In 1960, he began recording gospel music record albums and transmitting on Christian radio stations. He began developing a revival-meeting following throughout the American South. Preaching from a flatbed trailer donated to him, Swaggart began full-time evangelistic work in 1955.

Although the offer meant a promise for significant income for him and his family, Swaggart turned Phillips down, stating that he was called to preach the gospel. Swaggart's cousin Jerry Lee Lewis, who had previously signed with Sun, was reportedly making $20,000 per week at the time. Sun Records producer Sam Phillips wanted to start a gospel line of music for the label (undoubtedly to remain in competition with RCA Victor and Columbia, who also had gospel lines at the time) and wanted Swaggart for Sun as the label's first gospel artist. Being too poor to own a home, the Swaggarts lived in church basements, pastors' homes, and small motels. Swaggart worked several part-time odd jobs in order to support his young family and also began singing Southern Gospel music at various churches.Īccording to his autobiography, Swaggart, along with his wife and son, lived in poverty during the 1950s as he preached throughout rural Louisiana, struggling to survive on US$30 a week (Approximately $250 adjusted for inflation to 2016). Together, the couple have a son named Donnie. In 1952, aged 17, Swaggart married 15-year-old Frances Anderson whom he met in church while he was playing music with his father. With his parents, Swaggart attended a small, 25-member Assemblies of God church in Ferriday. He also had a sister, Jeanette Ensminger (1942–1999). He is the cousin of rock'n'roll pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and country music star Mickey Gilley. By relation, he is the nephew of Arilla (née Swaggart) Wells (1916–2015), who was also the manager of Wells Grocery in Tunica, Louisiana. Jimmy Lee Swaggart was born on March 15, 1935, in Ferriday, Louisiana. As a result of the scandals, Swaggart temporarily stepped down as the head of Jimmy Swaggart Ministries. Sexual scandals with prostitutes in the late 1980s and early 1990s led the Assemblies of God to defrock him. He currently owns and operates the SonLife Broadcasting Network. At its height in the 1980s, his telecast was transmitted to over 3,000 stations and cable systems each week. and on 78 channels in 104 other countries, and over the Internet. The weekly Jimmy Swaggart Telecast and A Study in the Word programs are broadcast throughout the U.S.

Swaggart's TV ministry, which began in 1971, has a viewing audience both in the U.S. Jimmy Lee Swaggart (born March 15, 1935) is an American Pentecostal evangelist, Christian music singer, pianist, pastor, and author.

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