<![CDATA[Unconquered News & Updates RSS]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080 <![CDATA[Unconquered E-Book Availability]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/Recent-News-EBook-Availability In tandem with the book’s availability in book stores on May 1st, Unconquered will also be available for download to popular e-readers.
 
We are pleased to announce that Unconquered is now available for download on your Kindle through Amazon.com.  To purchase and start reading Unconquered in e-book form, you may select the Kindle version at www.amazon.com/Unconquered-Cousins-Swaggart-Mickey-Gilley/dp/1612540414/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328731822&sr=8-1.
 
Unconquered for other popular e-readers, including Nook, will be available soon.
]]> Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:30:59 GMT <![CDATA[Audio of Ferriday Radio Interview]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/Author-Update-Eddie-Ray-Interview We are pleased to bring you this audio from the April 26, 2012 radio broadcast of J.D. Davis’s interview by Eddie Ray featured on radio stations KFNV 107.1 “The River” and KWTG 104.7 “The Gator” in Ferriday, LA.
 
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April 26, 2012 - Eddie Ray interview of Unconquered author J.D. Davis
broadcast on KFNV 107.1 "The River" and KWTG 104.7 "The Gator" in Ferriday, LA
]]> Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:03:33 GMT <![CDATA[Excerpt - Jimmy Feels Conflicted Playing Secular Music]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/Excerpt-Jimmy-Talent-Show Jerry and Jimmy used to play at talent shows together. The impact of secular music had a decidedly different impact on Jimmy from that on his double cousin.
 
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"Come on, Jerry, hurry up!" yelled Elmo as he stood waiting beside his old car. "We're gonna be late and we still need to pick up Jimmy Lee." Mamie was already ensconced in the passenger side of the front seat and Frankie Jean and Linda Gail were seated in the back. Jerry stumbled from the house, licking his fingers and rubbing his hair, trying to make it lay down in accordance with Mamie's wishes. He hopped into the back seat of the car, excited to head out.

They picked up Jimmy outside his little house just a few blocks west and started off on what proved to be a noisy ride. Jimmy, who was quieter than his cousins, listened to them banter while he and Jerry talked about who else might show up that night for the talent competition, who might stand the best chance of winning, and what songs each contestant might play.

Jerry played well that night, as usual, exhibiting once again the skills that already set him apart from other musicians, as his hands found and left the keys with lightning quickness. On this night, he banged and pounded and played with ferocity.

Then it was Jimmy's turn. As the more solemn and serious of the cousins ran his fingers up and down the piano, a strange feeling overtook him and allowed his hands to fly over the keys with increased ease. It was something he had felt before, but this time it was stronger than usual. As he played the notes of "Drinkin' Wine Spo-dee-o-dee," he found himself able to execute runs on the piano that he'd never pulled off before. The crowd was cheering as Jimmy's hands moved across the keys, and he sensed he had been taken over by a force he could not explain.

For Jerry, such a happening would have been exhilerating, but for Jimmy it took on dark and fearsome undertones, for it seemed to him that he was being anointed by the devil. Then he finished and the crowd cheered, standing and clapping and whistling. Jimmy tried to smile in acknowledgement but he was terrified.
 
]]> Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:09:51 GMT <![CDATA[Unconquered Magazine Ads]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/Louisiana-Life-Magazine-Ad Louisiana Life – in magazines covering the American South.]]> Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:02:56 GMT <![CDATA[The Weekly Roundtable Radio Interview - April 15, 2012]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/Author-Update-Sainsbury-Interview The Weekly Roundtable radio broadcast of April 15, 2012 featured an interview with J.D. Davis, author of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley.  Thank you, Mark Stansberry, for an excellent discussion.
 
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]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:16:37 GMT <![CDATA[Excerpt - Young Mickey's Piano Practice]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/Author-Update-Mickey-Piano In his youth, Mickey wrestled with practicing the gospel music that so pleased his mother versus pounding out the boogie-woogie tunes that gave him such exhileration to play. This excerpt from Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley illustrates Mickey's conflict during a typical piano practice.
 
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One July afternoon, Mickey was playing songs from the little brown church hymnal on the piano his mama had recently bought for him. Irene didn't want him playing "worldly music," and so when she was home, Mickey appeased her by diligently playing hymns like "Amazing Grace" and "The Old Rugged Cross."
 
Irene could hear the sounds coming from the other room. While he still hit wrong notes, they were fewer and further between. To Irene, the music was perfect. As Mickey pounded out the melody of "Standing on the Promises," she could imagine him at the front of the church someday, playing piano, preaching the gospel, and pursuing the noble calling of ministering to his own church flock
 
"Mickey," Irene said, "I'm goin' over to your Aunt Ada's for a little bit. There are cold pork chops in the kitchen if you get hungry."
 
As soon as his mother was out of earshot, Mickey stopped playing hymns. Within seconds, he was testing out the hand movements of the boogie-woogie music he had heard Jerry playing at Uncle Elmo and Aunt Mamie's house. Smiling, elated, he concentrated on the disparate movements of his left and right hands. The music fascinated him. He figured that he probably had an hour—forty-five minutes just to be safe—until his mama returned and he'd have to play those hymns again.
 
