Unconquered News & Updates RSS

Mickey Gilley Honored at Texas Legends Gala

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:01:28 GMT

Mickey Gilley was honored at the Texas Legends Gala in Houston on March 25. The event included a book signing with Mr. Gilley and J.D. Davis, author of "Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley".

Below is an article about the event as featured in the Houston Business Journal. You also may view the article and related slideshow on the Houston Business Journal website here.

* * *

Texas Legends Gala honors Houston entertainer Mickey Gilley

The man who helped put John Travolta on the back of a mechanical bull at the legendary Gilley's bar in Pasadena got his due this week.

More than 350 guests gathered for the Galleria Chamber of Commerce's annual Texas Legends' Gala, honoring Texas entertainment icon Mickey Gilley, on March 25 at the Omni Hotel Riverway. Proceeds from the event benefited the Galleria Chamber of Commerce scholarship fund.

Attendees wore their best Texas attire during cocktail hour, which included a book signing with Gilley and J.D. Davis, author of "Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley."

Pasadena Mayor Johnny Isbell presented a proclamation for Gilley on behalf of the city of Houston and Pasadena, proclaiming March 25 as "Mickey Gilley Day." A three-dimensional piano cake donated by For Heavens Cake was presented to Gilley in honor of his 77th birthday earlier this month.

Gilley even broke out in song, performing a few classics including "Stand By Me" and "Sweet Caroline." His famous honky tonk bar opened in Pasadena in 1971, was eventually closed in 1989 and was then bulldozed a few years later.

Gala co-chairs were Kim Padgett and Vicki Garner-Lehner. Honorary co-chairs were Tony and Donna Vallone, along with gala auction co-chairs Brenda Cheney and Rhonda Schroeder. KTRK Channel 13's Dave Ward was the master of ceremonies.

"Unconquered" Review in Houston Magazine

Sun, 04 Nov 2012 11:01:41 GMT

A review of "Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley" was featured in Houston Magazine. The article is presented below.

* * *

This review may also be viewed on the Houston Magazine website at http://digital.modernluxury.com/publication/?i=113268&p=40.

"Unconquered" Review in Country Roads Magazine

Sun, 14 Oct 2012 12:28:38 GMT

Country Roads Magazine has published an in-depth review of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. Read the text below or view the article in its entirety at: http://countryroadsmagazine.com/Profiles-People-Places/jerry-lee-lewis-jimmy-swaggart-and-mickey-gilley.

* * *

review written by Ruth Laney

The Killer, the Preacher, and the Cowboy: J. D. Davis tells the story of three cousins from Ferriday who hit the big time.

Growing up in Quitman, a small town in the piney woods of northeast Texas, J. D. Davis was exposed early on to the famous trio from north Louisiana—cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley.

Lewis, known as “The Killer” for his wild way with a piano, was a huge hit in the Fifties with such rock & roll classics as “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On.” Swaggart gained fame as a televangelist—and infamy for his fall from grace for allegedly consorting with prostitutes. Gilley was a country-music singer best known for opening “the world’s biggest honky-tonk” in Pasadena, Texas—the model for the dance hall in Urban Cowboy.“

As a child in the Seventies, Davis heard Lewis and Gilley on country radio. (Lewis's rock career had nosedived after he married his thirteen-year-old cousin in 1957, when he was twenty-two. Fans shunned him, radio stations dropped him, and he struggled for years to regain his stature. Eventually he turned to country music.) Gilley released such hits as "Room Full of Roses" and "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time."

"Their singing was great but it was their piano playing that really drew me in," says Davis, who recently published the book Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. I remember hearing Jimmy's music every Sunday morning. He did an hour-long show -- preaching, playing piano, and singing gospel songs."

Jerry and Jimmy are two guys with the same DNA,” says Davis. “They’re like opposite sides of the same coin.” (Lewis and Swaggart are double first cousins. Lewis and Gilley are first cousins. Gilley and Swaggart are first cousins once removed. The men are related through maternal and paternal lines that Davis details in his book.)

As a teenager, Davis became a huge fan of Lewis. He estimates he has been to more than fifty of his concerts. He first saw Lewis live at an outdoor music festival in Austin in the early 1990s, when Davis was a college student at the University of Texas.“I was absolutely blown away,” he recalls. “He was amazing. He was in his late fifties, but when he put his hands on those keys it was like he metamorphosed into a man twenty years younger.”

Davis graduated from UT with a degree in finance. In his twenties, he was made partner at an actuarial firm where he now manages four offices. Years later, he went back to school.

He earned a master’s degree in liberal studies at Southern Methodist University in 2009. Fascinated by the three men from Concordia Parish who had achieved amazing success, he decided to write a book.

“I’ve been gathering information since I was a kid,” he says. “I saw Urban Cowboy and the Jerry Lee biopic Great Balls of Fire. In 2009, I really began reading and went to Ferriday. That opened my eyes. A lot has been written, but the most compelling story to me is the fact that they are cousins who grew up very close. That's what wraps their lives together."

Born in Ferriday in 1935 and ’36 during the Great Depression, the cousins grew up poor, but all exhibited musical talent at an early age. They were raised in the Pentecostal church, and all had close relationships with their mothers.

None of the three men maintains a home there now, but Davis found plenty of relatives in Ferriday. He talked to Gilley’s sister Edna, who died last month at eighty-seven. He also interviewed Lewis’s sisters Linda Gail and Frankie Jean. “I developed a pretty close friendship with Frankie Jean, who is a character herself,” he says. “They had a ton of information, not only on Jerry but on the other two cousins.”

He spent three years on the book, working nights and weekends while holding down his day job and raising three daughters. He made numerous research trips to Ferriday and also traveled to Memphis; Nashville; Baton Rouge; Houston; Branson, Missouri; and Cleveland, Tennessee.

He conducted about one hundred interviews, taping most of them. “There are so many interesting people in this family,” he says. “I’ve collected hundreds of family photos.

Davis describes Ferriday as “the perfect harmonic convergence of blues, gospel, and country. It was on the chitlin circuit. Will Haynie owned a club there called Haynie’s Big House. He was black and grew up dirt poor, but he became successful.“

Jerry would sneak in the back and listen to the blues. Sometimes Jimmy would go, too. Haynie allowed them to come in but told them not to let their rich uncle [businessman Lee Calhoun] know or he’d get in trouble.“Everybody played there—eighteen-year-old B. B. King, Irma Thomas, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland. It was one of the few places in the South where they could play and also have a place to stay, because Haynie owned a hotel in the back. People would come from Monroe, Alexandria, Shreveport. It was one of the most important blues joints in the South. It burned down in the Sixties.”

