What do you think?
Unconquered: The Saga of Cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley
Three cousins, inseparably bonded through music. Each became a star; their story would become a legend. J. D. Davis's enthralling new biography of famous cousins Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, born within a twelve-month span in small-town Louisiana during the Great Depression, draws from exhaustive research and personal connections with friends and family. Davis recreates the irresistible and life-changing power of music that surrounded the cousins as boys and shaped their engagingly distinct paths to fame. With three personal journeys set alongside important landmarks in pop-culture history, Davis presents a unique tale of American music centered on the trials, tribulations, and achievements of three men who remain truly Unconquered.
488 pages, Hardcover
First published April 25, 2012
About the author
J.D. Davis
2 books14 followersJ. 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.
A successful businessman and entrepreneur, he achieved the rare distinction of partnership in his twenties at a major actuarial consulting firm, where he continues to manage a large practice. 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.
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.
A successful businessman and entrepreneur, he achieved the rare distinction of partnership in his twenties at a major actuarial consulting firm, where he continues to manage a large practice. 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
October 12, 2012
I read this book because, like the author, I have always been amazed that three cousins from the small town of Farraday, Louisiana, could all rise so high in their chosen professions. However, this book was very difficult to follow. The author tells all three men's stories simultaneously, and since their stories are so similar -- dirt poor, early musical talent, drinking and carousing father (except for Jimmy), extremely religious mother, loss of young sibling (except for Mickey), multiple wives and girlfriends (except for Jimmy) -- that it is very confusing. First of all, while reading along, the names Jimmy and Jerry -- capital J, ending with Y, 3 small letters in the middle, that the reader (me) can find herself mixing people up. Luckily, Mickey is named Mickey. Jimmy and Jerry's mothers were named Mamie and Minnie -- Capital M's followed by a bunch of little letters. And a new generation begins every 15 years. Jerry and Mickey are first cousins. Jimmy is their first cousin once removed. Jerry and Jimmy are double cousins because, besides being related on the Lewis side, their mothers are sisters. Technically, they are double cousins half once removed. Everyone else in Farraday is a cousin or a double cousin.
To make it even more confusing, I got very tired of the author starting chapters with: A man drove down a highway near Memphis . . . . And then you have to read several paragraphs to find out which of the three men he is talking about. Only very often he is talking about someone else who might figure into one of their stories, or profiling someone else who had a similar career. Once he started a chapter out with an older married couple eating in a restaurant, and they turn out to be -- an older married couple eating in a restaurant.
I'm sure he left out some marriages. I know he left out a lot of children. I had to go look up the men on wikipedia afterward to find out about their children.
To make it even more confusing, I got very tired of the author starting chapters with: A man drove down a highway near Memphis . . . . And then you have to read several paragraphs to find out which of the three men he is talking about. Only very often he is talking about someone else who might figure into one of their stories, or profiling someone else who had a similar career. Once he started a chapter out with an older married couple eating in a restaurant, and they turn out to be -- an older married couple eating in a restaurant.
I'm sure he left out some marriages. I know he left out a lot of children. I had to go look up the men on wikipedia afterward to find out about their children.
May 21, 2015
They rose from varying degrees of poverty to manage multi-million dollar enterprises that had at their roots the ability to command an audience.
The title comes from a game played by the three cousins in their small town of Ferriday, Louisiana. While one cousin (often Jerry) may have “conquered” another in these games of “dare”, in 2015, all the cousins, each with their own stellar achievements and failures, are still standing, and are “unconquered”.
Author, J.D. Davis, shows how their respective home lives influenced their future paths. Double cousins Jerry and Jimmy are the stars of this book. Their beginnings were more extreme than their cousin Mickey’s whose father earned a modest but stable income and was not steeped in the church. In the later sections, it seemed the material on Mickey was stretched to give him somewhat equal time.
This is the author’s first and only book. Because he is a fan I presume the reportorial tone of the book stems from his attempt to keep a neutral voice. The result takes the color out of these extraordinarily colorful lives.