"But, man," he'd recall many years later, as he smiled his cheek-to-cheek grin, "when she'd leave, the boogie-woogie would roll!"
 
]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:06:56 GMT <![CDATA[The Town Talk (Alexandria, LA) news article published April 15, 2012]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/2012-04-15-Town-Talk-Article Thank you to Jodi Belgard and The Town Talk for the following article on Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley.
 
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'Unconquered' tells story of cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley

J.D. Davis grew up in the rural east Texas town of Quitman, one not unlike the Concordia Parish town of Ferriday.

It was a staunch conservative Christian community that could have easily produced a rock and roller, a holy roller and that one guy who perfectly splits the difference.

That's why Davis, a finance and business executive by trade, decided to tell the story of north Louisiana trinity: Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart.

Davis did research for his first book for three years. He formed close relationships with the Lewis family, and even developed a friendship with Mickey Gilley.

"Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley" will officially launch April 28 with a booksigning at the Natchez City Auditorium in Natchez, Miss., just across the Mississippi River from the former stomping grounds of Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart in Ferriday and Vidalia.

The event will feature a concert by Jerry Lee's sister, Linda Gail Lewis. Gilley will close the show.

Davis, who now lives in Dallas, spoke to The Town Talk about the book.

Town Talk: Coming from the world of finance and business, what made you want to write a book about these three guys from Concordia Parish?

Davis: "I've been a fan of these guys' music for decades - going back to childhood. This book is my first book, and it's a significant departure from my training. And even among people who've never heard of (Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart), just the story itself was just a fascinating human interest story about the Depression and post-Depression south, and growing up in such a close family."

TT: How is this book different from any others about Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart?

Davis: "What surprised me is that while a lot has been written about any of these three, there has not really been any effort to combine the three. I'm a little surprised, frankly, that their story hasn't already been written. (A person's) understanding any of the three becomes thoroughly enhanced with the understanding of all three. What most people don't realize is how close in age they are -- they were born within 12 months of each other -- and how close the families were. In particular, Jerry and Jimmy are double first cousins. Their mothers were sisters, and their granparents were brother and sister. Those two almost have the same DNA. While Jerry became the rock and roll icon, he was always conflicted (with religion). I've heard it said that Jerry and Jimmy are like different sides of the same coin.

TT: What about Mickey Gilley?

Davis: "Mickey Gilley is an interesting twist in all this. He is genuinely a nice guy. I think a lot of it comes from the fact that he didn't achieve his first No. 1 hit until he was 38 years old."

TT: Have you developed relationships with all three of them?

Davis: "I've developed a friendship with Mickey. I've actually met the other two, neither were heavily involved in this project. They were much less involved than Mickey."

TT: Why release this book now? People could argue that Lewis, Gilley and Swaggart are out of the spotlight.

Davis: "I think the timing was important, not only are they in their late 70s, but to some extent over the last several years, the three have made a bit of a resurgence. Jerry put out "Last Man Standing" in 2006, Mickey is in Branson and Jimmy's ministry is on an upswing. He's got a 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week ministry. By some strange set of circumstances, all three of them have made a comeback."

TT: What's the most significant thing you learned about the men?

Davis: "Really, what's amazing, and I come back to what I said earlier, people do things for a reason, and if you look through their lives and the influences they came up under, you begin to understand why they did what they did."
 
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Click here to view the article at TheTownTalk.com.
]]> Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:09:57 GMT <![CDATA[Radio and Television Appearances]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/Author-Update-Radio-and-TV-Appearances We are two weeks away from the May 1st release of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley.  Activity continues to accelerate in anticipation of the book’s release.
 
You may have already heard interviews on XM Satellite radio as well as stations around the country, including in Atlanta, Tulsa, and Memphis.
 
Following is a current schedule of additional interviews and appearances lined up, which we will continue to update and expand on the website over the next several weeks:
 
April 26
  • 104.7 The Gator in Ferriday, LA
  • 95.1 WQNZ in Natchez, MS
April 29
  •  Clear Channel nationally syndicated radio with Jim Brown
May 1
  • 98.3 WKSR in Pulaski, TN
  • 97.7 KAPB in Marksville, LA
  • Forever Communications in Tennessee - Froggy 104.1, Rock 92.3, TJ Network, 94.3, 105.3, 1390 AM
 May 2
  • 99.9 KMOO in Mineola, TX
 May 4
  • WREG - TV5 in Memphis, TN
Contact Cindy Birne at cindy.birne@brownbooks.com (or Sherry Koven at sherry.koven@brownbooks.com) to schedule a radio or television appearance. You may also contact them at 972-381-0009.
]]> Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:04:24 GMT <![CDATA[Press Release Issued April 12, 2012]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/PR-2012-04-12-killer-preacher-cowboy New book Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, by J.D. Davis of Dallas, Texas reveals untold story of famous cousins bonded by music, religion and unbreakable family ties. COMING MAY 1st!
We're only 2 weeks from the book's release!  Click here to view the trailer.
]]> Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:16:39 GMT <![CDATA[Excerpt – Jerry’s first public performance at the local Ford dealership]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/AuthorUpdate9 There is various debate about Jerry’s first public performance that earned him a payday. The evidence points largely to a chance performance in front of the local Ford dealership in Ferriday, Louisiana. An excerpt from the book Unconquered …
 
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 - 12 -
 
Early Performances
 
 
Before long, word got around Ferriday that young Jerry Lee Lewis, local mischief maker, had a way with a piano. Jerry was primed and eager to show off his skills to as many people as possible. His first opportunity came in 1949 when some local auto merchants staged a promotion in front of the Babin-Ford dealership in the center of town and hired a band to play there.
 
