Nearly nine years after the death of Johnny Winter, the battle for control of the legendary blues guitarist’s music is raging in court, with allegations of theft and greed flying.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Nearly nine years after the death of Johnny Winter, the battle for control of the legendary blues guitarist’s music is raging in court, rife with allegations of theft and greed.
A legal battle challenges Winter’s former personal manager and bandmate, Paul Nelson, against the family of the bluesman’s late wife Susan, who died in 2019.
Winter’s parents-in-law say Nelson and his wife swindled over $1.5 million from Winter’s music business.
Nelson and his wife counterclaimed that Susan Winter’s brother swooped in when she was drugged and dying of cancer, tricked her into controlling Winter’s music, and made him the beneficiary of Susan Winter’s estate. stripped Nelson of his rights as a
The case was scheduled to go to court in Connecticut in April, but was postponed until September.
At stake are ownership of Winter’s music catalog, proceeds from sales of records and merchandise, and the power to authorize commercial use of his songs, the value of which is unknown.
Timothy Diemand, attorney for Susan Winter’s brothers Bonnie and Christopher Warford, said, “This lawsuit protects Johnny Winter’s estate and wrongfully owes Nelson money rightfully owed to the plaintiffs. It is to prove and confirm that you have not received it.
Nelson wants to be reappointed as the beneficiary of Susan Winter’s estate.
“Plaintiff orchestrated the wrongful dismissal of Paul Nelson during a difficult time in Susan Winter’s final year,” the Nelsons said in a statement released by their attorney, Matthew Mason. , said it was clear that both Johnny and Susan Winter wanted Nelson to be responsible for Johnny Winter’s music and legacy.
John Dawson Winter III was born and raised in Beaumont, Texas. He burst onto the blues scene in his 1960s world, captivating crowds with his fast licks while his trademark long white hair fluttered from under his cowboy hat. He and his younger brother Edgar (both born with albinism) were renowned musicians.
Winter played at Woodstock in 1969 and produced an album for blues icon Muddy Waters as well as his own music. In 1988, he was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him #63 as the greatest guitarist of all time in 2015. ’” Nelson produced the album, which also won a Grammy Award.
Winter, who lived in Easton, Connecticut for 20 years, battled heroin addiction for years before his death and credits Nelson, whom he met in 1999, with helping him get off methadone. “
Before he came clean, bandmates and friends said they were worried because of his frail appearance and his inability to speak. I’m here.
Winters and Nelsons became good friends. Paul Nelson played guitar in Johnny Winters band and began running his music company in 2005. Nelson’s wife, Marion Nelson, was the bookkeeper for Winters and the music business, according to legal documents in the lawsuit. was
Winter died on July 16, 2014, at the age of 70, in a hotel room outside Zurich, Switzerland, while on tour. Susan Winter and Paul Nelson said the cause of death was likely emphysema.
Susan Winter is the sole beneficiary of her husband’s estate, which she set up in late 2016. She named herself as the sole trustee of her trust and named Nelson as her successor trustee.
But in June 2019, four months before she died of lung cancer, Susan Winter removed Nelson as her successor and replaced her with her sister and brother.
The Nelsons allege in their lawsuit that Bonnie and Christopher Warford lied to their sister and controlled her by telling her that the Nelsons were mismanaging the music business and her affairs.
The Warfords’ lawsuit alleges that the Nelsons fraudulently extorted more than $1.5 million from Winter’s business and “deposited Susan Winter into paying these fees under the guise of royalties, commissions, refunds, fees, social media charges, and other mechanisms.” It obfuscates transactions and misrepresents them.”
They also accused the Nelsons of taking three Winter guitars, worth about $300,000 in total, and putting them up for auction without permission. The Nelsons deny the allegations.
“In short, this is a classic case of a manager taking advantage of an artist’s client, and worse, taking advantage of an artist’s surviving family members,” Diemand wrote in the legal document.
It is not clear why Edgar Winter, a noted musician, was not involved in his brother’s estate after his death. Edgar Winter and his representatives did not return phone and email messages seeking comment.
The Warfords’ lawsuit is similar to the one brought by Winters around 2005 for alleged financial misconduct against Johnny Winter’s former manager, Teddy Slatas. Slatus died in late 2005.
Raisin’ Cane: The Wild and Raucous Story of Johnny Winter, published in 2010.
The Warfords, of Charlotte, North Carolina, and the Nelsons, of Weston, Connecticut, declined requests for interviews by the Associated Press.
Copyright © 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
Other Articles
