", 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. The monetary figure was estimated by Chuck Rubin, a former agent, who Paula Span described as a kind of musical bounty hunter. She also wrote that 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, while taking a substantial cut for his efforts. She did not object when he decided to head for California in 1965. According to the obituary published Sunday in The Augusta Chronicle, funeral arrangements will be announced by W.H. , A thief turns to prostitution to help Lymon fund his drug addiction. Times guidelines: a bloody beating and some genteel scenes of lovemaking. Each woman suspected he was sleeping with the other, and both apparently were correct. US fails miserably against Russia at the crucial UN Vote. Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. He changed the spelling of the group's name on the record label to "Kodoks" to avoid a possible lawsuit from Eastman Kodak, and released their first single, "Teenager's Dream" and . 507 residents | Coed by wing | Single and double rooms. "He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother," Elizabeth explained during the trial. 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). Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. She'd come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. Royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. 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. Zola had also been a teenage star. Mini Bio (1) Frankie Lymon was born on September 30, 1942 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. 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. Zola Taylor Lymon, now 50, one of the original Platters, had flown in from Los Angeles. Zola Taylor said she married Lymon on Oct. Rubin gets his share, too: 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 have already reached a substantial subtotal. If none of the women is Frankie's widow, the surviving members of his family stand to inherit. 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. Thats why were here today.. He was inducted into the Army in December 1966, and sent to Fort Gordon, Ga. By the time Pvt. 1 pop hit for Diana Ross in 1981 and recently turned up in a greeting card commercial. He was a master manipulator, however, and it was just two months after his less than honorable discharge for repeatedly being AWOL that he went to New York, telling Emira that he wanted to see about reviving his career while also secretly planning to contact lady friends and drug pushers in the city. Her only marriage lasted 4.1 years. Eagle claimed that Levy had committed fraud and copyright infringement by crediting himself as coauthor of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (a not uncommon practice in the history of early rock 'n' roll). Elizabeth Waters was not yet divorced when she married Lymon, but the marriage became lawful once her first husbands divorce was finalized. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. These scans come from my rather large magazine collection. He got on that stage, and baby he was huge! The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein said. It teaches him responsibility and how to stand on his own two feet. For his part, Rubin's not opposed to generating new income from old music. Zola Taylor, a former member of the teen-age doo-wop group the Platters, also said. Check places of employment, social media profiles, work history, photos and videos, resumes and CV, arrest records, publications, public records and business records . Im sure it probably would bring back some good memories, she said of the show that was being staged at the Imperial. "He had such presence, he'd just take over a stage and wipe an audience out. Also Read:David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books. Her complaint charged fraud, misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses. Levy ruled his empire with an iron hand, using both fear and intimidation as part of his business model. "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. Years later, in the wainscoted courtroom where Lymon's love life was being retraced in painful detail, Elizabeth turned to the judge. The only child he is known to have fathered died hours after her birth. She says he didn't mean to hurt her, and blames his behavior on his addictions. The flyer advertised performances by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodaks, Earl Lewis and the Channels, the Cleveland Still Dubs, and the Impalas. Opened 1940 | Named after Elizabeth Waters. Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 - February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group The Teenagers.The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid-teens. 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. The beautiful granite tombstone that Ronnie ordered weighed over 1,000 pounds. Wiki User. She told the judge that Frankie Lymon was a charmer. Emira Eagle Lymon Bryant, the legally declared widow of '50s teenage rock star Frankie Lymon, died Saturday at AU Medical Center. 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. "Frankie had a very good appetite for the best of life," she says. Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? 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. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. I feel sorry for him, most of all," echoed Zola. 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. Like the jazz and blues artists before them, the rock 'n' rollers of the '50s and '60s were often ripe for rip-offs. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, they do everything to sustain that habit." She has never remarried. Frankie Lymon died in New York. The sum, he says, "might have been $1,500. Levys attorney responded that the agreements with Elizabeth and Zola amounted to standard industry contracts. Yet she also talked about Lymon's ruptured family, and, again, his drug dependency. She plays Lemmons second wife. Levy declined direct comment of the Lymon matter. William McCracken, who represents Emira Eagle, called her at the elementary school where she teaches. While growing up in New York City, I never had much discipline, Lymon said. 