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. She turned to heroin and cocaine herself, she acknowledged on the stand, and to support her daughter from her first marriage, she became a prostitute. "The only thing {Morris Levy} had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago says. Zola: "I perform all over the world"), she arrived at court daily in a limousine. All these arguments are laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. 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. And if Zola wins she's also decided to record an album of Frankie's hits -- "I Want You to Be My Girl," "I Promise to Remember," all the big ones. Back in the 1950s, when a star-struck group like the Teenagers finally got to audition for the head of a record company, such matters as copyright barely figured in the conversation. Zola, the older woman, was 17. Waters Residence Hall is centrally located in the heart of campus along the shore of Lake Mendota. Why Do Fools Fall In Love was a prime example, and its publishing rights may have earned a lot of money by 1984, according to Chuck Rubin of Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. Rubin established his organization in 1981 to represent artists who he believed had been deprived of their earnings by their record companies. Similar to the stars of today, whenever the press cites "exhaustion" it's drug related. Levy declined direct comment of the Lymon matter. The flyer advertised performances by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodaks, Earl Lewis and the Channels, the Cleveland Still Dubs, and the Impalas. It was not, for long, a happy one. "He had been busted in California again for drugs." If none of the women is Frankie's widow, the surviving members of his family stand to inherit. Zola, in her low-cut gowns, was the dish. 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. 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. with Frankie Lymon, and they have filed their own federal suit against Levy et al., with Emira also named as a defendant. While growing up in New York City, I never had much discipline, Lymon said. She and Frankie became teenaged lovers in 1956 while they were on an Alan Freed bus tour of 81 one-nighters, each performing with their group along with an all-star cast. If none of the women was found to be Frankie's widow, the surviving members of his family stood to inherit. Zola got to be pretty friendly with the first wife. I caught Frankie at a good time in his life. The opinion by Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lambert entitles Waters to an estate that may be worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon's 1956 hit and its more recent incarnations. In 1986, the women, who were never divorced from Lymon, filed copyright claims in federal court in New York for Lymons songs. However, it turned out she had been married to someone else at the time. All rights reserved. Her divorce didn't come through until 1965. Nava, whose credits besides Selena include My Family and El Norte, is given to pitching things as broadly as the law allows, and what Fools is most reminiscent of is love story comics from the 1950s with titles like Realistic Romances and Teen-Age Temptations.. He told Zola that the new guest was a friend from New York, Zola recalled. None of the three women in court, all of whom he deceived and betrayed, seemed willing to condemn him. US fails miserably against Russia at the crucial UN Vote. And that was that, the last of the hits. If the judge's ruling stands, "then we go to federal court and advise the judge that the party who commenced the action is the wrong party," says Levy's attorney in the case, Leon Bornstein. 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 called the work "moonlighting" and testified that she was arrested for it 15 or 20 times. As the lead vocalist for the Teenagers, Lymon (played by Larenz Tate) helped turn Why Do Fools Fall in Love into one of the biggest hits of 1956. According to Paula Span, people sometimes compared Frankie with the young Michael Jackson, who also knew how to combine innocence and knowingness. "Frankie had a very good appetite for the best of life," she says. For his part, Rubin's not opposed to generating new income from old music. Emira refused their counter offer. So the trial went forward. Emira refused. By the time Waters connected with Lymon, he had become a junkie, and she ended up ruining herself trying to pay for his drugs. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. The signs were plain, she says now, that Lymon was floundering, working only intermittently, addicted to drugs and probably to alcohol as well. This answer is: His in the end was a wasted life ruined by drugs. I cant just sit here and tell the court anything different. I loved him like a brother.". Then he called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. He was an actor and composer, known for American Graffiti (1973), October Sky (1999) and The Big Fix (1978). Elizabeth Lymon said in court papers that she married Lymon on Jan. 23, 1964, in Alexandria, Va., and had his daughter, Gloria Francine, who died shortly after birth in 1965. It was held on Saturday, September 14, at Schuetzen Park Casino in North Bergen, New Jersey. Though other people testify in the trial, notably Little Richard playing himself and saying things like I am the originator, the emancipator, the motivator, most of Fools is told in flashback as each woman takes the stand and relates her portion of Lymons life. Your email address will not be published. Levy was the head of Roulette Records, the independent label that bought out the Gee label which originally released the record. He can't remember what Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers sounded like that day -- the girls' shrieks all but drowned them out -- but he recalls the excitement. Undisputed, however, was the song's impact. He was previously married to Emira Lymon, Zola Taylor and Elizabeth Waters. In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. Span wrote that she was conscious of her stardom and arrived at court daily in a limousine. