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Jackson arrives in city to face questions
Gary man alleges the King of Pop took credit for his songs.
IndyStar.com report
May 20, 2003
Ultra-celebrity Michael Jackson landed in Indianapolis this afternoon, one day before he is to meet with attorneys for a Gary music producer charging copyright infringement, WTHR (Channel 13) reported.
The Star's newsgathering partners showed video of Jackson departing an airplane at Indianapolis International Airport. The 44-year-old native of Gary walked under an umbrella and entered a black limousine.
Jackson, who was accompanied by at least one of his children, is staying at the Canterbury Hotel Downtown, WTHR said.
As a defendant in a claim that dates back to the roots of the Jackson 5, Jackson will answer questions during a deposition Wednesday in Indianapolis; the exact location is supposed to remain secret.
Gordon Keith, who signed the Jackson 5 to his Gary-based Steeltown Records in 1967, alleges he has received no credit for producing tracks that later surfaced on a 1996 album, "Pre-History: The Lost Steeltown Recordings."
Norman Reed, Keith's local attorney, said the album also misidentifies two songs by another vocal group -- Ripples & Waves -- as the work of the Jackson 5.
The copyright complaint is tied to writing credits for those songs, "Let Me Carry Your Schoolbooks" and "I Never Had a Girl."
In an affidavit filed in November, Jackson denied any involvement with the "Pre-History" release distributed by New York-based Brunswick Records.
Robert Meyer, who represents Jackson at the Chicago law firm Swanson Martin & Bell, declined additional comment on the lawsuit.
It's clear, though, that the singer isn't pleased about his court-ordered trip to Indianapolis, which Meyer called "terribly inconvenient."
Reed, of Reed & Smith, predicts a seven- to eight-hour deposition.
In the interest of avoiding a media frenzy, Jackson's attorneys petitioned the U.S. District Court in Hammond to not publicize the location of his meeting with Reed.
The written transcript and video recording also will be sealed.
Jane Velez-Mitchell, a correspondent for the syndicated television show "Celebrity Justice," said it's not easy to hide the world's most recognized pop star in plain sight.
"I would guess -- unless (Jackson) absolutely has this planned down to the last second -- that somebody's going to find out that he's in the area," Velez-Mitchell said. "It's very hard for him to go unnoticed anywhere."
Reed expects to learn the site of the deposition today.
His primary clients, Keith and musician Elvy Woodard, accuse Michael, Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon Jackson of perpetuating a myth that they once performed under the stage name Ripples & Waves.
From the late 1960s into the 1980s, Woodard led a group called Ripples & Waves at appearances in northwest Indiana and Chicago, Reed says.
In various reference guides, as well as biographical material at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Ripples & Waves is listed as an early name for the Jackson 5.
"The question I have for Michael Jackson and the other members of the Jackson 5 is, 'Why have you not come forward to eliminate the confusion?' " Reed said. "These guys have remained silent for years."
In any event, "Pre-History" has been a scant seller. According to Nielsen SoundScan, 6,000 copies of the album have been purchased since its release.
To be certified as a gold album, sales must reach 500,000.
Still, a payday could await Keith and Woodard.
Reed says trade-name cases can yield $1 million for each example of willful infringement.
Jackson, who hasn't performed in Indianapolis since two dates at Market Square Arena in 1988, is mired in his own commercial slump. His 2001 album "Invincible" sold 2 million copies, following 7 million in sales for "Dangerous" (1992), 8 million for "Bad" (1987) and a record-setting 26 million for "Thriller" (1982).
Brian Wallace, program director for WTLC-FM (106.7), says it's typically something from "Thriller" that receives airplay at his R&B radio station.
"I think there's always going to be some curiosity about Michael Jackson, but maybe not as much about what he's doing as an artist," Wallace said.
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