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Bernie Worrell R.I.P.
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
Opened up for him in 2002? Spent a few hours hanging out and chatting with him before the show. Him and Judie were great towards the band. He couldn't stress enough the importance of theory.
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One more (for tonight at least,) since this is a bass forum - I've always loved how the synth bass and bass guitar gel on this track, and there's a couple of those really low buzzy-sounding bombs. A great example of Bernie's MO on one of the more straightforward funk songs from Funkadelic. I must have a CD with a different mix, because on this version the vocals stand out more and the different instruments are more isolated, but it means you can hear the synth a bit more distinctly.
Certainly no disrespect intended to Bernies memory, but as a Detroit musician whose music career was in full swing the same time the Parliaments turned on the mothership back home, as I would come across them early on, I am a bit curious...Bernies wife in recent months made public pleas for money to finish producing an album ($10,000), and another $75,000 to help with Bernies medical bills for treating his condition, as well as a benefit they planned to help pay his expenses. First of all...While P-Funk may not have been pulling down Earth Wind & Fire money over the years, Bernie wrote a lot of songs and P-Funk in their heyday was a big draw for live performances, as well as whatever other projects Bernie was up to...Also...Being in his 70's...Bernie should have been eligible for Medicare which pays for 80% of his doctor, hospital, and treatment bills...and for another $100-150 bucks a month, he could get a supplemental to cover practically all the remainder of the other 20%...I know this because I just completed surgery for cancer...almost 3 weeks in the hospital with complications following the surgery, and a month of treatments at home...Even the ACA would have a plan to cover his medical costs...Was Bernie just negligent in covering his medical risks or did he burn through all of the money he made throughout the years, along with any royalties and performance fees he was collecting even up to now...and if he was in financial straights for $75,000, couldn't George Clinton, Bootsy, and his other bandmates have stepped up to help him out???...Just wondering...
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From what I understand George Clinton managed to get almost all of the royalties in his name, despite playing no instruments, and often not singing lead either. It was weird, Worrell, Bootsy, and others continued to play with George despite lawsuits.
WOOniversal Truths
Really messed up...Also a part two...Seems like everyone accuses George of stealing all the money...
Really messed up...Also a part two...Seems like everyone accuses George of stealing all the money...
The music business always rewards those who know the business part the best, not the most creative. That is why Prince was such a rarity.
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I personally know people who are well versed in the music industry, are involved in several different facets of the business (musicians, artists, group leaders, producers, and even label owners)...not all of them are crooks out to steal money from those who were responsible for their success...Obviously, some others are out and out thieves...at some point sooner or later...those crooks will have to pay out on the "ultimate royalty"...
Maggot Brain was probably the first really "cool" music I ever bought when I was in maybe sixth grade. I had no idea that Bernie Worrell did lead vocals for that song.
I read that one of Clintons favorite tricks was to cut lines of coke in the studio, tell the musicians how much they were going to be paid beforehand, then keep an eye on how much coke they did. When it came time to pay the musicians he would take the price of the blow they did out of their paycheck.
George also got pretty screwed by the industry remember this:
Then even though P-FUnk has been sampled so many times you have to realize that 80% of the music on hip hop albums are samples. Out of that only 20% of those samples are cleared and paid for. Most of the artists if they do get busted and sued end up filing for bankrupcy before they even finish the lawsuit. Old saying, "You can't get blood from a stone."
C/S,
Rev J
George also got pretty screwed by the industry remember this:
Then even though P-FUnk has been sampled so many times you have to realize that 80% of the music on hip hop albums are samples. Out of that only 20% of those samples are cleared and paid for. Most of the artists if they do get busted and sued end up filing for bankrupcy before they even finish the lawsuit. Old saying, "You can't get blood from a stone."
C/S,
Rev J
FWIW George claims to get no money from a lot of the music, he's been in court with the owners of Westbound and with Warner Bros. over the years. Not that it would have paid Bernie, but for the "One nation under a groove" album WB treated the band like a carpenter who builds a deck - we paid you to make it, now its ours.
Whatever happened to the money, (maybe went up in smoke, or up their noses,) George doesn't have it. When you're on tour like he is at 70+, you're probably not sitting on a nest egg of royalties.
Whatever happened to the money, (maybe went up in smoke, or up their noses,) George doesn't have it. When you're on tour like he is at 70+, you're probably not sitting on a nest egg of royalties.
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