One of the benefits for the modern reader is the ability to access old and new performances, interviews and news stories of the time and now (the multi-media online book is, perhaps, 5 years away) along with the text.
I’ll be hoping someone will cover this family with an interpretive bio.
February 18, 2016
A totally engaging read about three famous cousins who shared an era. The book is about each of them separately but always goes back to how they emerged from their beginnings, all three playing together as boys. They were born during the Great Depression, in the American south, Louisiana to be precise, risen on a Pentecostal faith that set them apart even where they belonged, attending tent revivals full of music, preaching and speaking in tongues. I was drawn to the book because of this setting and the era; most of the drama happens from the 30s to the 80s. Otherwise, I wasn't particularly fans of the individuals to start with. I knew of Jerry Lee's controversial life but don't really like his music, I knew Mickey from his 80s hits and had no idea much about Swaggart at all really, I wasn't even sure if he was one of the tv evangelists who got in trouble or not. But I went into it with an eagerness for a story of the South and rock 'n roll and was not disappointed. The book is highly researched with information coming from a variety of sources including family members. I grew interested in all three men and ended up respecting Mickey the most, but all three of them are definately music legends. The book kept me entertained throughout no matter which person was being discussed and the author manages to tell both the good and bad evenhandedly. It's obvious the author is a fan of these men so there is no trash-talking at all but he does present the controversies, the wrong-doings, the warts, and all with honest and plain speaking. I'm really glad to have read this; it covered a broad era of music history and was both entertaining and enlightning for me. Good read!
May 26, 2012
Did you know that Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, and Jimmy Swaggart were first cousins who grew up together in the same small Louisiana town? I'm about halfway through this book, and it's been terrific so far. It's fascinating to read about the foundations for what is ahead of these men: the talents, the stardom, and the scandals. As always, the backstory is so much more complex, nuanced, and intriguing than the splashy headlines. If you have any interest in the south, Louisiana, Pentecostal church, gospel music, rock and roll, televangelism, country music, or just the volatile mix of human frailty combined with fame, you will find yourself eagerly flying through the pages of this book.
October 11, 2012
Having grown up listening to the rock and roll of Jerry Lee Lewis, I was drawn to this book. Three cousins, born within 12 months of each other, in a small rural town in Louisana, each drawn to the Pentecostel religion and displayed the talent for playing the piano. Each man became famous in his own right. . Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart and Mickey Gilley.
J. D. Davis did a remarkable job of making this a very real and truthful portrait of its times. . . it was skillfully written.
J. D. Davis did a remarkable job of making this a very real and truthful portrait of its times. . . it was skillfully written.
June 12, 2012
If you are a country music fan, you will really enjoy this book. Very interesting read on the lives of the three famous cousins from Ferriday, Louisiana. Well written and at times hard to put down.
September 1, 2020
"Unconquered" recounts the unlikely rise of three cousins from a small Louisiana town who rise to become musical superstars. From meager beginnings, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley arrive at their fame on different paths and very different timetables. Jerry Lee Lewis explodes onto the early rock-and-roll scene and spends the rest of his career pioneering the rock and roll stereotype of excess and indulgence. Jimmy Swaggart's fame grows more gradually, beginning with street corner evangelism and revival meetings and eventually growing into a world wide congregation. Mickey Gilley is the late bloomer who works the honky-tonk nightclub scene until the movie "Urban Cowboy" brings his nightclub ("Gilley's") and his musical talent to nationwide attention.
Running through all of this is the music. The the three cousins are ridiculously talented. While Jimmy and Mickey always contend that Jerry Lee is the most talented of the three, they all tap into the inspiration and emotion of charismatic gospel music. One of the joys of reading this book is stopping at each song reference and taking the time to listen to live and studio recordings on Spotify or YouTube. Mickey's "Room Full of Roses," Jimmy's "Where Else Could I Go?", and Jerry Lee's "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" are some of my favorites, but the list of amazing songs is long.