Lewis was the first cousin to make it big with his breakout hit “Crazy Arms” in 1956. Meanwhile, Swaggart and Gilley, who both got married as teenagers, were sweating out a living—Swaggart as a dragline swamper and street preacher in Ferriday and Gilley as a pipe layer in Houston.“

When Jerry Lee became successful, Jimmy and Mickey were performing grueling manual labor,” says Davis. “That inspired them to find their own paths to success.”   As he delved into their story, Davis was intrigued by “Conquered and Unconquered,” a game of derring-do the cousins played. “One of them would do a stunt and the others would have to do it, too, or be ‘conquered,’” says Davis. “They jumped from boxcar to boxcar or executed death-defying feats on their bicycles. They were always looking for a new, amazing feat that would best the other two.”

It was Gilley who told Davis about the game. The author was in the audience in Baton Rouge last May when Louisiana Public Broadcasting honored Gilley as a Louisiana Legend. Before the event, the musician chatted about the book.“

He called me up for a date and I told him I didn’t like guys,” joked Gilley, seventy-six, who calls the author “Jim.”

“I think there’ll be a lot of interest in the book,” Gilley said. “The three of us are the key. What a situation. Three boys—I’m the youngest and the best looking. All of us went in separate directions, and all of us had success. You think about what happened with the three of us, it’s phenomenal—almost unbelievable.“

Jim pulled some things out of me that I hadn’t thought about in years,” said Gilley. “I told him stories of us growing up, about how as kids we had a game called ‘Conquered and Unconquered’: ‘I dare you to do that.’ We could’ve killed ourselves.”

Gilley, who now owns a theater in Branson, was the only cousin who cooperated with Davis on the book. “Jerry Lee and Jimmy [wouldn’t talk to Davis extensively],” he noted. “It irritates me. Here we are in the twilight years of our life and our careers and we can’t leave a legacy. I’d like to see a film done about us before I die.”

Davis has already fielded calls. “There’s been some initial interest from the movie industry,” he says. “I think the story is destined to be a film at some point.”

But for now, he’s enjoying good press for a book he hopes will be the definitive biography of three cousins who defied the odds. “I’m a native Texan, but I just find Louisiana fascinating,” he confesses.

“Their story is interesting and compelling on so many levels,” he says. “The Depression era in the South, music in the twentieth century, the duality of good and evil, the conflict between music and religion. It’s a really fascinating story on so many levels. It’s that human story that compelled me to write the book.”

Unconquered Reading Group Discussion Guide

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:07:55 GMT

Suggest Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley for your next book club selection. Download the reading group guide discussion questions using the link below:

Unconquered Reading Group Discussion Guide

Q & A with J.D. Davis

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 14:56:44 GMT

Below is a link to a recent Q&A with J.D. Davis, author of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. Enjoy!

Q & A with J.D. Davis

Book Review from The Church Report

Sun, 09 Sep 2012 12:45:57 GMT

The positive reviews of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley continue. Jim Miller reviewed the book recently, commenting "[Davis] provides a fresh, eye-opening, yet sympathetic look at the three men...."

Read the review below or view it at The Church Review website.

* * *

Book Review - Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley"

By Jim Miller

I grew up with these three guys. Literally. Sort of. I used to bop (no kidding) to Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” and “Breathless”; listen to Mickey Gilley pound his piano at the old Ranch House Lounge a mile or so down the street from my high school in Deer Park, Texas and at the nearby Nesadel Club in Pasadena; and later, after I became an impressionable young preacher, being captivated by the preaching, boogie-woogie keyboard style, and singing of Jimmy Swaggart. I had no idea that these three influences on my life were, in fact, close-knit, first-cousins, born to sisters in the middle of the Great Depression, who grew up just blocks from each other in the clannish little town of Ferriday, Louisiana, just across the river from Natchez, Mississippi.

Looking back, it seems odd to me that little attention has been paid to this extraordinary sibling phenomenon. Now, however, these three divergent-yet-forever-bonded lives are chronicled in a book, “Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley,” written by East Texan J.D. Davis, a lifetime fan of each. Drawing on extensive research and personal connections with the cousins’ friends and family, he provides a fresh, eye-opening, yet sympathetic look at the three men who, as boys played together in the dusty streets of Ferriday, worshiped together at the little Assembly of God church down the street, and together learned rinky-tink piano from yet another older cousin, Carl McVoy. Who could have imagined that these barefoot boys would grow up to become icons in their own separate fields—Swaggart, an internationally-celebrated televangelist; Lewis, a legendary rock-and-roll hall of famer; and Gilley, a platinum C&W artist with seventeen number one hits.

Jimmy, as a teenager, was a reluctant churchgoer, preferring to gamble and steal during his pre-pulpit years while Mickey emerged as Ferriday's favorite son and the most likable of the cousins, and Jerry pursued rock-and-roll. Musically, Jerry's early brilliance for the piano was evident; Jimmy's wasn't. Both men were reluctant to participate directly in the book, still the author has delivered an engaging, even riveting, 3-in-1 biography of men linked by blood, music, and a lifelong struggle to strike a balance between the sacred and secular. Jimmy, the oldest, was the most serious of the three, eventually drawn to the church and ministry; Jerry, second-born, was the self-assured, cocky, often volatile wild child, destined to help create a pop-music genre; and Mickey, the quiet, easy-going third cousin, would one day rise to the zenith of country music. Each owned an inbred talent for music and would build their careers on similar roadhouse piano styles. Davis covers the good, the bad, and the ugly, including Jerry's 1957 third marriage to his 13-year-old cousin once removed, Jimmy's scandalous infidelities that almost brought down his ministry, and Mickey's years as co-owner of the nightclub that bore his surname and inspired the 1980's hit movie Urban Cowboy.

About the Author: J. D. Davis has been a fan of the music of Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley much of his life. He spent several years researching the lives of these men for this book.

Davis was raised in Quitman, Texas, a quiet community in the piney woods of East Texas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas and later received a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University. He has three daughters and lives near Dallas.

