Black Crowes Call Foul

The Black Crowes need a remedy for what’s ailing them, and apparently what’s been ailing them is Gretchen Wilson. The Crowes feel that the Redneck Woman’s song “Work Hard, Play Harder” sounds suspiciously similar to their 1991 single “Jealous Again” off of the album Shake Your Money Maker. On top of that, Turner Network Television and its affiliates (TNT, TBS, and truTV) have been using the song in video advertising and promotion of the TNT show Saving Grace. Therefore, the laundry list of parties being reached by the long arm of the law (via the Crowes’ legal counsel) includes Wilson, Turner Networks, Wilson’s record label Sony BMG and Wilson’s publisher J Money Music.

The Black Crowes need a remedy for what’s ailing them, and apparently what’s been ailing them is Gretchen Wilson. The Crowes feel that the Redneck Woman’s song “Work Hard, Play Harder” sounds suspiciously similar to their 1991 single “Jealous Again” off of the album Shake Your Money Maker. On top of that, Turner Network Television and its affiliates (TNT, TBS, and truTV) have been using the song in video advertising and promotion of the TNT show Saving Grace. Therefore, the laundry list of parties being reached by the long arm of the law (via the Crowes’ legal counsel) includes Wilson, Turner Networks, Wilson’s record label Sony BMG and Wilson’s publisher J Money Music.

Wilson has yet to comment on the “Work Hard, Play Harder,” which she plans to use on her next studio album to be released later this year. Members of the Black Crowes have also kept quiet, but Pete Angelus, manager of the bluesy rockers, stated “We find the musical verses of Wilson’s song to be such an obvious example of copyright infringement that I expect all parties to reach a relatively quick resolution to avoid litigation.” While the similarity of the two songs are unavoidable, the band should be careful not to inspire a long line of blues, soul, and rock and roll acts to take the same sort of action against them as the Crowes seem to lean heavily upon their influences.