Parliament-Funkadelic legend George Clinton — the reason we have a lot of our music — is going to court.
Clinton says Universal Music Group has gotten funky with his royalties. He’s suing them for $1.1 million in fees he says they withheld connected to another lawsuit.
The Detroit News reports that:
“In a complaint filed Friday in Detroit’s federal court, Clinton says UMG has been withholding 100% of his royalties for more than three years based on the company’s involvement in a separate case filed by the estate of a former bandmate.”
The bandmate is the late Bernie Worrell, also quite famous. Clinton and Worrell’s estate are in a battle over royalties, too.
Bernie Worrell’s estate claims that Clinton deceived him and failed to share millions of dollars generated by dozens of their songs, including hits like “Give Up the Funk,” “Flash Light,” and “Maggot Brain.”
“Give Up the Funk” also must have generated millions since Clinton first began recording for UMG in 1969.