Each of their trajectories include devout religious households active in the Assemblies of God church in Ferriday, LA. This early exposure to charismatic worship and a devout faith community echo through the rest of the cousins' musical careers. Jerry Lee struggles with the guilt of his rock and roll lifestyle and bargains with God, promising that he will leave it all behind after one more big hit or album (spoiler: he never does). Jimmy is on the other side of the line, preaching and singing to millions but secretly (and then more publicly) struggling with temptation. Mickey Gilley straddles the line, but faces a series of harrowing life threatening conditions and injuries that test his religious belief. In the end, "Unconquered" lets us see the tension, self-doubt, and internal struggle that hides behind (and also inspires) the seemingly effortless genius of of these country, rock-and-roll, and gospel legends.
Running through all of this is the music. The the three cousins are ridiculously talented. While Jimmy and Mickey always contend that Jerry Lee is the most talented of the three, they all tap into the inspiration and emotion of charismatic gospel music. One of the joys of reading this book is stopping at each song reference and taking the time to listen to live and studio recordings on Spotify or YouTube. Mickey's "Room Full of Roses," Jimmy's "Where Else Could I Go?", and Jerry Lee's "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" are some of my favorites, but the list of amazing songs is long.
Each of their trajectories include devout religious households active in the Assemblies of God church in Ferriday, LA. This early exposure to charismatic worship and a devout faith community echo through the rest of the cousins' musical careers. Jerry Lee struggles with the guilt of his rock and roll lifestyle and bargains with God, promising that he will leave it all behind after one more big hit or album (spoiler: he never does). Jimmy is on the other side of the line, preaching and singing to millions but secretly (and then more publicly) struggling with temptation. Mickey Gilley straddles the line, but faces a series of harrowing life threatening conditions and injuries that test his religious belief. In the end, "Unconquered" lets us see the tension, self-doubt, and internal struggle that hides behind (and also inspires) the seemingly effortless genius of of these country, rock-and-roll, and gospel legends.
November 7, 2012
I enjoyed every page of this book. I learned so much about Jimmy Swaggart and the good he did in his ministry. I learned so much about Jerry Lee and how overwhelming fame and fortune can be. I learned so much about Mickey Gilley and how he learned from his famous cousins what to do and what not to do.
I will reread this book when I am in a reading valley.
I will reread this book when I am in a reading valley.
December 9, 2015
Ferriday, Louisiana. Was it something in the water? The Killer, the Thriller, and the Fulfiller - their story is one of perseverance.
September 25, 2017
This was an interesting, and often challenging, look at three cousins from a small Louisiana town who each found success in their own ways.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley all had rough and impoverished childhoods ... and each of them used their talents as pianists to come through in different ways.
In this book, we see their strict Pentacostal upbringings, rebellions, differing personalities and challenges ... and their widely varying downfalls (because each of them had one).
The book was written in an engaging authorial voice; it's clear that J.D. Davis admires all three men for different reasons. He also did his homework; there are first-person interviews, a long bibliography, and discussions that would not be out of place in a musicology classroom.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to other fans of early rock and roll.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley all had rough and impoverished childhoods ... and each of them used their talents as pianists to come through in different ways.
In this book, we see their strict Pentacostal upbringings, rebellions, differing personalities and challenges ... and their widely varying downfalls (because each of them had one).
The book was written in an engaging authorial voice; it's clear that J.D. Davis admires all three men for different reasons. He also did his homework; there are first-person interviews, a long bibliography, and discussions that would not be out of place in a musicology classroom.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and recommend it to other fans of early rock and roll.
May 30, 2021
Music fan? Read this book.
