for the Los Angeles Times. By 1962, Frankies career had been in decline for several years but she had nevertheless come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. And Emira, if she wins, will continue her federal case against Levy, a matter growing steadily more complex. The flyer advertised performances by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodaks, Earl Lewis and the Channels, the Cleveland Still Dubs, and the Impalas. 1200 Observatory Drive | Madison, WI 53706-1212 | Map. He then located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, and helped line up witnesses and documentation. co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. Her divorce from Phillips was not finalized until 1965. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()), Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. "Knowing the facts like I know them, I feel confident there will be an appeal," McCracken predicted. There was nothing in writing in regards to the fundraisers or purchasing the headstone, Olb said. The two surviving members of the Teenagers claim that they wrote the song with Lymon when they were all Harlem street-corner harmonizers hoping for a break. With the waters thoroughly muddied, the federal judge stayed Emira's lawsuit in 1986 pending determination of which woman was Lymon's widow. One of his records with the Teenagers was called "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent," but for all the conviction in his sweet young voice, he probably was one. Elizabeth, now 46, says she's been born again, but she still strives for glamor, her skirt fashionably above the knee, her fingernails long and orange. His was a wasted life, and he was so talented., Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Published by Mobile Register and Baldwin County from Jan. 25 to Jan. 27, 2023. with Frankie Lymon, and they have filed their own federal suit against Levy et al., with Emira also named as a defendant. He lived for 26 years, was a star for one and a half of them, and left behind a miserable financial and legal mess and three wounded women. Aside from Waters, the winner of this legal round is Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records, among the defendants when Eagle brought a federal suit in 1984. It is in fact three wives who face the camera, one after another, each claiming to be Lymons true love and legal spouse. Similar to the stars of today, whenever the press cites "exhaustion" it's drug related. By the time Waters connected with Lymon, he had become a junkie, and she ended up ruining herself trying to pay for his drugs. By the time I met Frankie, he was a record deal-needing, broke ass, scam-on-his-momma-for-a-fix druggie! Elizabeth Waters was a struggling part-time bill collector from Philadelphia. Her complaint charged fraud, misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses. 22, 2021. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. Who owns the rights to old songs matters as much or more now than it did when they were hits. Also a plus is the entertainment value of the films infectious classic rock soundtrack, which (besides the Teenagers hits sung by Lymon) includes songs like The Great Pretender, Try a Little Tenderness and Heat Wave., Hampering this on the negative side, besides the films awkwardness with its dark moments, is an inability to provide more than the most superficial look at anything. She had insisted that he check himself into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit. Her attorneys advised her that it might look bad for her in court if she allowed an outside organization to place a headstone on Frankies grave. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. He died on February 28, 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. "And he was still just a kid when he started on the next wife, Elizabeth Waters," said Nava. Unfortunately for Zola, she was unable to locate records documenting her Mexican wedding to Frankie, or documentation of her Mexican divorce from her previous marriage (her second). She told the judge that Frankie Lymon was a charmer. Then, two months after his dishonorable discharge (for repeatedly being AWOL), he went to New York, telling Emira he wanted to see about reviving his career. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. The record company executive has other problems: He was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison for his conspiracy conviction arising from an FBI investigation of racketeering in the recording industry. Ash Taylor, Elizabeth Waters, and Amira Eagle reached out to Morris Levy, a music entrepreneur who retained Lymons copyrights and copyrights, claiming to be Lymons legal widow; Lymon didnt bother to divorce any of them. Lymon is always short of money, no childhood, and, in most descriptions, lacks calmness, but when a small star appears on the stage, he always steals the limelight. Lymon related that he started singing publicly with his three brothers in a choral group at Gospel Church in New York City. The female lawyer stated that the battle began shortly after Emira asked the Georgia court to declare her as the administrator of Lemmons Estate. Above testimony and chronology of events were disputed in court documents at least part of many! Relationship, Elizabeth testified in court documents at least part of the many tracks made. And go after Morris Levy name, email, and website in trial! In court documents at least part of his business model `` Frankie was that kind of person Your! Gospel Church in New York, USA it stalls or kills a federal lawsuit Eagle had brought to control! When she married Lymon, but the marriage became lawful once her first husbands divorce was finalized 's lawsuit 1986! 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