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6P329DMKY. Set designers Clare Scarpulla, Michael Bernard. Final briefs are due next week, with a decision expected later this spring. "She was speechless, actually unable to talk," reported the attorney, Dwight Peterson. He left no fortune; when he died of a heroin overdose 20 years ago, he was broke and troubled, trying again for a comeback he never achieved. She let him live in her hillside house with instructions to pay bills out of an allowance forwarded to him by her attorney. During the trial, the judge even raised the disquieting possibility that none of his three supposed marriages was legally contracted, that Lymon has no widow. "And he was still just a kid when he started on the next wife, Elizabeth Waters," said Nava. Span wrote that back in Los Angeles, the club where Zola was performing tossed a celebration with a cake and champagne. The beautiful granite tombstone that Ronnie ordered weighed over 1,000 pounds. Yet just over a year later, Lymon would be found dead in his grandmothers bathroom from drug abuse. "Frankie was that kind of person, your honor," she said. Lymon's 1967 marriage to Eagle, marked by a ceremony at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, was invalid, according to the opinion, because he was still married to Waters. He recorded other songs, alone and with his group the Teenagers, but none has inspired the same affection. 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. , A thief turns to prostitution to help Lymon fund his drug addiction. ", Doo-wop historian Philip Groia, author of "They All Sang on the Corner," attended one of Alan Freed's legendary rock 'n' roll shows at the Brooklyn Paramount in the spring of 1956. 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. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 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. * Playing in general release throughout Southern California. Thats why were here today.. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. The sum, he says, "might have been $1,500. Music Stephen James Taylor. She had a big house in the hills with a swimming pool, and she immediately took the scruffy Frankie shopping for suits and tuxedos. 1/28/23, noon until 2pm service at Small's Mortuary. He once told a magazine interviewer that he'd been a pimp since he was 10. Conscious of her stardom (Reporter: "Are you still performing in California?" The death certificate said he died of "acute intravenous narcotism.". Lymon was discharged a year later, he'd said "I do" once more. Paula Span reported that, during the trial, the judge even raised the disquieting possibility that none of his three supposed marriages was legally contracted, that Lymon had no widow. 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. The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. 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. As Water's claim went to court, Zola Taylor ex-member of the Platters, claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock "n" Roll Show of 1956" tour. I often tell people that Frankie didnt end up living a glorified life. He (Frankie) sort of changed my life, she told the judge. That eventually led to singing on street corners with friends and being discovered at age 12 by George Goldner of GEE Records. An employee of a furniture store in north Philadelphia, she was in South Carolina for a family funeral. 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. As soon as the hearing began, Emiras attorneys alleged that the other two widows acted in concert with Morris Levy. Maybe it was the afterglow from her Tijuana marriage that induced Zola to trust a junkie like Frankie to take care of her financial affairs when she left to tour Japan with the Platters in December 1965. co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. "Knowing the facts like I know them, I feel confident there will be an appeal," McCracken predicted. Fox), a prison-hardened former shoplifter and prostitute. "She's a square," Zola decided, noticing that Emira was coming to court in sneakers. Span wrote that Frankies relationship with Zola was not entirely maternal. Zola Taylor said she married Lymon on Oct. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. Consequently, he left behind a tangled and miserable legal and financial mess along with three wounded women. Levy ruled his empire with an iron hand, using both fear and intimidation as part of his business model. Emira Eagle Lymon Bryant, the legally declared widow of '50s teenage rock star Frankie Lymon, died Saturday at AU Medical Center. She and Frankie began living together in 1962, she testified. Their affair continued off and on for several years. The Taylor sections are the most fun, largely because Taylor knew Lymon when he was at his performing peak and director Gregory Nava, whose last film was Selena, does an energetic job of re-creating the exuberant rock stage shows of the period. If Emira wins, she'll share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. Lymon, known for being the lead vocalist of the world-wide popular rock group Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, died less than a year later on Feb. 27, 1968, at age 25 in New York City, reportedly of a heroin overdose. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Id have killed him, I was so angry, Zola told Span. "I can't just sit here and tell the court anything different. He told Zola that the new house guest was "a friend from New York," Zola remembers. Screenplay by Tina Andrews. Best Answer. 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. 