I bought this book after seeing Mickey Gilley in concert for the second time. First was in Jackpot NV. Second in Branson MO. With Johnny Lee on the Urban Cowboy Reunion Tour. Mickey promoted the book and I bought it. It is well written and interesting. Some sad undertones as all three (Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Lee Lewis) achieved fame and financial success. Yet you wonder, just as with Elvis and so many others, if their lives would have been happier had they followed a different path. Mickey seems so happy just to be up on stage, and that folks come out to interact with him. And the audience is equally pleased. The night I saw him in Branson he was leaving the next day for stem cell surgery for his back. I wish him all the best. The book is a great insight to an American life. I would recommend it to anyone, music fan or not.
I bought this book after seeing Mickey Gilley in concert for the second time. First was in Jackpot NV. Second in Branson MO. With Johnny Lee on the Urban Cowboy Reunion Tour. Mickey promoted the book and I bought it. It is well written and interesting. Some sad undertones as all three (Jimmy Swaggart, Jerry Lee Lewis) achieved fame and financial success. Yet you wonder, just as with Elvis and so many others, if their lives would have been happier had they followed a different path. Mickey seems so happy just to be up on stage, and that folks come out to interact with him. And the audience is equally pleased. The night I saw him in Branson he was leaving the next day for stem cell surgery for his back. I wish him all the best. The book is a great insight to an American life. I would recommend it to anyone, music fan or not.
June 28, 2023
Unconquered is a Story of Family Conquered Yet Unconquered
Interesting story of family woven together by spiritual heritage as much as blood. Having grown up in small town West Texas, the similarities are there for any small town. The distinctive for these cousins is the common spiritual history and experience, and how it marked them individually, still tying them closely together. Good read!
Interesting story of family woven together by spiritual heritage as much as blood. Having grown up in small town West Texas, the similarities are there for any small town. The distinctive for these cousins is the common spiritual history and experience, and how it marked them individually, still tying them closely together. Good read!
February 7, 2021
I felt this was mostly about Jerry Lee Lewis. Jimmy Swaggart was also talked about a lot, but I read it mostly to learn about Mickey Gilley. I wish there would have been more about Gilley in the book. At times it seemed redundant and it was hard to read and follow. The questions I had about these men were answered in the book, so I am glad I read it.
March 16, 2026
Fantastic narrative. Laid out and explained many of the milestones in each of these men’s lives. Also connected the dots and showed how those milestones were similarly intertwined by some odd but real and relative way. In further laid out the details of how these three men remain connected closely throughout their 70+ years of life.
March 24, 2017
Conquering the unconquered
This book was very good. I couldn't put it down. Being raised in a Pentecostal environment like they were I certainly understood their struggles. I have a great respect for all three. They all battled their own demons and in my opinion conquered the unconquered. Great book.
This book was very good. I couldn't put it down. Being raised in a Pentecostal environment like they were I certainly understood their struggles. I have a great respect for all three. They all battled their own demons and in my opinion conquered the unconquered. Great book.
June 5, 2020
Loved, loved this book. I was not aware of the relationship between Jerry Lee, Micky and Jimmy. So interesting. Religion and Mothers, Quite a combo.
So much talent. Now I want to go back and watch anything I can find on these guys.
Liked the format of book, kept it interesting.
So much talent. Now I want to go back and watch anything I can find on these guys.
Liked the format of book, kept it interesting.
April 9, 2022
This book is very detailed. If you’re a fan of any or all of them. You will be in the know. Or if your writing a report it would be a great resource. Info on their parents to wives to kids. Nothing is missing.
June 23, 2022
A terrific book about the improbable cousins who, in their own ways, set the world on fire. Well-written (although with perhaps a little too much pontificating about Swaggarts' fall from the top of the televangelist world), it portrays the three with all their warts and gifts.
January 4, 2023
For any reader who would care to know more about any of these three musicians, or about the south during the Great Depression, or about Pentecostal Christianity, this is a must-read. Though it's a fat book and can get bogged down by excess detail, I found it fascinating and will recommend it highly. Of course, I'm a fan of Jerry Lee Lewis, rockabilly, older country music, early rock, and intrigued by all sorts of Christianity, especially Pentecostals, so it fit me perfectly.