The band quickly drew a crowd and in that crowd were Jerry and Elmo. Seeing them, the owner of the dealership thought it might be nice to give young Jerry Lee Lewis an opportunity to play.
 
Jerry climbed up onto the back of a pickup bed and sat down at the piano. He gazed out at a sea of familiar faces. Now, he thought, it was his time to show them how a piano is meant to to be played.  He poised his hands over the keys, and grinned. Then he slammed both hands down on the keys as he beat out the sounds of “Hadacol Boogie” and “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-dee-o-dee,” a song that Old Sam played frequently. His left hand pounded out the rhythm while his right hand floated all over the keys, adding trills and touches to these familiar tunes all the while stunning the audience and giving a first, tantalizing vision of what could be. The admiring upturned faces were a tonic to him, teaching him in a matter of minutes how his music could capture people. He finished to a burst of applause that he answered with a sly, knowing grin. Then a hat was passed, and as he and Elmo drove away, he counted out thirteen dollars, each nickel and quarter bolstering his nascent sense that playing piano was his calling.
 
]]> Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:58:13 GMT <![CDATA[Recent News - Promotional Trailer Released]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/RecentNews7
The new promotional trailer for Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley has been released.  Enjoy!
 
]]> Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:43:45 GMT <![CDATA[Recent News - Details of April 28th in Natchez, Mississippi]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/RecentNews6 Following are additional details of the Saturday, April 28th concert and signing event at the Natchez City Auditorium. We look forward to seeing everyone in the area get their tickets and come out for the event.  

Unconquered - Mickey Gilley Concert - April 28, 2012 - Natchez, MS
 
 
Ticket Information
 Advance Purchase Tickets
$25 General Admission
$35 Preferred Seating		  Event Day Tickets
$30 General Admission
$40 Preferred Seating
Includes concert ticket and copy of
Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley

 Natchez:  Convention & Visitors Bureau - (601) 446-6345
 Vidalia:  Concordia Parish Chamber of Commerce - (318) 336-8223
 Ferriday:  Delta Music Museum (Wed., Thurs., Fri.) - (318) 757-999

]]> Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:51:30 GMT <![CDATA[Author Update - Announcement of Book Launch Events]]> http://www.unconqueredthebook.com:8080/Blog/Post/AuthorUpdate8 We are pleased to announce events planned in connection with the release of the new biography Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley.

 

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On Saturday, April 28th, we’ll celebrate the book’s launch at a joint signing event and benefit concert in Natchez, Mississippi. The concert will be headlined by Mickey Gilley and will include a performance by Linda Gail Lewis. Fifteen minutes from the cousins’ hometown of Ferriday, Louisiana, the city of Natchez is the perfect place to kick off the release of the book Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley.

 

Mickey, one of the famous cousins chronicled in Unconquered, has seventeen number one country hits and thirty-nine top ten country songs to his credit. In addition to regularly performing at his theater in Branson, Missouri, he also tours frequently throughout the country with his top-notch band and singers. We are delighted that he will be able to join us for this signature event.

 

Linda Gail is an accomplished singer and piano player who tours routinely in Europe and has performed with such entertainers as Jerry Lee Lewis and Van Morrison. She is also Jerry’s sister and Mickey’s first cousin, possessing a close connection to the story of this fascinating and talented family.

 

Doors will open at 6:30 pm, followed by a book signing event, with the concert beginning at 8 pm. A portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Delta Music Museum.

 

For those interested in attending, tickets may be purchased:

 

In Natchez, Ms.: Natchez Convention & Visitors Bureau, (601) 446-6345

In Vidalia, La.: Concordia Parish Chamber of Commerce, (318) 336-8223

In Ferriday, La.: Delta Music Museum (open Wed., Thurs., Fri.), (318) 757-9999

 

We are all very excited to sponsor this event.

 

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On Monday, April 30th, we’ll be at the Barnes & Noble – Lincoln Park, across from Northpark Mall, in Dallas, Texas. The event will take place from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. At 5:45 pm I’ll be presenting a brief discussion of the book. The presentation will feature several large photographs, some from the book and others from the large collection of photos gathered during project research.

 

A portion of the proceeds from this event will benefit a charitable cause yet to be selected. Once the entity has been selected, it will be communicated via a future Author Update.

 

More details will follow on both of these events as well as several other exciting activities still being planned.

 

28 days until release. . .

 

More to come.

 

JD
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