Davis remembers his father watching Jimmy Swaggart on television and being intrigued by the magnificent way in which the evangelist sang and played the piano. As a teenager, Davis became a huge fan of Jerry Lee Lewis. He first attended one of Lewis’s live concerts as a college student and was amazed by this man’s breathtaking performance. Davis grew up listening to country music of the 1970s and 1980s, when Mickey Gilley was consistently producing Number One country hits. He became intrigued by the ways these three very different cousins achieved and dealt with eventual success and is a dedicated fan.

Mickey Gilley and JD Davis on CBSTV in Houston

Mon, 13 Aug 2012 09:53:50 GMT

Mickey Gilley, country western entertainer and subject of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, appeared recently with author J.D. Davis on CBS television affiliate KHOU in Houston, Texas.

Excerpt - Mickey Is Inspired When Jerry Comes to Houston

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 10:35:42 GMT

After witnessing his cousin Jerry Lee Lewis's adoring fans -- and financial success -- Mickey Gilley is inspired to pursue a career in music.

* * *

The prospect of seeing Jerry perform again a year following his initial show in Houston gave the beleaguered Mickey something to look forward to. "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On" had been released and Jerry was no longer the opening act. Mickey had adjusted to the previously unthinkable notion that the Jerry he grew up with was now a full-fledged superstar with a full-fledged smash hit.

Again Jerry put on a wild show. Again the audience went wild, screaming and shouting, blanketing the young star with even more adoration than they had the year before. Teenaged girls huddled together, their hands over their mouths, their legs shaking, hypnotized by the performer onstage. Men and boys alike were drawn to Jerry's total abandon and to the palpable sense of danger in his music.

Mickey went backstage after the performance. There, he was amazed to see a large throng of adoring people around his cousin. This is just Jerry, for crying out loud, he thought, the same kid whose loud mouth has gotten him into trouble since he was old enough to talk. Now he's gawked at and clamored after as if he were royalty.

Mickey took Jerry to the Houston airport. As Jerry prepared to leave, he reached into his pocket and took out a wad of bills to purchase a plane ticket. Mickey stared at the wad, realizing his cousin was getting rich from standing on that stage and banging the hell out of that piano for all those screaming fans.

"What am I doing?" he said to himself as he drove away in his used, beat-up automobile. "I'm working for a dollar and a quarter an hour doing construction work, and he's making all this money doing a few songs at the piano. If he can do it, I can too."

For the first time, Mickey envisioned the possibility of another life. His cousin had shown him a glimmer of a different path. Mickey had no idea where it might lead, but it looked more promising than his current dismal existence.

Glenn Dromgoole Reviews Unconquered - July 6, 2012

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 10:58:33 GMT

Syndicated columnist Glenn Dromgoole calls Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley "a readable and thorougly researched biography". In his review, published in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal (July 6, 2012), the columnist notes that author JD Davis's account of the three cousins is "generally sympathetic, yet he doesn't hesitate to chronicle their foibles as well as their successes."

Read the review below or view it at the Lubbock Online website.

Dromgoole: Cousins made names for themselves in music, religion

Three cousins growing up in Ferriday, Louisiana, went on to make names for themselves in rock’n’roll and country music and Pentecostal religion.

Their intertwined stories are told in a readable and thoroughly researched biography by Texas author J. D. Davis – “Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley” (Brown Books, $24.95 hardcover, 470 pages).

Lewis, of course, was a legendary pioneer — and bad boy — of rock’n’roll in the 1950s and is still considered one of the greatest of the great, almost in spite of himself.

Swaggart was a big-time TV preacher (and musician) who had a much-publicized fall from grace.

Gilley had a run of top country hits in the ‘70s and his popular Texas night club was featured in the movie Urban Cowboy starring John Travolta.

All three had meteoric ups and downs, both in their professional and personal lives – although Gilley maintained a little more of an even keel than his famous cousins, according to Davis.

Davis’s account is generally sympathetic, yet he doesn’t hesitate to chronicle their foibles as well as their successes, and certainly there have been plenty of both.

“All three men have grappled with the human condition,” the author writes, “with the weaknesses and fears and fallibility that inevitably accompany it. Yet their music seems to emanate from a different place and has the power to inspire, excite, produce tears or laughter, and above all, give hope.

“Their story is not about good and bad or right and wrong,” he continues. “It is a story that suggests that hope should never be lost.

“Their story is about finding the good within the bad, accepting the bad within the good, and recognizing all men are a mixture of both.”

Mickey Gilley and JD Davis Interviewed on ABC Television in Dallas, Texas

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 10:42:57 GMT

Mickey Gilley, country entertainer and subject of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, was on WFAA-TV Dallas recently with author JD Davis.

Press Release Issued June 19, 2012

Tue, 19 Jun 2012 09:17:54 GMT

Country music legend and the original "Urban Cowboy" Mickey Gilley talks up new book Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley with author J.D. Davis. Publisher's Weekly calls Unconquered an "entertaining and epic story of perserverance and the power of family ties."

Read the article at PRWeb.com - http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/6/prweb9598936.htm.

The Frankie Lax Show Radio Interview

Thu, 14 Jun 2012 12:39:23 GMT

JD Davis, author of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley appeared on The Frankie Lax Show, broadcast on several stations in the state of Tennessee. A recording of the interview conducted in early May is provided in its entirety.

* * *

Upcoming TV Appearances

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:18:53 GMT

JD Davis, author of Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, continues to conduct regular radio, TV, and print media interviews and make appearances around the country. Upcoming TV appearances will include JD with Mickey Gilley, country western star and subject of Unconquered. The next appearance will be Friday, June 8th, as Mickey and JD will be interviewed on Good Morning Texas on WFAA Channel 8 (ABC) in Dallas between 8:30 and 9:30 am. The duo will be on the Houston ABC affiliate's Great Day Houston on Friday, June 22nd.

Press Release Issued May 30, 2012

Thu, 31 May 2012 12:36:45 GMT

Publishers Weekly applauds first-time author J.D. Davis of Dallas, Texas, for his new book "Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley" (Brown Books Publishing Group) ... an entertaining and epic 3-in-1 biography of perseverance and the power of family ties.

Read the article at PRWeb.com - http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/5/prweb9553581.htm.