December 26, 2017
Boring
The book drug on and on. There were facts i didn't know but not enough to make this book worth my time. Very overpriced for what it is.
The book drug on and on. There were facts i didn't know but not enough to make this book worth my time. Very overpriced for what it is.
October 6, 2018
Interesting story
Nice balance depicting the trails and tribulations of stardom. It was a fun read showing the common trappings of celebrity and human frailty.
Nice balance depicting the trails and tribulations of stardom. It was a fun read showing the common trappings of celebrity and human frailty.
February 5, 2020
Very enjoyable book. Stories I had not heard. But I really wasn't surprised because of the time Jim spent at the newspaper office doing research. Fun read.
April 25, 2020
Enjoyable and defendly good read!
So many things I have forgptten. I enjoyed going back and reliving. I wasn't aware of all of their struggles. A great book.
So many things I have forgptten. I enjoyed going back and reliving. I wasn't aware of all of their struggles. A great book.
October 21, 2012
I was born and raised in the time when Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart each rose to fame. I even saw Jerry Lee in concert and played a song on the piano for him when he appeared with Hank Williams Junior at what was then called the Masonic Temple in Scranton PA. And unlike the stories that are written about him in the book stating how in the later years of his musical career he was moody and could be very difficult to work with, as well as not very hospitable to his adoring fans, I found him to be a perfect gentleman and very gracious to me. So his story was of particular interest to me.
And having been raised in a home where God, Country Music and Hunting were an important part of life, I was raised hearing the original music of Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, and Jimmy Swaggart along with the music of many other music legends such as Elvis Presley who is referred to in the book as we was friends with Jerry Lee Lewis. And I was one of the millions who used to watch Jimmy Swaggart on TV enjoying both his music and his ministry of the Word.
Unconquered is a realistic and honest look at the lives of the three famous cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, all musically talented and gifted in certain areas of life, and what ultimately happened to them and their careers. This book does not paint any pretty pictures that should not be painted about any one of the three, but rather, the story is written like it really was so that those of us who read the book can get an up close and personal glimpse of what their lives were really like. And for them life was hard, brutally hard, and each one of the cousins developed their one way of dealing and coping with the harsh realities of their life. And despite their differences in personalities and spiritual beliefs there was one cord that did keep them somewhat bonded as cousins and that was their love of and passion for music and performing it...from Jerry Lee's rockabilly style of music to Mickey Gilley's smooth country style of music and then Jimmy Swaggart's old-time religion Gospel Music. Other than being cousins and their music they really did not have too much else in common.
The book reveals how the cousins lived dangerously and lived hard growing up into adulthood with Jerry Lee remaining unconquered in one area of their lives but you will have to read the book to learn what that is. It goes on to share the vast differences in each of their lives - the good, the bad and the ugly including Jerry Lee's overwhelming success as a rockabilly Country Music artist to his battle with alcohol, drugs and fidelity; from Mickey Gilley's humble beginnings to his becoming a Country Music legend and the owner and star performer at Gilley's, a world-renowned honky-tonk established in 1971 in Pasadena Texas; and finally to Jimmy Swaggart's modest beginnings in the ministry to his success as a Gospel Music artist and to the creation of a world-wide Gospel-Preaching ministry and then to his never to be forgotten fall from grace due to sexual immorality, and his path back again to the ministry.
It is written on the back cover of the book, "With three personal journeys set alongside important landmarks in pop-culture history, author Davis presents a unique tale of American music centered on the trials, tribulations, and achievements of three men who remain truly Unconquered..." and I would have to agree.