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. But her secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding. ", Like the jazz and blues artists before them, the rock and rollers of the 1950s and 1960s were often ripe for rip-offs, and royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. Lymon didn't even leave a grieving widow to serve as keeper of his flame. With black rhythm and blues releases beginning to win white audiences, music had become a ticket to glory. 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. Executive producers Gregory Nava, Mark Allan, Harold Bronson. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city. 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. Emira Eagle Lymon Bryant, the legally declared widow of '50s teenage rock star Frankie Lymon, died Saturday at AU Medical Center. Waters, who on the witness stand acknowledged a long struggle with drugs and prostitution during her tempestuous relationship with the onetime star, got the news from her attorney Monday night. Not to mention that two other members of the Teenagers have filed suit claiming they cowrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" Ah, Frankie. They were there in Surrogate Court -- the three would-be widows and their teams of lawyers and witnesses -- for 10 days this past December and January, raking over the past. Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? Rochon portrayed Bryant, who married Lymon on June 30, 1967, at Beulah Grove Baptist Church near Paine College when Lymon was stationed that year at Fort Gordon. 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. Get our L.A. 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. Set designers Clare Scarpulla, Michael Bernard. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. Lymon's managers tried packaging him as a solo crooner in a cravat. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Frankie Lymon Music - Singer Why Famous: Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, band Age: 25 (8/30/1942 - 2/27/1968) Frankie Lymon's Relationships (3) Elizabeth Waters Other - Spouse "Even though she had said no, she had said yes in the beginning; so Ronnie went ahead without going back and contacting Emira again. 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. 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. Elizabeth Waters Found 1,173 people in Florida, Georgia and 49 other states. He is skeptical, too, about some of the harrowing descriptions of Lymon that have surfaced during the legal jousting. When she and Frankie fought about it, Elizabeth said in court, he pulled a gun on her and she fled. 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. For Frankie had helped himself to hers. Big Seven agreed to pay Elizabeth an additional $5,000 if the federal lawsuit is dismissed because the plaintiff (Emira) is not the legal widow. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a group's earnings. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the agreements amount to standard industry contracts. According to Spans story, Frankie moved into Zolas home and her bedroom. Paula Span reported that Frankie and Elizabeth got married in Alexandria, Virginia, in early 1964. "Sell, sell, sell," he advised. He recorded other songs, alone and with his group the Teenagers, but none has inspired the same affection. Your email address will not be published. I know its been good for me.. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emira's family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. A headstone was not part of the package, however, and Frankie Lymon was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymonds Cemetery. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6P329DMKY. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, and they do everything to sustain that habit." 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. She was 19 and sympathetic; she wanted to help him regain what he'd lost. People sometimes compare him with the young Michael Jackson, who also knew how to combine innocence and knowingness. The next morning, Feb. 27, an uncle found him unresponsive on the bathroom floor and called police. Waters provides convenient access to libraries, the . Chuck Rubin. They had been married for 4.1 years. became part of the "American Graffiti" sound track and album, was a No. By the time Waters connected with Lymon, he had become a junkie, and she ended up ruining herself trying to pay for his drugs. 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. After learning of this, Elizabeth went to court to request the suspension of the law. Elizabeth may have had the hardest time of it. -- those he abused and betrayed seem loath to condemn him. "A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.". 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. "If you have any kind of heart at all," she said, "you know that he went through hell.". 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. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. He was a soldier for most of their brief marriage, taking the bus from her family's home to the post each day. But he will apparently have little trouble with Elizabeth Waters. It was Rubin who, several years earlier, came to the conclusion that Lymons estate was not receiving appropriate royalties. It is copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records, an independent label that bought out the Gee label, which originally released the record. "He had the type of personality that would draw people," she said. With the matter now in a confused state, the federal judge stayed Emiras lawsuit. Rubin's 200 or so clients, from the Del Vikings to the Coasters, constitute an honor roll of early rock 'n' roll. ", "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. 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. 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. 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. 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. "He sort of changed my life for me," Elizabeth says. In 1984, as the original copyright term of Why Do Fools Fall In Love was expiring, Emira Eagle Lymon brought suit in the U.S. District Court in New York against Morris Levy, his record label, and his publishing company. 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). 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