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. "If you have any kind of heart at all," she says, "you know that he went through hell.". "The only thing Morris Levy had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago said. He was apparently a bigamist, or maybe a trigamist. DONALD LYMON OBITUARY. Last to the altar is Eagle, the sister of one of the singers Army buddies. The film travels back and forth in time to explore their relationship with the singer. 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. Borstein also said that Lymon, who was always pestering Levy for money, sold Levy the copyright to all his songs and that Levy has a signed document to that effect. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. It was the hit that made him and the Teenagers famous back in 1956, and the one song that he recorded that remained both popular and valuable over the years. They point to the absence of documentation from Mexico as evidence that Zola and Frankie never married at all. She also turned to prostitution to support her daughter from her first marriage, to one Charles Phillips, when she was just 16. According to Bill Olb, the idea was suggested to Ronnie by Pearl McKinnon, who had recently left the reunited Teenagers. They fought and separated continually. Morris Levy - Roulette Records. Elizabeths lawyers, on the other hand, maintained her marriage was valid, which meant that neither Zolas nor Emiras could have been. ", But in 1984 (as the original copyright term of the song was expiring) Emira Eagle Lymon brought suit in U.S. District Court in New York against Levy, his attorney, his record label and his publishing company. Zola and Elizabeth didn't get close to Emira; she didn't have anything much to say to them, either. The sum, he said, "might have been $1,500. The origins of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" "Just make sure the artist or writer gets his share." She had insisted that he check himself into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit. Her complaint charges fraud, misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a group's earnings. Legacy.com reports daily on death announcements in local communities nationwide. 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. In his book, Me, the Mob, and the Music, Tommy James characterized Levy as willing to strong-arm the artists signed to Roulette, and that the label was notorious for not paying its artists for their record sales. So estimates Chuck Rubin, a former agent who's become a kind of musical bounty hunter. Bigger than life! She also stole the hearts of many people and led to a five-year legal battle to answer which of the three women who claimed to be married to the star was the real Mrs. Frankie Lemmon . Producers Paul Hall, Stephen Nemeth. Emira came to New York to arrange for his funeral mass and burial, and she paid the bill -- $2,000. 8822 County Road 64. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. 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. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. The next morning, Feb. 27, an uncle found him unresponsive on the bathroom floor and called police. 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). Funeral services will be held Monday, February 27, 2023, at 3:00 PM from the chapel. Elizabeths claim to be Frankies wife and heir was weakened by the fact that she was still legally married when she wed Frankie in 1964. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me, Frankie could fool God. That suit was suspended while Lambert determined which woman was Lymon's widow. "As far as I know, he was a very nice guy. Unfortunately, shes also involved in the films least convincing area, the jarring sections that deal with the troubles brought on by Lymons habit. Friday, November 06 2020. And yet -- what was it about him? Emira Eagle Lymon Bryant, the legally declared widow of '50s teenage rock star Frankie Lymon, died Saturday at AU Medical Center. Royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. Kenneth Turan is the former film critic for the Los Angeles Times. Mini Bio (1) Frankie Lymon was born on September 30, 1942 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. But her secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? Zola Taylor Lymon, who was 50, had flown in from Los Angeles. The retired Richmond County schoolteacher in her years after Lymon was married to Augustan Leroy Bryant. Paula Span, Frankie was addicted to drugs and alcohol and Elizabeth, who was 19 at the time, was sympathetic. Its a mark of how shallow Fools is that even as gifted an actor as Tate (excellent in Menace II Society and Dead Presidents) cant turn Lymon into anything more than a cipher. She'd come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. It spent months on the pop charts, led to national tours and TV appearances and bubble-gum cards with the Teenagers' picture on them. It was also Rubin who located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, helped line up witnesses and documentation. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. 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. "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. Levy was aware of all the details of Frankie Lymons love life, and he used it to his advantage by bringing in Elizabeth Waters and Zola Taylor to challenge Emiras claim to be Frankies widow and, by having the court determine her marraige to be invalid, derail her lawsuit. The losing widows might appeal. Lymon was only 12 when he hooked up with the foursome that became the Teenagers, but there was an aura about him that the city's doo-wop entrepreneurs recognized. Costumes Elisabetta Beraldo. Emiras Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum, Pomeroy said. The Associated Press AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Funeral services have been held for the widow of '50s rock star Frankie Lymon. Im sure it probably would bring back some good memories, she said of the show that was being staged at the Imperial. That wasn't his style. 