Once I picked this book up and began to read it, I found it hard to put down. I can blame the book for more than one night of being up late when I should have been in bed, but I could not help myself. The book was just too interesting. I felt I had to read just a few more pages before I finally went to bed and I think if you are a lover of a good story and country music, you will find this book to be as captivating and as interesting a read as I did.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book at no cost from the Brown Books Publishing Group Company for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
And having been raised in a home where God, Country Music and Hunting were an important part of life, I was raised hearing the original music of Jerry Lee Lewis, Mickey Gilley, and Jimmy Swaggart along with the music of many other music legends such as Elvis Presley who is referred to in the book as we was friends with Jerry Lee Lewis. And I was one of the millions who used to watch Jimmy Swaggart on TV enjoying both his music and his ministry of the Word.
Unconquered is a realistic and honest look at the lives of the three famous cousins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart, and Mickey Gilley, all musically talented and gifted in certain areas of life, and what ultimately happened to them and their careers. This book does not paint any pretty pictures that should not be painted about any one of the three, but rather, the story is written like it really was so that those of us who read the book can get an up close and personal glimpse of what their lives were really like. And for them life was hard, brutally hard, and each one of the cousins developed their one way of dealing and coping with the harsh realities of their life. And despite their differences in personalities and spiritual beliefs there was one cord that did keep them somewhat bonded as cousins and that was their love of and passion for music and performing it...from Jerry Lee's rockabilly style of music to Mickey Gilley's smooth country style of music and then Jimmy Swaggart's old-time religion Gospel Music. Other than being cousins and their music they really did not have too much else in common.
The book reveals how the cousins lived dangerously and lived hard growing up into adulthood with Jerry Lee remaining unconquered in one area of their lives but you will have to read the book to learn what that is. It goes on to share the vast differences in each of their lives - the good, the bad and the ugly including Jerry Lee's overwhelming success as a rockabilly Country Music artist to his battle with alcohol, drugs and fidelity; from Mickey Gilley's humble beginnings to his becoming a Country Music legend and the owner and star performer at Gilley's, a world-renowned honky-tonk established in 1971 in Pasadena Texas; and finally to Jimmy Swaggart's modest beginnings in the ministry to his success as a Gospel Music artist and to the creation of a world-wide Gospel-Preaching ministry and then to his never to be forgotten fall from grace due to sexual immorality, and his path back again to the ministry.
It is written on the back cover of the book, "With three personal journeys set alongside important landmarks in pop-culture history, author Davis presents a unique tale of American music centered on the trials, tribulations, and achievements of three men who remain truly Unconquered..." and I would have to agree.
Once I picked this book up and began to read it, I found it hard to put down. I can blame the book for more than one night of being up late when I should have been in bed, but I could not help myself. The book was just too interesting. I felt I had to read just a few more pages before I finally went to bed and I think if you are a lover of a good story and country music, you will find this book to be as captivating and as interesting a read as I did.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the book at no cost from the Brown Books Publishing Group Company for review purposes. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."
October 8, 2012
I would give this a 3.5. I was a good reads first reads winner of this book. It cover the lives of three famous cousins. Jerry Lee Lewis, Jimmy Swaggart,and Mickey Gilley. the cousins were born within a year of each other in Louisiana just as the Great Depression was ending. They all grew up poor. and close to each other. the book is called "Unconquered" came from a game the cousins played as boys.
All three men had their ups and downs in their lives and tragedies. Jerry Lee Lewis lost two sons. One from drowing as a toddler. I was especially interested in Jerry Lee Lewis. since I am a fan of his music {especially Great Balls of Fire}the book covers his career with Sam Phillips and Sun records. and the many wives he had. particularly touching on the up roar of marrying his 13 year old cousin Myra.
All three men go from rags to riches. Mickey Gilley with his famous Honkey tonk "gilley's" and the movie Urban Cowboy. his apperances on many tv shows in the 1980s.
Jimmy Swaggart and his rise to a famous evangelist. I found this book pretty good read. it gives a helpful time of events at the end of the book. not to mention some of the famous songs listed by the author. I liked the parts about Jerry Lee Lewis best. It was nice to read a book that included all three cousins. I learned quite a bit about this family.Glad I got the chance to read this helpful book.
