14. “You Can Marry at Ten, if You Can Find a Husband“
Upon his arrival in England in May of 1958, Jerry Lee Lewis introduced his child bride Myra to British reporters. However, in a sign that at least some of the warnings communicated to him had sunk in – although not nearly enough – he fibbed a bit, and claimed that she was fifteen. That was still shockingly young, and when Myra was asked, she did not help by remarking that fifteen was not too young to marry where she came from. There, she stated: “You can marry at ten, if you can find a husband“.
It was not long before the press on both sides of the Atlantic discovered Myra’s true age. The backlash was fierce and immediate. The British press, in particular, went after Lewis hard, labeling him a “baby snatcher” and “cradle robber”, urging a boycott of his concerts, and calling for his deportation as a pervert and child molester. Tour dates were canceled, and Lewis and his child bride fled back to America.