Dallas Book Signing Event a Success

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:41:41 GMT

A book signing event was held at the Barnes & Noble – Lincoln Park in Dallas, Texas, as part of kickoff activities in multiple cities for Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. A sizable crowd turned out to hear author J.D. Davis introduce his new biography, answer questions, and sign books. The Barnes & Noble location reported sales of roughly 100 copies of the book during the event.

Thank you to Cody and his staff at Barnes & Noble, Brown Books personnel, and several Milliman employees for their help with the book signing event.

J.D. Davis on WREG-TV in Memphis - May 4, 2012

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:30:46 GMT

On May 4, Unconquered author J.D. Davis was interviewed on WREG-TV in Memphis. Below is a video clip of this interview.

* * *

Excerpt - Jerry and Elvis

Sun, 13 May 2012 15:19:32 GMT

The similarities in upbringing and influences on Jerry Lee Lewis and Elvis Presley are striking.

* * *

Jerry's competitive streak was never more evident than in his interaction with and perspective on Elvis. In November 1955, Sam Phillips had sold the rights to Elvis to RCA for the now infamous sum of $35,000. Sam defended the decision for years, saying that he did it because he needed money to bring along other performers—Jerry among them. Actually, Sam had many moments of regret, as indicated by what he told Jack Clement. "Well, if you're going to make a mistake, make a $12 million mistake."

Jack said nothing, but he thought, Why don't you call it a billion dollar mistake?

One thing was for sure: Sam had no intention of letting his new star attraction, Jerry Lee Lewis, get away so easily.

The similarities between Jerry and Elvis were eerie. They were reared some three hundred miles apart; both came from dirt-poor families; both had fathers who spent time incarcerated; and given the death at birth of Elvis's twin, Jesse Garon, both grew up in families that had lost a son.

Both were raised around the music and theology of the Pentecostal world, in the Assembly of God denomination. Both had little education and no background to prepare them for the fame and riches their talents would yield. Each had a close and dependent relationship with his mother that exceeded even the most bonded mother-son alliances in the deep South.

As they grew up, both were dramatically impacted by black music and both were mistaken for black performers in their early years. Both dealt with internal conflict between the music they made and the type of music they felt drawn to by their God.

By the end of 1957, Elvis was in the army and experts predicted Jerry would surpass him as the chief draw of rock 'n' roll. In fact, Jerry's record sales for that year vastly exceeded Elvis's and his recent résumé was more impressive.

International Interest in Unconquered

Wed, 09 May 2012 04:26:40 GMT

We have been pleased at the international interest in Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. We have received numerous inquiries about the book from abroad, owing largely to the heavy fan base of Jerry in Europe.

Please see the following post by Thomas Rund on JerryLeeLewis.org:
Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley - Massive Info Update

Thank you to everyone who has shown an interest in Unconquered.

J.D. Davis on The Jim Brown "Common Sense" Radio Program - May 6, 2012

Sun, 06 May 2012 11:05:25 GMT

Below is a short video of nationally syndicated radio host Jim Brown and Unconquered author J.D. Davis promoting Davis's May 6, 2012 appearance on The Jim Brown "Common Sense" Radio Program. The video clip was filmed in Natchez, Mississippi on April 28th during events surrounding the book's launch.

You may also listen to Jim Brown's interview of J.D. Davis, broadcast live on May 6, 2012, at the radio program's podcast archives here. Select "May 2012," then "May 6 (hour 1)." The segment with author J.D. Davis begins about halfway through the "May 6 (hour 1)" broadcast.

Imus Interviews Unconquered Author J.D. Davis - May 3, 2012

Fri, 04 May 2012 11:19:23 GMT

Unconquered author J.D. Davis appeared on "Imus In The Morning" on May 3, 2012 broadcast on Fox Business Network syndicated nationally on radio. We are pleased to provide video of the broadcast to you.

The broadcast aired in two segments.

Segment 1

Segment 2

Book Review in Boomer Buzz Magazine

Thu, 03 May 2012 15:36:44 GMT

Thank you to Boomer Buzz Magazine for this review of Unconquered on page 35 of the May/June issue. Read the magazine here.

Unconquered Successfully "Launched" in Natchez, Mississippi

Tue, 01 May 2012 03:53:00 GMT

Photo: Author J.D. Davis and popular Vidalia, Louisiana mayor Hyram Copeland (and cousin to Jerry, Jimmy, and double cousin to Mickey)

We are happy to report a successful book launch with a J.D. Davis book signing event and concert held jointly in Natchez, Mississippi on April 28th. The 90-minute book signing was followed by Linda Gail Lewis and Annie Marie Dolan. The evening culminated with a performance by Mickey Gilley and his Urban Cowboy Band.

Over 600 books were sold by Books-a-Million at the event. Books-a-Million personnel present at the event were excited about the prospects of the book, particularly throughout the South.

Several state and local dignitaries attended the event. Former Secretary of State and national radio personality Jim Brown was there to conduct interviews of Mickey Gilley, Linda Gail Lewis, and J.D. Davis for upcoming interviews to discuss the book. Current Secretary of State Tom Schedler inducted Linda Gail Lewis into the state-supported Delta Music Museum. It was a moving experience for Linda Gail to join her brother Jerry Lee Lewis and cousins Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley as an inductee in the Museum.

While the majority of Linda Gail's success and fan base is in Europe, she was clearly happy to be back near her hometown for the first time in well over a decade. Her performance was enjoyed enthusiastically as her playing style -- and her playlist -- evoke memories of her legendary brother, Jerry Lee Lewis. Mixed with her hard-charging music were several moving stories about her childhood years in nearby Ferriday with her parents, brother Jerry, and sister Frankie Jean.

Mickey Gilley, always a local favorite, treated the audience to his new performance, which depicts chronologically the story of his life and career. Going back all the way to his church days in Ferriday singing alongside his mother, Mickey walked the audience through the early, challenging days of his career up through the breakthrough with "Room Full of Roses" in 1974. He followed with numerous stories and anecdotes from the 1970s and 1980s -- including the rocket to superstardom occurring with the filming and release of Urban Cowboy -- as well as most of his seventeen #1 hits. As always, Mickey provided an engaging mix of humor and moving stories into his performance.

While spending time with both entertainers after their respective performances, J.D. found Mickey and Linda Gail in great spirits, happy to be able to spend time with friends and family in the area.

