From Lester Chambers Facebook page. The Chambers Brothers “The Time has Come” was an anthem for the 1960’s and contains the classic line “And my soul has been psychedelicized.”
Lester explains how he’s been screwed on royalties for decades, He is now 72, did not squander money on drugs or big expenditures, and is living on a fixed income.
I saw the Chambers Brothers when they opened for the Doors here in San Diego in the late 1960s. We’d never heard of them before but thought they were great–they certainly played with more spirit than the Doors. (Years later my daughter was SHOCKED when she learned that her parents had actually been to a Doors concert.) I hope Mr Chambers can get what’s due to him.
I’ve been to a Doors concert, Black Flag concerts too.
Pamela De Barres wrote a book about her life as a groupie and reflected, “Should you really ever tell your kids how much drugs you used to take.” There is that…
The only other concert I ever went to was Quicksilver Messenger Service. And my daughter knows about both times I tried pot. (I’m fortunate that my preferred vices are neither illegal nor particularly expensive.)
Anybody who waits 27 years for their first royalty check is on drugs or mentally ill. I’m going to laugh if he sues and a judge throws his suit out of court because of how long he waited.
The record business is notorious for screwing musicians out of royalties or just ignoring their own contracts. It’s not so much a question of being vigilant but that musicians are up against predatory assholes.
And why you apparently delight is spitting in the face of an aging and well-known musician is beyond me. Your attitude is simply just nasty.
I don’t wish him any ill will, but to be that oblivious to how much wealth he has created that should have been paid to him over 2 decades ago is not an excuse for playing the pity card of “I’m on fixed income, where is my money” now. I could see somebody waiting a year or two and then start suing for money due, but now it’s a bit ridiculous. It makes him look like he was on drugs or mentally ill to be able to come out now and ask for his money. I’d like to know how he could have been that oblivious to his success in the first place.
I can’t decide if you are deliberately trolling to start arguments or you really are that naive.
Lester Chambers explained why, he can’t afford the lawyers. Given that big record companies have floors of lawyers who specialize in screwing musicians out of their money, I’m guessing the initial retainer fee would be $50,000-100,000 for a good-sized case like Chambers’.