NEW YORK (Top40 Charts/
Spirit Music Group) -
Spirit Catalogue Holdings ('SCH'), in conjunction with
Spirit Music Group ('SMG'), have acquired a majority interest in the publishing rights and a significant stake in the producer royalties of legendary record producer
James William Guercio.
The landmark deal includes a decade's worth of music recorded by Chicago through the 1970's, a prolific period during which the famed rock band released 11 albums and charted 24 Top 40 hits including 'Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is', 'Colour My World', 'Saturday In The Park', 'Just You 'N' Me', '(I've Been) Searchin' So Long', 'If You Leave Me Now' and 'Baby What A Big Surprise'.
Also included in the deal is the breakthrough mid-60's work of another Guercio discovery, rock quintet The Buckinghams, who topped the charts with 'Kind of A Drag', 'Don't You Care', 'Hey Baby (They're Playing Our Song)' and 'Susan' as well as several mid-70's hits by seminal funk band Rufus including 'Close The Door', 'Everlasting Love' and the much sampled 'Hollywood'.
Additionally, SCH and SMG will participate via producer royalties in Blood Sweat & Tears' eponymous 1969 breakthrough album, which featured the standards 'You've Made Me So Very Happy', 'And When I Die' and 'Spinning Wheel'.
The independent publishing company's staff have worked with Guercio to build an extensive plan to revitalize both songs and original recordings via proactive synchronization licensing into film, television, advertising, video games and a wide range of new media along with the reinvention of classic tracks through re-mixes, samples and covers. The Chicago catalog has already proven fertile ground for samples, most recently the global Pitbull smash 'I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)', which samples 'Street Player', an album cut from 1979's Chicago XIII.
In addition to aggressively promoting the song catalogs of the various bands Guercio helped found, shape and produce, SMG plans to work with the still-active producer in telling the story of the Caribou Ranch recording studio, a sonically and environmentally unique facility he built on more than 4,000 acres in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, which attracted a who's-who of rock, country and jazz music royalty through the 1970's and 80's. In addition to five multi-platinum albums by Chicago, the studio gave birth to such acclaimed projects as Steven Stills' Manassas, Earth Wind & Fire's That's The Way Of The World, Supertramp's Even In The Quietest Moments, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's Stars & Stripes Forever, Return To Forever's Romantic Warrior and Elton John classics Caribou (named for the ranch and studio), Captain Fantastic & The Brown Dirt Cowboy and Rock Of The Westies.
Said Spirit Music Group President/CEO Mark Fried, 'We consider Jim Guercio a renaissance man in rock and roll. While he is clearly one of the pre-eminent record producers of the last half century, his uncanny ability to put musicians together, to build complex yet beautiful arrangements and to consistently create an environment where creativity and artistry thrived is unparalleled in the modern business. We are thrilled to be partnering with him to shine a light on the legacy of his work and the story of the historic Caribou studio'.
Jim Guercio added, 'We are deeply impressed with the team that Mark Fried has put together at Spirit and the long-term game plan they've laid out. We look forward to a long and fruitful creative relationship.'
About Spirit Music Group
Spirit Music Group, founded in 1995, is the fastest growing independent music publisher of the last decade, owning and/or managing more than 15,000 songs spanning 7 decades and every musical genre. The company's repertoire reflects some of the most beloved songs and songwriters including hits and gems by Frank Sinatra, Billie Holliday, Elmore James, Elvis Presley, Charles Mingus, Dion, The Beach Boys, Alice Cooper, Pure Prairie League, Chaka Khan, The Go-Go's, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Rickey Martin, Dido and Mary J. Blige, the complete catalogs of such iconic writer/artists as Lou Reed, The Grateful Dead, T. Rex, The Marshall Tucker Band, Billy Squier, A Taste Of Honey, Andrea Bocelli, Angela Winbush and C&C Music Factory and the work of such newer artists as MGMT, the Scissor Sisters and 311. The company has earned a strong reputation as an aggressive royalty administrator and a peerless promoter of its songs into film, television and advertising productions as well as a wi! de range of new media. Spirit Music Group is based in New York with affiliate offices all over the world. For further information about Spirit Music Group, go to www.spiritmusicgroup.com.