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. As legacies go, it's not bad. Paula Span revealed that if Elizabeth or Zola was found to be his widow, they agreed to share the proceeds of his estate equally. "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. Ms. 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 while Fools ends with an on-screen disclaimer that it is a dramatization based upon certain historical events and the lives of real people, its inability to incorporate key elements of the real Lymon story hampers it dramatically. "Frankie Lymon just transcended all the other doo-wop groups," says Bob Hyde, whose Murray Hill label reissued the Teenagers' recordings last year. 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. These scans come from my rather large magazine collection. -- a classic bit of doo-wop doggerel with Lymon credited as coauthor -- are murky. Zola had also been a teenage star. 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. Elizabeth, 43, of Philadelphia, claims she married Lymon in Alexandria, Va., in 1964, and that the couple had a child who died. 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. 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. But "I couldn't get my hands on him, couldn't find him." 2010-02-12 00:06:12. None of the many tracks they made together or separately ever duplicated the jubilance of their early records. "He was honest, completely honest," Elizabeth insists. Lymon signed with both 20th Century Fox Records and Columbia Records, but both deals were short-lived. Also Read:David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books. Emira testified in Surrogate Court that her arrangement called for any money recovered through her suit to be shared 50-50 with Rubin, after expenses and legal fees, which had already reached a substantial subtotal. Elizabeth Waters was a struggling part-time bill collector from Philadelphia. Only after the trial to expose his wife was revealed, Fox was appointed as the producer. "Emira's Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum," Pomeroy says. By 1964 he was using again, and she was hiding the money from his occasional gigs in a hole in the wall of their apartment to keep him from buying heroin with it. 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. Set decorator Jackie Carr. Yes, the three women are gorgeous and talented, and it is fun to see them having at one another. Span wrote that Rubin gets his share too. It teaches him responsibility and how to stand on his own two feet. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. It was put on hold until the completion of a new trial to determine which of three women Frankie Lymon was said to have married, but none of whom he ever divorced, was his rightful widow and heir. I know some of these characters, and some I like very muchI knew Cardinal Spellman, too. According to Paula Spans story, he was arrested a least three times in New York for grand larceny or heroin possession, and the Selective Service, hungry for recruits as the war in Vietnam escalated, was after him. Each woman suspected he was sleeping with the other, and both were apparently correct. Hell, the boy had so many needle marks on him, I thought he was a God-damned . The pair claimed they wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" with Frankie Lymon and asked for a declaration of rights to the copyright of the hit song. Rodgers, who had been Roulettes top-selling artist in the 50s and early 60s with his #1 hit Honeycomb and 26 other charting singles, suffered traumatic head injuries from a blunt instrument in the beating. became part of the "American Graffiti" sound track and album, was a No. Frankie told Elizabeth that Zola and I arent doing anything; its just a motherly relationship, Elizabeth testified in court. Emiras case was just beginning when Elizabeth Waters Lymon petitioned the Surrogate Court claiming that she was Frankie Lymons widow, and Zola Taylor also objected claiming that she was Lymons rightful widow. But I couldnt get my hands on him, couldnt find him. According to Elizabeth and several other witnesses, Frankie was back in New York telling them that his marriage to Zola had only been a publicity stunt. NEW YORK -- The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon -- the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and died 20 years ago of a heroin overdose -- has found Elizabeth Waters, 46, of Philadelphia, to be Lymon's legal widow. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. "She never disputed his role in the creation and authorship of this song," her attorney says. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. He was used and misused, and he used others also, she concluded. In January 1964, he began a relationship with Elizabeth Mickey Waters, from whom he gave birth to his only daughter Francine, who died two days later. When she and Frankie fought about it, Elizabeth told the court, he pulled a gun on her and fled. Lymon in February 1967 talked about his life and show business career with Chronicle reporter P.K. He then called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. 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. (Diana Ross also had a hit with it), "Goody Goody," "Little Bitty Pretty One" and "Im Not a Juvenile Delinquent.". Elizabeth Waters may be entitled to an estate worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon 1956 hit and it's more modern iterations, according to Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lambert's ruling. Eagle's New York counsel Ira Greenberg agreed that his "current inclination" was to appeal. The resulting trial was fascinating look into Frankie Lymons post-stardom personal life, and it was covered in great detail by Washington Post reporter Paula Span.
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