All three men had their ups and downs in their lives and tragedies. Jerry Lee Lewis lost two sons. One from drowing as a toddler. I was especially interested in Jerry Lee Lewis. since I am a fan of his music {especially Great Balls of Fire}the book covers his career with Sam Phillips and Sun records. and the many wives he had. particularly touching on the up roar of marrying his 13 year old cousin Myra.
All three men go from rags to riches. Mickey Gilley with his famous Honkey tonk "gilley's" and the movie Urban Cowboy. his apperances on many tv shows in the 1980s.
Jimmy Swaggart and his rise to a famous evangelist. I found this book pretty good read. it gives a helpful time of events at the end of the book. not to mention some of the famous songs listed by the author. I liked the parts about Jerry Lee Lewis best. It was nice to read a book that included all three cousins. I learned quite a bit about this family.Glad I got the chance to read this helpful book.
November 27, 2012
I really enjoyed this book from the beginning to the end I guess because I came up during this generation of these three cousins. All three born in the same year, in the same community, and all raised in the church where their mothers spent every Sunday. They played together as kids always daring each other to do something crazier than the last thing they had done. They all loved to play the piano and all were equally good at it only Jerry Lee just a little better which they all would admit. Jerry Lee made it big first, then Mickey and Jimmy coming along at their own pace. I can remember being from Texas going over to Gilley's on Sat. night to ride the bull. Mickey didn't think the mechanical bull would be a good thing to put in a honky tonk in Texas but he was wrong. It went over big. Then when John Travolta made Urban Cowboy everyone came from all over the world to see the big nightclub. The three cousins are still alive, each living their own life and still playing that ole piano! What a life they have had!
May 28, 2014
J. D. Davis has written a trio of biographies, the story of three cousins born in Louisiana during the Great Depression & imbued with the Pentecostal faith of the times. I picked this book up just to fact check the superb biography of Jerry Lee Lewis written by Nick Tosches and first published in 1981 when Jerry Lee Lewis was all of 46 years old and looking like he was hell bent on killing himself from drink and dope. While I found his style rather pedestrian and methodical, I do appreciate the three stories he tells. His facts indeed vouched for those in Tosche's Hellfire: The Jerry Lee Lewis Story and because he is a man of the same faith these three cousins were brought up in, his world view opens a window to what drove these three men (Mickey Gilley seems the least tormented by his genes, upbringing, and faith). He has an excellent timeline, lists of his favorite songs done by each artist, and offers up "the facts" . . . he just didn't catch & express the tormented spirit in the way Tosches did.
November 8, 2012
I won this in a goodreads giveaway. This book started out a little slow for me but about 100 pages in I got hooked. This book tells a beautiful story of the lifelong connections between three cousins who all grow up to be famous in their own way. I found their stories interesting and fascinating. I really enjoyed learning about these men because I knew little to nothing about them before and I had no idea they were related. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. My one complaint is that the author clearly had an agenda throughout the book and is obviously trying to persuade you throughout it. I didn't really care for that, but it can be expected sometimes in books such as this one.
January 12, 2013
I never knew these guys were cousins. This book tells of their childhood in Ferriday, Louisiana, which also produced Howard K. Smith. Quite a bunch of big names from Podunkville, wouldn't you say? It's an interesting story -- their successes, failures, pitfalls, hopes, fears, and loves. The title comes from a game they played as they grew up; the game was "Conquered, Unconquered" and it was a game of daring. I think, from what I read, that Jerry Lee usually won because he did things the other two would not dare. They are now approaching the age of 80 (they were all born within a year of one another) and are still going.
October 21, 2012
This book was interesting, but I think could have been about half as long. The author obviously came from a position of being fans of all 3 of the cousins, but didn't color everything with rose-colored glasses. Some of the descriptions sounded more like a novel than biography (not events, but descriptions of feelings or settings). I'm not sure if they were contrived or based on actual interviews. The author did a nice job of covering three people's lives through time, which is not easy. Overall, I enjoyed the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews