Potential Suit Against Marvin Gaye’s Estate

Just after Marvin Gaye’s estate won a multi-million dollar lawsuit against the writers of the hit “Blurred Lines,” the estate of Gaye could be headed back to court.  Fonda Bryant, the daughter of soul singer Johnnie Taylor and heir to his estate, contends that Taylor’s number one hit in 1976 inspired Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up.”  “Obviously, he took our fathers song, twisted it, made a lot of money off it and didn’t give my father credit,” Bryant said.  Gaye’s own biography even mentions that Taylor’s hit, “Disco Lady,” influenced “Got to Give it Up.”  Bryant plans on contacting attorneys soon. 

See Sarah-Blake Morgan, Charlotte Woman Considering Suit Against Marvin Gaye’s Estate, WBTV, March 19, 2015.