Facts about Betty Kresin, Eminems grandmother

Betty Kresin, Eminem's grandmother from the maternal side , got married at the age of 14. She got six children from 3 different marriages. She first married Bob Nelson. She gave birth to her daughter Debbie in 1955.She accuses her first husband, Bob Nelson, of being verbally abusive. Both moved to Warren, Michigan, to be closer to Betty's stepmother .Despite the problems the couple esperienced, she gave Bob two more sons, Todd and Steven.They divorced in the early 60's and Betty came back to her hometown St Joseph, where she met Ron Gilpin, her second husband.She had two more children with him. One of them is Betti Schmitt (Eminem's aunt and Debbie's half sister), who is still in touch and in good terms with Eminem. Ron Gilpin was an alcoholic who used to beat up his whole family. Violence was part of their daily life. Ron left his family in 1968.Dramas surrounded Betty's family. In 1991, Todd Nelson killed his brother-in-law, Mike Harris in self defense case. He was sentenced to jail for 8 years.Betty 's sixth child from a third marriage, Ronnie Polkingharn , was Eminem's uncle and closest friend. He committed suicide in 1991.

Eminem grew up for a while at his grandmom's home. She talks about his harsh conditions of living in Detroit :

« It was a poor school and they wanted his shoes. He was one of the only white children going to this segregated school. And one time they took the shoes off his feet and he had to come home in a snowstorm with no shoes on. But the story people keep asking me - "he was unconscious and almost died and all these doctors...", now I know nothing about this and I'm his grandmother. »

People should think twice before calling Marshall a racist.

Betty was angry with Marshall because he never attended to Ronnie's funeral. In fact, Marshall went depressive and swallowed a bottle of Tylenol and survived to another suicide attempt. He was unable to go to Ronnie's funeral, his pain was too immense.But Betty didn't know what happened during this period.


"I was kind of bitter about him writing about my dead son, because the last five years of my deceased boy, Marshall had not even seen him. Marshall - Eminem - and my son Ronnie were very close. He idolised Ronnie and Ronnie loved him. He never even came to Ronnie's funeral and he has never put the first flower on Ronnie's grave. He doesn't do anything - he won't go near the grave. The chain that Marshall wears around his neck, the dog-tag - that was Ronnie's. I gave him the dog-tag, he makes duplicates, he sells them now, and that really broke my heart because this is something sacred to me that I gave the boy. If my son could speak to you today from the grave he would say, "Marshall stop some of the garbage, make up with your family, life's too short"."

Marshall had a good relationship to his granny until he wanted to use Ronnie's voice on a tape. He intented to do this as a tribute to his deceased uncle, but Betty thought he was disrespectful towards her son. In 2002 , both reconciled. Betty Kresin is currently writing a book on her grandson which shall be entitled « The Tie That Binds ».

Betty says she's proud of her grandson and that she stands on his side.

I do teach English and German at public schools. I am an Eminem biographer and a freelance music journalist.

---

Fiddle Tab Makes Learning Fiddle Fast and Easy

Learning fiddle tab is so intuitive and so easy that... Read More

Its Jewish Music, But Is The Music Jewish?

A while back I was driving along the Jerusalem highway... Read More

Prepare for the Master (CD Mastering)

Many artists are still confused as to what goes on... Read More

How to Make $30,000 with Your Music Before Years End

As an independent musician and/or recording artist, if you did... Read More

6 Tips for Organizing Your Music Files

If you're a digital music fan, you probably have problems... Read More

How to Create Hip, Mature, and Lush Harmonies [correction]

Rarely is a chord played with its tones contained in... Read More

Repetition is the Key to Learning Something Deeply

Repetition is the key to learning something deeply. It works... Read More

Beginner Guitar Lessons - Learn Guitar without Ever Leaving Your Home!

So, you think you'd like to learn to play guitar,... Read More

Suzuki Violin Vs Traditional Violin

The Suzuki violin method has come to dominate the way... Read More

Patriotic Music: Surprising Secrets About Those Flag-Waving Sounds

Whether played by a marching band, an orchestra, or a... Read More

The Ostinato - What It is and How to Use It

Ostinato means "repeating pattern" and is used frequently in all... Read More

Formal Highland Attire: The Correct Wearing of the Kilt; the National Dress of Scotland

We don't simply wear a theatrical costume; we wear the... Read More

An Introduction to CD Mastering

While many people think that the mixing of the separate... Read More

Vintage Guitar Collectors Can Still Find Deals

If you're a recent vintage guitar collector, the stories you've... Read More

How to Play Piano Using a Few Chords

How many chords do you need to create a piece... Read More

Musicians Injuries: OUCH, It Hurts When I Play (But Please Dont Tell Me To Stop!)

This article takes a look at musicians' injuries. For an... Read More

Be Your Own DJ - Digital Audio Processing Tools Overview

SoundEdit Pro is a digital audio editor for a user-friendly... Read More

10 Ways for Unknown Musicians to Get the Word Out

When Clear Channel controls the radio and the monopoly newspaper... Read More

Songs Await Singer

I Want To Grow Old With You (C)Chorus: I want... Read More

Would Chopin Have Passed A Music Quiz?

Q. My children are very interested in playing music. Is... Read More

Getting the Best Performance From Your Artist

So now you've decided to record your songs. Good for... Read More

How to be Creative at the Piano

So you want to be more creative when playing piano.... Read More

Piano on the Right-Side of the Brain

Some of you may remember a book titled "Drawing on... Read More

Growing and Keeping Loyal Fan Support

Fan support for musicians is a two way street. You... Read More

JOHN LENNON - The Man and His Times

John Lennon wasn't always my favorite Beatle; at first it... Read More

Legal Music Downloads

On July 28, 2004, French Internet access providers and music... Read More

Rickenbacker 4003 Electric Bass Guitar

The Rickenbacker 4003 electric bass guitar is one of the... Read More

Lori Nuic Sparkles

A soulful vibe along with an amazing voice is what... Read More

Canadian Stars: The Marble Index and the Waking Eyes

Canadian Indie bands are dominating the music scene and it... Read More

A Dying Cat And A Nylon String Guitar

"Music isn't just learning notes and playing them, you learn... Read More

Learn Piano the Easy Way!

There are essentially two ways to learn piano - note... Read More

Polychords and the Jazz Improviser: How to Practice & Apply Polychords to Improv

In the world of music, many Jazz improvisers and Classical... Read More

Piano Music - How to Begin and End a Piece

How do you begin a piece of music? That's a... Read More