The author wishes to think all the people in and around Concordia Parish, Louisiana, and Natchez, Mississippi, who were so helpful during the research phase of the project. He is happy to call so many people from the area friends.

Unconquered E-Book Availability

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 17:30:59 GMT

In tandem with the book’s availability in book stores on May 1^st, 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.

Audio of Ferriday Radio Interview

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:03:33 GMT

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.

* * *

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

Excerpt - Jimmy Feels Conflicted Playing Secular Music

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:09:51 GMT

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.

* * *

"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.

Unconquered Magazine Ads

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:02:56 GMT

Look for ads – like this one in Louisiana Life – in magazines covering the American South.

The Weekly Roundtable Radio Interview - April 15, 2012

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 10:16:37 GMT

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.

* * *

Click below to hear the audio:
Weekly Roundtable - J.D. Davis 4-15-12 by TheWeeklyRoundtable

You also may listen to it here: http://podcast.1170kfaq.com/Portals/48/Recent%20Show/roundtable041512.mp3

Excerpt - Young Mickey's Piano Practice

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:06:56 GMT

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.

* * *

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!"

The Town Talk (Alexandria, LA) news article published April 15, 2012

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:09:57 GMT

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.

* * *

'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."

* * *

Click here to view the article at TheTownTalk.com.

Radio and Television Appearances

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 08:04:24 GMT

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.

Press Release Issued April 12, 2012

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 10:16:39 GMT

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.

Excerpt – Jerry’s first public performance at the local Ford dealership

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 15:58:13 GMT

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 …

* * *

- 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.

Recent News - Promotional Trailer Released

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:43:45 GMT

The new promotional trailer for Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley has been released. Enjoy!

Recent News - Details of April 28th in Natchez, Mississippi

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 08:51:30 GMT

Following are additional details of the Saturday, April 28^th 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.

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

Author Update - Announcement of Book Launch Events

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:35:07 GMT

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.

* * *

On Saturday, April 28^th, 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.

* * *

On Monday, April 30^th, 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.

Recent News - Press Release Issued March 28, 2012

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 10:53:23 GMT

Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, Mickey Gilley - New Biography "Unconquered" Tells True Story of Three Cousins Inseparably Bonded Through Music, Their Stories Legend ... Coming May 1, 2012 - pre-order today.

New biography "Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley"(Brown Books Publishing Group) by J.D. Davis in Dallas, TX, explores the personal and professional lives of three cousins inseparably bonded through music. Each rose to fame, their stories becoming legend.

Drawing from exhaustive research and personal connections with friends and family, Davis provides readers with an eye-opening look inside three personal journeys set alongside important landmarks in pop-culture history.

Davis introduces readers to the families of Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley providing detailed information about each.

Born within a twelve-month period in small-town Louisiana during the Great Depression, Davis recreates the irresistible and life-changing power of music that surrounded the cousins and shaped their engagingly distinct paths to fame.

"'Unconquered' clearly depicts the fascinating story of three great musical artists who were cousins in real life but icons in the world of music," says Tom Schedler, Louisiana Secretary of State.

From family ties to births, moonshine to early death, mothers and sons, first wives and first foray, Davis reveals the hardships they endured, the importance of music and religion and how each impacted their lives.

"Jerry Lee Lewis was right up there in popularity with Elvis during the very early days of rock and roll," says Sanford Brokaw, The Brokaw Company.

Brokaw further adds, "Jimmy Swaggart was for many years one of the top televangelists and spiritual leaders; and when Paramount Pictures released Urban Cowboy, Mickey Gilley emerged as one of country music's biggest acts."

Was it something in the water? How could such a small town like Ferriday, Louisiana produce three cousins that would each play such a prominent role nationally?

Songwriter and recording studio pioneer Cowboy Jack Clement says, "'Unconquered' tells the fascinating story of three men growing up in the Mississippi Delta - and how they overcame hardships to become the amazingly talented men we know today."

Davis presents a unique tale of American music centered on the trials, tribulations, and achievements of three men who remain truly 'Unconquered...'

Author Update - Q&A

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 13:08:25 GMT

We continue to receive numerous questions about Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. We’ve included a handful of them here. We welcome your questions and hope you will continue to send them to jddavis@unconqueredthebook.com.

Q: What inspired you to write Unconquered?

After reading extensively about these men, visiting their hometown, and getting to know their family members, I realized there was a fascinating story to be told. While much had been written about them – particularly about Jerry Lee Lewis – I found, to my surprise, that no one had ever integrated their three lives together. The way their stories interlock really is the compelling story, in my opinion, and I feel privileged to have been able to tell it.

Q: How old were you when you first became aware of Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley?

As a child, I heard Jerry and Mickey on country music radio stations (Jerry’s airplay by that time had transitioned largely into country music, from rock ‘n’ roll). Their singing was great but it was their piano playing that really drew me in. My father watched Jimmy preach and play on television and I remember hearing Jimmy’s music every Sunday morning as I sauntered in and out of the living room.

Q: When did you first become aware of their incredible story and the fact that they were blood cousins who grew up together in the Deep South?

Most writings on any of the three touch on their family relationship – though they do so briefly as the focus is always on just one of the cousins.

So I was aware early on that they were related. However, over the years it struck me that each of their stories becomes more interesting when you consider their lives collectively. I thought it was important to write about the bonds between them: their similar upbringing, the influences they shared, their disparate responses to the world around them. These things explain their lifelong ties to each other and the separate paths they ultimately took.

For instance, when Jerry Lee became successful in 1956, Jimmy and Mickey were squeezing out a living performing grueling manual labor. While further exposing their own struggles, it also inspired them to find their own paths to success. To fully understand each man one needs to consider their relationships to one another.

37 days until release.

More to come. . .

Concordia Sentinel Article - March 7, 2012

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:19:32 GMT

The Concordia Sentinel provided an article on the upcoming release of the book in its March 7^th edition. Thank you to Joey Martin for his coverage. The article follows.

* * *

Ferriday’s Famous Cousins – Topic of New Book

By Joey Martin
Sentinel Writer

“Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley,” will go on sale May 1.

J.D. Davis’ new biography of cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, born within a 12-month span in Ferriday during the Great Depression, draws from research and personal connections with friends and family, Davis said.

He said his book “recreates the irresistible and life-changing power of music” the cousins shared in their paths to fame.

“Their journeys were set alongside important landmarks in pop-culture history,” Davis said.

Davis said he has been a fan of the music of Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley much of his life. He spent several years researching the lives of these men for this book.

Davis also explains the kinship between the three.

“One of the most intriguing facets of these three men is their kinship,” Davis said. “I explain their ties. We also provide and easy-to-follow diagram to ensure that readers clearly understand their familial relationship, as it is not a simple one.”

Davis explains that Leroy and Arilla Lewis had 11 children. Among them were Elmo, who was Jerry’s father; Ada, Jimmy’s paternal grandmother; and Irene, Mickey’s mother. Jerry and Jimmy are first cousins, once removed (Jerry’s father and Jimmy’s grandmother were siblings). Jerry and Mickey are first cousins (Jerry’s father and Mickey’s mother were siblings). Jimmy and Mickey are first cousins, once removed (Jimmy’s grandmother and Mickey’s mother were siblings).

“In addition, Jerry’s mother, Mamie Herron Lewis, and Jimmy’s mother, Minnie Bell Herron Swaggart, were sisters – two of seven children of John William and Theresa Herron,” Davis said. “Accordingly, Jerry and Jimmy are also first cousins on the Herron side of the family and double cousins overall. The relationship between Jerry and Jimmy is particularly fascinating, made all the more compelling by the similarities of their DNA. As many people with whom we have spoken have declared, their stories, both separately and together, would seem unbelievable if written as fiction.”

Davis was raised in the town of Quitman in East Texas. He earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Texas and later received a master’s degree from Southern Methodist University. He is a businessman and entrepreneur, has three daughters, and lives near Dallas.

Author Update - A Fan Shares His Story

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 07:10:01 GMT

We have begun receiving Share Your Story submissions via the website. From time to time, we hope to share some of them with you. Enjoy.

* * *

The Killer’s Return to Gilley’s

I moved to Clear Lake City, Texas during the heat wave of 1980. Oil was gushing, space shuttle flights were about to be launched, and, because of the population boom, teaching jobs were low-hanging fruit. During my Spring Break trip to the great state of Texas (with a mandatory side trip to New Orleans), I was hired to teach at the Clear Creek School District. Having taught English and Creative Writing for seven years back in Wisconsin, I was eager for western adventures and to start over.

I quickly realized I was a stranger in a strange land: Robert A. Heinlein revisited. On the upside, I was the only male instructor out of thirty-eight teachers in the English department. As a result, many of my colleagues made it their mission to take me under their collective mother-hen wings and convert this Yankee into a Southerner. Private tutorials included Saturday night road trips to set-up joints and honky tonks – Bohickey’s, Stardust Saloon, Hello Texas! – to teach me the Cotton-Eyed Joe and two-step. (Stepped in what? The hell you say!)

I had already mastered (well, almost) these indigenous dance moves during previous Spring Break trips to the Broken Spoke outside of Austin and especially to the infamous Gilley’s Club in Pasadena – long before the 1980 release of Urban Cowboy. (That’s where I learned to put the visors in my rusty ‘74 Caddy in down as a sign to keep the bumper sticker from being plastered to my car. And yes, I rode the bull.) My dance steps only required some fine-tuning . . . as long as she led during a two-step.

Fast forward to AJ’s and my first wedding anniversary. July 3, 1982 was a day of intense heat and muggy, tropical rainforest humidity that made me feel like I was fighting my way through a hot sponge. By then I had figured out that Southeast Texas has two dominant seasons: hot & sticky and cold & wet.

For now the weather was only a minor distraction because AJ and I, along with my mom and her husband, were celebrating our special occasion in a monumental way. I had four tickets to Jerry Lee Lewis’s performance for the christening of his cousin Mickey Gilley’s new indoor rodeo arena at Gilley’s. It was the Killer’s first concert after surviving his closest brush with death resulting from ulcers that perforated his stomach lining. Go figure.

Jerry Lee had been one of my musical heroes since the fifties. As a child, I listened to 78 and 45 rpm’s of Big Joe Turner, Louis Jordan and His Tympani Five, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Ernest Tubb, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Hank Sr., and Little Richard. Nobody moved me like Jerry Lee Lewis. I was riveted to the television when he kicked that piano stool off camera and Steve Allen heaved it back.

I had seen the Killer up close in Chicago supper clubs (a $20 tip got us a table next to the ebony grand piano) and at various festivals. I had every song and outtake he recorded at Sun Studios. I bought Jimmy Swaggart albums and watched his elaborate, choreographed sermons on television because he was the only other human being on the planet who touched the 88s like Jerry Lee.

Heading out for Gilley’s, I was dressed to the nines in my Texas best. My straw hat with the Tom Mix crease and Willie pin. My best embroidered western shirt, sterling collar tips, and butter-soft, tan leather vest. My creased Wrangler jeans and Tony Llamas. And my Pentax 35mm hangin’ ‘round my neck with five rolls of film secured to the strap and the huge telephoto lens weighing me down. I was sweatin’ bullets before I even stepped outside!

We climbed into my glistening ’76 Sedan de Ville and cruised up the road apiece to Gilley’s and parked next to the monstrous hulk of a rodeo arena. We arrived early only to discover this huge, enclosed steel oven was not air conditioned.

I immediately bought a round of not-cold-enough beer and juggled our drinks back to the bleacher seats. I felt like I was in a sauna. After watching Mickey roll through a medley of his numerous number one hits, I was drenched in sweat and announced to my small entourage that I was going to join the fun on stage because there were giant fans blowin’ like a hurricane up there and huge plastic barrels filled with ice-cold longnecks of Gilley’s Beer (relabeled Lone Star).

I found my way to the management office, located near the front entrance of the club, which seemed to be at least a mile away, and fully air conditioned. I introduced myself to the big-haired woman sitting behind the desk, explaining that I was the photo editor for the University of Houston-Clear Lake campus newspaper (it was a grueling way to earn my Master’s degree) and was hoping to get a press pass . . . so I could get on stage to snap photos of Jerry Lee.

“Certainly, Sugar,” she responded, “as long as you give us a few photos for our display case.” She spun around to the typewriter and proceeded to type my name and title on an official Gilley’s Club Press Pass, which I stuck onto the front of my hat.

