Chaka Demus And Pliers Want 'Their Money'
Published: Thursday | July 22, 20100 Comments
Chaka Demus (left) and Pliers. - contributed
Chaka Demus (left) and Pliers. - contributed
Howard Campbell, Gleaner Writer

The deejay/singer duo of Chaka Demus and Pliers has sued the giant Universal Music Group (UMG) for more than US$10 million in unpaid royalties and accountability for record sales.

The suit was filed July 13 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in Manhattan by lawyers representing the performers, who attained international success with the album All She Wrote in 1993.

That set was distributed by Island Records through its subsidiary Mango Records.

Pliers (real name Everton Bonner) told The Gleaner this week that he and Chaka Demus (John Taylor) have earned little financially from All She Wrote which was a platinum seller (over one million units) worldwide.

"We made attempts in the past (legal action) but the people handling it were not serious," Pliers said.

In the suit, Chaka Demus and Pliers claim that the UMG had "withheld the monies and royalties payments" from the inception of their contract which was signed in 1992.

Cease all activities

According to Garth Clarke, one of the lawyers representing Chaka Demus and Pliers, the artistes have also demanded an injunction ordering UMG to cease the sale, production and performances of their music.

Chaka Demus and Pliers were established acts in dancehall music when they teamed to record All She Wrote which was produced by Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare.

The album was a major hit, especially in Britain where six of its songs made the national charts. Murder She Wrote, Gal Wine, Tease Me, Twist and Shout (with singer Jack Radix), Bam Bam and She Don't Let Nobody resuscitated their careers and made them stars in Europe.

The success of All She Wrote earned Chaka Demus and Pliers a slot as an opening act for British reggae band UB40 on their European tour.

At the time, UB40 was one of the biggest names in pop music.

They never duplicated the success of All She Wrote. Their next album, For Every Kinda People, was released in 1996 by Island but was a commercial failure.

UMG is the world's largest music company and is owned by French media giant Vivendi SA. It owns the catalogues of several legendary music labels including Motown Records and MCA Records.






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