Yet she also talked about Lymon's ruptured family, and, again, his drug dependency. When she and Frankie fought about it, Elizabeth told the court, he pulled a gun on her and fled. Celebrity Biographies Frankie Lymon's relationship with Elizabeth Waters ended when Frankie Lymon died on February 28, 1968. Zola has been unable to locate records documenting their Mexican wedding, or documenting her Mexican divorce from her previous marriage (her second). The retired Richmond County schoolteacher in her years after Lymon was married to Augustan Leroy Bryant. This trio first meets as a group in 1985 in the offices of Morris Levy (Paul Mazursky), the shrewd operator whose company released Lymons hits. ", 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. He claimed that both women thought that their agreements with Levy were fair, and that neither planned to take legal action against him if she is found to be Frankies widow. According to Spans reporting, Emira paid the $2,000 bill. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. 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. 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. Zola, the second supposed wife, got to be pretty friendly with the first. He then located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, and helped line up witnesses and documentation. Elizabeth testified that she did not object. , A thief turns to prostitution to help Lymon fund his drug addiction. It was modified to just Lymon and Goldner on subsquent recordings for the next decade before Goldner's name was replaced by Levy's. At the age of 13 little Lymon and his group of singers Teens signed a recording contract. And the true imponderable, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?". Instead of filling my house with old moldy magazines, I scanned them (in most cases, photographed them) and filled a storage area with moldy magazines. He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. The next month, according to Zola, she and Frankie drove to Tijuana and got married in a small chapel. Rubin's 200 or so clients constituted an honor roll of early rock and roll. The Platters. 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. Waters Residence Hall is centrally located in the heart of campus along the shore of Lake Mendota. Opened 1940 | Named after Elizabeth Waters. Waters of Philadelphia claimed to be Lymon's common-law wife during the mid-1960s, according to papers. Conscious of her stardom (Reporter: "Are you still performing in California?" Ten years after his initial success, however, he was wearing an Army uniform as a private at Fort Gordon. During 1965, the copyright for Why Do Fools Fall In Love was changed. 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. They also pointed to the absence of documentation from Mexico as evidence that Zola and Frankie never married at all. He and two codefendants are busy preparing for their April 11 trial for extortion and conspiracy in federal court in Camden, N.J., stemming from an FBI investigation of organized crime in the recording industry. 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. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. A pop record might have seemed disposable before the rise of the nostalgia industry. 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. Also Read Inside Data and Cyber Security issue in Barbados Europe plays chess with Wagner's African moves, imposes sanctions When he died of a drug overdose in 1968, just past his 25th birthday, he left behind a marital history worthy of a man several times his age. It was Rubin who, several years earlier, came to the conclusion that Lymons estate was not receiving appropriate royalties. "They wanted to impress their friends in school" by being on the radio. If Emira won, she would share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. Elizabeth's lawyers maintain her marriage is valid, which means that neither Zola's nor Emira's can be. Here are 10 you cant miss, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Moroccan singer convicted of rape in Paris, gets 6-year term, Jonas Brothers promise Broadway residency will be a walk down musics memory lane, Toxic sex, social anxiety, 90s guitars: How L.A.s Blondshell pulled off the rock debut of 2023, Rihanna making the FCC work, work, work, after Super Bowl viewers file 103 complaints, Brad Paisley drops new song featuring President Zelensky to mark one year of Ukraine war. "The only thing {Morris Levy} had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago says. 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. Zola testified that their affair continued off and on for several more years. 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. These scans come from my rather large magazine collection. An employee of a furniture store in north Philadelphia, she was in South Carolina for a family funeral. Lymon in February 1967 talked about his life and show business career with Chronicle reporter P.K. "He sort of changed my life for me," Elizabeth says. And that song, which he wrote or helped to write and which will bear his boyish vocal signature forever. If none of the women is Frankie's widow, the surviving members of his family stand to inherit. Zola and Elizabeth didn't get close to Emira; and she didn't have anything much to say to them either during the 10 days they spent in court reliving the past. Required fields are marked *. He took the bus to the post from her familys home each day. Also Read:David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me; Frankie could fool God. He told Zola that the new house guest was "a friend from New York," Zola remembers. The Happenings' 45. The opinion dismisses the claims of Taylor, who was unable to produce "credible proof" of her marriage to Lymon or her divorce from her previous husband, both of which she said occurred in Mexico. co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. "Frankie had a very good appetite for the best of life," she says. But her secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding. ", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was part of the American Graffiti film soundtrack and album, a big pop hit single and album for Diana Ross in 1981, and had been used in a greeting card commercial. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. The marriage to Eagle is valid, so she is entitled to a fief. Morris Levy had not become a force in the music business through fear alone; he was also very clever. She testified that she and Frankie had started living together shortly after they met. For Frankie had helped himself to hers. The original lineup of the Teenagers, an integrated group, included three . Her divorce didn't come through until 1965. Though Navas soapy directing style makes Fools watchable enough in a campy way, the films unsophisticated nature undermines its better qualities. Elizabeth Waters is currently single. According to the obituary published Sunday in The Augusta Chronicle, funeral arrangements will be announced by W.H. Span wrote that Frankies relationship with Zola was not entirely maternal. Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother, she said. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. His attorney called the charges complete speculation claimed and that there was absolutely no proof of Levy's guilt. Click the "All Sizes" button above to read an article or to see the image clearly. While growing up in New York City, I never had much discipline, Lymon said. Interment: Whispering Pines Cem. As a been-around woman never at a loss for an insulting put-down (He dropped you like a whores panties is one example), Fox gives Fools most engaging performance. 