Cat Power vs. Jessie Mae Hemphill
San Francisco Weekly is reporting on the dust-up over the recent album by Chan Marshall, a/k/a Cat Power. On her latest album release, Jukebox, Marshall recorded the song "Lord Help the Poor and Needy," written by blues artist Jessie Mae Hemphill. Unfortunately, the song is credited on the album as "Traditional, by Jessie Mae Hemphill, arranged by Chan Marshall, Public Domain." However, as pointed out by San Francisco-based musician Olga Wilhelmine Mathus, the founder of the Jessie Mae Hemphill Foundation, the song is copyrighted by Hemphill and royalties would be due the late singer's estate.
A familiar figure playing the blues clubs on Beale Street in Memphis, Hemphill was a W.C. Handy Award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist. Born in Senatobia, Mississippi in 1923, Hemphill was a proponent of the rhythmic Mississippi Hill Country blues style. Hemphill only recorded a handful of albums, most notably for the University of Memphis' High Water Records label. A stroke in 1993 left Hemphill unable to play the guitar, and the singer died in 2006. For the full story on Cat Power and Jessie Mae, check out San Francisco Weekly online.
Comments
All too often we hear of instances where Blues artists are not afforded the respect, courtesy or royalties due them. The issue is not in whether the covering artist was aware upon recording the song — that right belonged to another.
The question is whether Chan Marshall, now knowing the song is copyrighted by Jessie Mae Hemphill; will do the right thing and recognize her as author with respective royalties.
I am not in a position to judge; but will be a most interested observer in noting how Chan now acts