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Winnipeg Free Press
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Living Colour opens 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame to honor new inductee George Clinton
NEW YORK (AP) — The funk rock group Living Colour opened an energetic 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame Thursday night with a cover of Funkadelic's 'Cosmic Slop' to honor new inductee George Clinton. It set the tone for an event with a lot to celebrate, and even more to remember. Just one day after it was announced that the inimitable Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys had died, his bandmate Mike Love will be inducted into the 2025 Songwriters Hall of Fame. The gala, held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City Thursday night, also features inductees spanning genre, an inspiring mix of funk, rock, R&B, country and beyond: The Doobie Brothers, Ashley Gorley, Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins and Tony Macaulay. Is there funk without George Clinton? Is there groove? From Parliament/Funkadelic to his solo work, Clinton is an innovator of American popular music — a long-overdue inductee heard on timeless hits (like 'Atomic Dog' and 'Give Up The Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)' but also across the songs of Kendrick Lamar, Tupac, OutKast, Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliot, De La Soul and beyond. Previously, Clinton was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. He received a lifetime achievement award at the Grammys in 2019. The Doobie Brothers — the inducted members are Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald and Patrick Simmons — are known the world over for their rootsy rock 'n' roll, particularly for their No. 1 hits 'What A Fool Believes' and 'Black Water.' They went into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2020. Ashley Gorley is an unmistakable name in the world of country music. Groundbreaking producer Rodney 'Darkchild' Jerkins, whose touch is heard across countless R&B and pop hits, and legendary English songwriter Tony Macaulay, known for such classics as The Foundations' 'Build Me Up Buttercup' and 'Baby Now That I've Found You.' Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. Last year's inductees included Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford. At the induction ceremony last summer, R.E.M. stunned attendees by reuniting for an acoustic version of their alt-rock hit, 'Losing My Religion.' The Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 1969 to honor those creating popular music. A songwriter with a notable catalog of songs qualifies for induction 20 years after the first commercial release of a song. Some already in the hall include Gloria Estefan, Carole King, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora, Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Brian Wilson, James Taylor, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Lionel Richie, Bill Withers, Neil Diamond and Phil Collins.
USA Today
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
George Clinton sues former business partner for 'fraudulently' acquiring 90% of music
George Clinton sues former business partner for 'fraudulently' acquiring 90% of music George Clinton is suing his former business partner for "fraudulently" acquiring the rights to nearly 90% of his work. The Parliament-Funkadelic singer-songwriter filed the copyright lawsuit in the Northern District of Florida on Tuesday against music producer Armen Boladian and his entertainment companies, including Bridgeport Music. Clinton claims Boladian has acquired the rights to his and Parliament-Funkadelic's music – including the hit songs "Atomic Dog," "Flashlight," "One Nation Under A Groove" and "We Want the Funk (Tear the Roof Off)" – by "adding fictitious songwriters to dilute Clinton's share in songwriters royalties," urging Clinton to sign blank contracts and signing agreements on his behalf without his consent to claim ownership of his music. Boladian's reps could not be reached for comment. Clinton and Boladian worked together from 1968 through 1975, and 1981 through 1990, according to the suit. Boladian and his "one-man" companies are most notable in the music world for their own frequent lawsuits for copyright infringement via sampling of Clinton's music and previously being referred to as a "copyright troll," according to the filing. The companies "employ little to no staff and have no assets other than copyright," the filing alleges. Boladian is "collecting royalties from Clinton's catalog while fraudulently denying Clinton tens of millions of dollars," the filing reads. While Boladian and his several entertainment companies are "suing other producers and artists who sample songs to which (they) fraudulently acquired rights," they are also failing to provide an accounting of royalties owed to the funk bandleader, according to the lawsuit. Boladian and Bridgeport Music have sued hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, Public Enemy, The Notorious B.I.G. and N.W.A. for copyright infringement. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient says he has "suffered and continues to suffer significant economic injury" as a result. Clinton's team claims Boladian has stolen the masters or exploited other "young, gifted artists" and alleges there may be a racial component to Boladian's motivations. "Boladian expressed his views that Black artists lacked the education and intelligence to understand issues such as copyright infringement and legal proceedings," the lawsuit claims. "Accordingly, he felt emboldened and entitled to defraud artists like Clinton." Clinton is requesting a jury trial. Clinton and Boladian have had multiple legal disputes as far back as 1981. The singer-songwriter has for years claimed Boladian stole his copyrights, including in his 2014 memoir, "Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You?," for which Boladian brought a defamation lawsuit. In 2021, Clinton defeated the lawsuit, with the jury finding that the legendary musician did not defame the producer.