“Thank you, ma’am! I’ll bring some photos around sometime next week.”

I raced back to the rodeo arena, flew up the steps to the stage, nodded to the “security guard,” and reached into an ice-filled barrel for a cold one while positioning myself in front of a giant fan. I turned and waved to my mom and blew a kiss to AJ. I had done it!

The crowd roared for the Killer as he strode across the stage wearing a black tux, huge black velvet bow tie, and a frilly blue shirt. He seated himself at the piano and, with a well-practiced flurry, pounced into “Chantilly Lace.”

I began taking photos from every angle as I maneuvered around amps, speakers, wires – but never too far away from the beer and the giant fans. The Killer was phenomenal. I got the sense that he knew that he had knocked on hell’s gates and escaped one more time.

Mickey joined him at the piano for several duets – ballads as I recall – providing a brief interlude from the gospel-infused, honky-tonk blues branded with hellfire and brimstone.

Then Mickey left and it was all Killer and nothing but the Killer, who pulled out all the stops as he furiously attacked the piano. He worked up a mighty sweat, removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves, whipped on the shades, and roared into “Great Balls of Fire.”

Mickey strolled over for a beer and stood in front of me. I politely asked him to move over a bit so I could snap more photos of his cousin. He obliged. After all, we were witnessing another rebirth of rock ‘n’ roll.

Black Jack Ketchum

Good Morning Blues

WRFG-Atlanta/89.3 FM

www.wrfg.org

Author Update - Recent Trip to Baton Rouge

Sun, 11 Mar 2012 12:59:02 GMT

I traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, recently to give an interview to the Louisiana Public Broadcasting television network. The interview was requested in anticipation of the 22^nd Annual Louisiana Legends Gala scheduled for May 10^th.

Over the last two decades, many of the state’s most accomplished sons and daughters have been honored. Inductees include, among others, statesmen, military heroes, athletes, and entertainers. Individuals as diverse as Aaron Neville, Archie Manning, Sister Helen Prejean, and Stephen Ambrose have been recognized as Louisiana Legends.

The 2012 class of five inductees will include Mickey Gilley, the beloved crooner who was raised 100 miles up the road in Ferriday. As a Gilley biographer, I was able to talk about his upbringing, career, and his significance to music and to Louisiana for a video account of the event that Louisiana Public Broadcasting will air later, across the state.

I look forward to the event and the program. A special thank you goes to Liz Barnes at Louisiana Public Broadcasting for her hospitality and the terrific work she is doing on this production.

* * *

While I was in Baton Rouge, I also visited Family Worship Center for Sunday morning church service, as I have regularly over the last few years. While attendees of more conventional, strait-laced congregations might be taken aback by the lively style of worship practiced at the church Jimmy Swaggart calls home, I am able to confirm that the exuberant Pentecostal music service is still alive and well there.

The facility is a fantastic venue to hear music, with phenomenal acoustics. Anything one might hear on a CD or on television doesn’t compare to the way the voices and music sound live and in person.

Whether it was the lovely B.J. Vavasseur singing Andrae Crouch’s amazing “My Tribute” or Jimmy Swaggart performing “When Jesus Goes with Me,” the quality of the music was outstanding. A full cast of back-up singers, a choir happily bouncing through song after song, and the talented musicians all contributed to “making a joyful noise.”

Bob Henderson is an exceptionally skilled musician, regularly alternating between the guitar and saxophone. Perhaps the best-kept secret in the place is piano player Brian Haney, whose bluesy singing style and seemingly effortless mastery of the full range of 88 keys is fascinating to behold.

51 days until release. . .

More to come.

Recent News - Press Release Issued March 7, 2012

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 15:21:59 GMT

The Killer, the Thriller, and the Fulfiller - Three Cousins Inseparably Bonded Through Music. Each Rose To Fame, Their Stories Becoming Legend. Coming May 1, 2012 - pre-order today.

Enthralling new biography "UNCONQUERED: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley," (Brown Books Publishing Group) by J.D. Davis of Dallas, Texas, offers readers an eye-opening look inside the personal and professional lives of famous cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley - all born within a twelve-month span in small-town Louisiana during the Great Depression.

Davis draws from exhaustive research and personal connections with friends and family to recreate the irresistible and life-changing power of music that surrounded the cousins as boys and shaped their engagingly distinct paths to fame.

Thought provoking, "'Unconquered' clearly depicts the fascinating story of three great musical artists who were cousins in real life but icons in the world of music," says Tom Schedler, Louisiana Secretary of State. "Each man conquered life's roadblocks to acheive his ultimate goals."

"God, the devil, and everything in between. This book is a great representation of the duality plane on which we exist," says Leon Russell, legendary musician and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member.

Acclaimed country music artist Neal McCoy says, "Being from the South and also in the music business, this book gave me a great insight into how these three guys grew up as cousins, as well as what made them choose the paths that eventually turned them all into the hugely successful names that the entire world knows and loves."

Three personal journeys set alongside important landmarks in pop-culture history, Davis reveals a unique tale of American music centered on the trials, tribulations, and achievements of three men who remain truly Unconquered.

Songwriter and recording pioneer Cowboy Jack Clement adds, "'Unconquered' tells the fascinating story of three men growing up in the Mississippi Delta - and how they overcame hardships to become the amazingly talented men we know today."

TO LEARN MORE OR TO PRE-ORDER VISIT: http://www.UnconqueredTheBook.com - available at bookstores everywhere.

Author Update - How are Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley related precisely?

Sun, 04 Mar 2012 14:05:46 GMT

One of the most intriguing facets of these three men is their kinship. In Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins of Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, their ties are explained. An easy-to-follow diagram is also provided to ensure that readers clearly understand their familial relationship, as it is not a simple one.

Leroy and Arilla Lewis had eleven children. Among them were Elmo, who was Jerry’s father; Ada, Jimmy’s paternal grandmother; and Irene, Mickey’s mother. Therefore:

Jerry and Jimmy are first cousins, once removed (Jerry’s father and Jimmy’s grandmother were siblings)
Jerry and Mickey are first cousins (Jerry’s father and Mickey’s mother were siblings)
Jimmy and Mickey are first cousins, once removed (Jimmy’s grandmother and Mickey’s mother were siblings)

In addition, Jerry’s mother, Mamie Herron Lewis, and Jimmy’s mother, Minnie Bell Herron Swaggart, were sisters – two of seven children of John William and Theresa Herron. Accordingly, Jerry and Jimmy are also first cousins on the Herron side of the family and double cousins overall.