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. What seemed pretty clear from all the filings is the reason why, 20 years afterward, it had become so important to be Frankie Lymon's legal widow. "He had the type of personality that would draw people," she said. Elizabeth may have had the hardest time of it. 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. 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. Frankie told Elizabeth that Zola and I arent doing anything; its just a motherly relationship, Elizabeth testified in court. That wasn't his style. Yes, the three women are gorgeous and talented, and it is fun to see them having at one another. Zola Taylor said she married Lymon on Oct. Span reported that Zolas secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding, and that her attorneys argued that California law made her a putative (believed to be) spouse entitled to share in Frankie Lymons property. Royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. While growing up in New York City, I never had much discipline, Lymon told The Chronicle. 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). The Teenagers tried recording on their own, with a new lead singer. with Frankie Lymon, and they have filed their own federal suit against Levy et al., with Emira also named as a defendant. "I'm not going to wear mink coats with {you} in jeans," she announced. Frankie Lymon had been on his record label for most of his career, and Levy knew much more about the singer than Emira, who had only been with him for a year. None of whom had ever divorced, was his legal widow and heiress. According to Spans story, Frankie moved into Zolas home and her bedroom. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. The trial of the three wives went forward, and final briefs were due in early 1988. Back in 1956, the hit song had first been credited to Frankie Lymon, Herman Santiago, and George Goldner - head of Gee Records. She told the court that she wanted to help him get back on his feet and regain all he had lost, but that trying to help him wasnt easy. 22, 2021. Lymon was 14 years old when he began dating Zola Taylor (Berry), the lead singer of the Platters in the mid-1950s. The fact came to notice from a judge during a trial where three middle-aged women (Ash Taylor, Elizabeth Waters, and Amira Eagle) spoke about their miseries. Zola had also been a teenage star. As a result, they fought and separated numerous times. Gender inclusive room options available. Unfortunately, shes also involved in the films least convincing area, the jarring sections that deal with the troubles brought on by Lymons habit. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. She'd come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. She had a big house in the hills with a swimming pool, and she immediately took the scruffy Frankie shopping for suits and tuxedos. But "I couldn't get my hands on him, couldn't find him." 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.". Set decorator Jackie Carr. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein said. She claimed to have . In one disturbing incident, James wrote that Levy arranged a 1967 attack on former Roulette artist Jimmie Rodgers by an off-duty police officer in response to Rodgers repeated demands for unpaid royalties he was owed by the label. Then he called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. Her singing group, the Platters, had been even more successful than the Teenagers, and the group was sometimes referred to as the Four Platters and a Dish. He got on that stage, and baby he was huge! 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. 1 pop hit for Diana Ross in 1981 and recently turned up in a greeting card commercial. "I'd have killed him, I was so angry," she says. Both Elizabeth's and Zola's attorneys say Emira offered their clients 20 percent (for Elizabeth) and 5 percent (for Zola) of the estate. Levys attorney responded that the agreements with Elizabeth and Zola amounted to standard industry contracts. Neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite. 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. And it stalls or kills a federal lawsuit Eagle had brought to reclaim control of the publishing rights to his song. He was the . The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. What was there about Frankie Lymon? Depending on how the judge rules, the decision may reactivate a federal suit to wrest Lymon's royalties and publishing rights from the record industry executive who claims to own them. All rights reserved. Sound Veda Campell. Why Do Fools Fall in Love is not quite the question asked by this up-tempo, relentlessly cartoonish biopic focusing on the tangled romantic life of an early rock star. Levy ruled his empire with an iron hand, using both fear and intimidation as part of his business model. Frankie, by 1965, had pretty much been reduced to lip-synching at record hops on the East Coast. When a touring musical about Lymon's life came to the Imperial Theater in May of 2013, the cast invited Bryant to be the honored guest with her family and took photos with her after the show. Elizabeth Waters Found 1,173 people in Florida, Georgia and 49 other states. Zola, the older woman, was 17. The sum, he said, "might have been $1,500. 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). 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. It didnt last long, however. What is less clear from the file is why, 20 years afterward, it has become so important to be Frankie Lymon's legal widow. 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. He then was a private in the Army taking basic infantry training at Fort Gordon and assigned to Company D, 16th Battalion, 2nd Training Brigade. Absent the kind of star performance Jennifer Lopez gave in Selena (and that films cleaner, more direct story line), cornball dramaturgy can take audiences only so far and not one note further. Ms. The death certificate said he died of "acute intravenous narcotism.". I cant just sit here and tell the court anything different. Her sister's boyfriend introduced them; soon, Emira was cooking meals for Frankie and they were shopping for wedding rings. She says he didn't mean to hurt her, and blames his behavior on his addictions. Get our L.A. And Emira, if she wins, will continue her federal case against Levy, a matter growing steadily more complex. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, they do everything to sustain that habit." "As far as I know, he was a very nice guy. When Frankie Lymon died from a heroin overdose in 1968, he was broke and trying again for a comeback that he never achieved. 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? If Elizabeth or Zola is found to be his widow, they have agreed to share the proceeds of his estate equally. "I can't just sit here and tell the court anything different. 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. She told the judge that Frankie Lymon was a charmer. None of the many tracks they made together or separately ever duplicated the jubilance of their early records. 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. "Just make sure the artist or writer gets his share." Their affair continued off and on for several years. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. He was an actor and composer, known for American Graffiti (1973), October Sky (1999) and The Big Fix (1978). 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. "Just make sure the artist or writer gets his share." Paralleling the spectacle of these three women battling over Lymons heritage is the way different elements of this film, directed by Nava from a script by Tina Andrews, are in conflict with one another. He is skeptical, too, about some of the harrowing descriptions of Lymon that have surfaced during the legal jousting. Taylor,. "He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother," Elizabeth explained during the trial. 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