Rodriguez lawsuit aims to uncover cause of singer’s missing royalties

A new lawsuit will explore Rodriguez’s early recording contracts, revisiting the events that led up to the Bafta-winning documentary Searching for Sugar Man. One of the singer’s former producers is suing a production company for withholding years of royalties in a “fraudulent scheme”.

As revealed in the 2012 documentary, the Michigan singer-songwriter Sixto Rodriguez toiled in obscurity after recording two folk-soul albums, Cold Fact (1970) and Coming from Reality (1971). Without his knowledge, both albums had become classics in South Africa, selling an estimated half-million copies. The documentary made Rodriguez an international star, but it’s still unclear why the now-71-year-old did not benefit financially from his record sales. Rodriguez is “keenly interested in finding out what happened all those years ago and where the money went”, his lawyer told the New York Times.

Some of that information may come to light in a lawsuit filed by Gomba Music in Michigan federal court. Gomba head Harry Balk claims he signed Rodriguez to a five-year songwriting contract in 1966. Another producer, Clarence Avant, is accused of trying to circumvent this agreement by attributing Rodriguez songs to other songwriters. Gomba is seeking unspecified statutory and punitive damages from Avant and his company, citing copyright infringement, fraud and tortious interference, or intentional interference with contracts. Rodriguez is not party to the suit.

Contacted by the Detroit Free Press, Avant said he was keen to settle the case. “I think I’ve really been painted as the bad guy … It really bugs me that I have to go through this, when I’m the one guy who believed in [Rodriguez],” he said, adding, “I wish him nothing but the best, because I think he deserves it.”

Source: The Guardian