The relationship between Jerry and Jimmy is particularly fascinating, made all the more compelling by the similarities of their DNA. As many people with whom we have spoken have declared, their stories, both separately and together, would seem unbelievable if written as fiction.

58 days until the May 1^st release. . .

More to come.

Author Update - Odds and Ends

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:08:24 GMT

We have received numerous questions about Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley. We welcome any questions you may have, and thought this would be a good time to answer several of them. Please continue to send all questions to jddavis@unconqueredthebook.com.

What is the book’s release date?

The book should be available in stores on April 30^th. As most of you know, you can now order the book directly from several online retailers directly.

If you prefer, you can pre-order the book on our website: www.UnconqueredTheBook.com.

You can also pre-order from the Welcome page on Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnconqueredTheBook.

Will the book be available as an e-book?

Yes, the book will definitely be available for those individuals who love their Kindles, Nooks, and other devices. The e-book will also be available on or around April 30^th. We’ll supply more information at a later date.

Does the book include photos?

The book includes 32 photographs across 16 pages. Deciding which photographs to choose from the vast selection available to us was challenging. Some of the photographs we did not use will be posted later on the website.

How often will Author Updates occur?

Currently, the plan is to post weekly Author Updates. As we get closer to the book’s release date, we will post more frequently, while being careful not to mercilessly bombard you with information!

In addition to Author Updates, we plan to post Recent News items related to the book as well as Video Clips.

What topics do you plan to cover in the Author Updates?

We intend to include a wide variety of information. There will be items of interest concerning Jerry, Jimmy, and Mickey – some of it historical and some related to their present-day activities.

There will also likely be small excerpts from the manuscript. The original draft was quite lengthy and many interesting stories did not make it into the final version. We intend to share some of them in Author Updates.

63 days until book release – and counting. We hope you will encourage others who share an interest in this fascinating story to pre-order the book (and/or Like the fan page on Facebook).

More to come. . .

Author Update - Mickey Performs in South Texas

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:56:14 GMT

Last week, a friend (and fellow music fan) and I headed to Southeast Texas to see Mickey Gilley perform. The venue was Nutty Jerry's in Winnie, Texas, 25 miles southwest of Beaumont and 60 miles east of Houston. Mickey was in great spirits and everyone had a good time.

Prior to the show, we spent time on Mickey’s touring bus, where his supporting cast and a steady supply of laughs and smiles set an easy mood to the scene. It’s always fun to chat with Mickey, his band members, his backup singers, and his road crew. Like their lead singer, who is always receptive and friendly, the entire group was warm and accommodating. You could feel their excitement as they anticipated that night’s performance and talked about their upcoming weeklong trip to Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nevada to perform. They also looked forward to the April 1st opening of their new season at the Mickey Gilley Theatre in Branson, Missouri. There was even an impromptu jam session as lead guitarist Gary Myers engaged Mickey in a couple of lively run-throughs of “Fool for Your Love.”

During Mickey’s show, the crowd that braved the chilly weather was rewarded with a solid hour-and-a-half show. Mickey’s voice was strong, Ron Crooks sounded terrific on keyboard, and the entire group put on an uplifting, solid performance.

The trip to Nutty Jerry’s had added significance as the destination to which Mickey, his agent Al Embry, close friend Troy Payne, and I headed to see Jerry Lee Lewis perform, approximately a year ago.

That night in January 2011, we had a chance to spend time with Jerry’s band - Kenny, Buck, B.B., and Robert - and his road manager, J.W. Whitten. Before the show, Jerry and Mickey chatted backstage. The two have seen each other infrequently in recent years and both enjoyed the opportunity to visit. Jerry looked great that night. He played well, and seemed to have a little extra spring in his step.

More to come. . .

Author Update - What Makes The Story Compelling

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:42:24 GMT

What makes this story so compelling?

I am often asked this question and spent considerable time thinking about it over the last several years, while researching and writing this book.

The first thing that riveted me was the deep ties and links between these three men: their family relationship, their closeness in age, and the fact they grew up in the same small Southern town. How likely is it, after all, that three cousins from a small community would become significant figures in entertainment and culture, each following a separate path?

Each of them is fascinating in their own unique ways. The book explores Jerry’s unparalleled status in rock ‘n’ roll, Jimmy’s significance as a television evangelist, and Mickey’s role as part-owner of the world-famous Gilley’s and singer producing seventeen number one country hits. If the book began and ended with those accomplishments, it would be an interesting read.

But this book is about so much more.

It is a story about. . .

the American South, particularly the Depression and post-Depression South, where struggle and hardship were the norm
rural life, where the concepts of tight-knit family and a sense of community were constant forces in the upbringing of children
religion, especially the ways in which conservative, fundamentalist Christianity impacts adults and children alike
the relationship between Southern mothers and sons, and the powerful bonds that can be created when sons look to their mothers for their survival and mothers place their own hopes and ambitions in their sons
music, including rock ‘n’ roll, country, blues, and gospel, and how these different styles inspired the cousins and contributed to their innate musical genius
perseverance, as demonstrated by men who experienced dramatic highs and lows yet kept on moving forward and never gave up

My hope is that you will enjoy the finished product as much as I enjoy bringing it to you.

More to come. . .

JD Davis

Recent News - Mickey Gilley Discussed the New Book on His Website

Mon, 13 Jun 2011 04:03:08 GMT

Mickey Gilley discussed the new book on his website in January 2011! See the specific content below.

Recent News - Concordia Sentinel-Dallas Man Looks To Tell The Story

Fri, 10 Jun 2011 05:56:40 GMT

The Concordia Sentinel provided a full page article on the book underway in June 2010. JD Davis spent time visiting with and interviewing Mayors Hyram Copeland and Glen McGlothin of Vidalia and Ferriday, respectively. In addition to serving as the mayor of Vidalia, Mayor Copeland is cousin to Jerry and Jimmy and double cousin of Mickey's. Mayor McGlothin's grandmother was one of the praying women who attended the Assembly of God church with the mothers of the three cousins. Thanks to both men for an enjoyable time.

Also, thanks to Joey Martin of the Sentinel for his coverage.