Chris Lucey "Songs Of Protest" album 1965 Surrey Records

PLAY ALBUM



This is the Songs Of Protest album

Vietnam/Metropolitan Man Single by Bobby Jameson Mira Records 1966

This is not Chris Ducey's original version of Songs Of Protest for sale on Amazon

http://www.amazon.com/Songs-Protest-Anti-Protest-Digitally-Remastered/dp/B00843RRCE

It has been clarified by Mike Stax and Chris Ducey himself that this is not Chris Ducey's work...It is being misrepresented on Amazon and sold as the work of Chris Ducey which is a fraud.....

In a series of messages on Feb 28, 2013 between me and Mike Stax (ugly things magazine) Stax, who was in direct communication with Ducey, said Ducey listened to the songs on this link and said it wasn't him. Ducey said his version of Songs Of Protest was done as a solo with guitar and harmonica only. This version on Amazon would be a 3rd and unknown version, and a completely different set of songs and lyrics written to the titles on the original cover from 1965, as portrayed on the  album jacket above.

YOU CAN STEAL MY ALBUM, MY SONGS, AND MY MONEY, BUT YOU CAN'T STEAL THE TRUTH...

The second version of Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest, written and performed by Bobby Jameson in 1965, was released illegally without agreements or contracts of any kind. Mira/Surrey intentionally avoided doing what was legally required to ensure it's own claim on the rights to the master before releasing it. The original Chris Ducey version had been stopped on legal grounds, because Ducey's rights were protected by the fact that he had been represented legally in the matter by a third party. Bobby Jameson's rights were not protected by anyone, and no one was allowed to intervene in his behalf, even though he requested the aid of legal counsel by a third party at the time.

Mira/Surrey simply made a business decision in 1965 to go ahead and release the Jameson version so their expansion into Europe could be completed on Mira/Surrey's schedule. They were not willing to postpone the Jameson version of Songs Of Protest for fear that a second delay, and another legal problem, might well scuttle Mira/Surrey's future. Had Jameson been afforded the same luxury as Ducey had been before him, the legal questions surrounding the Jameson version would have prevented the album's release until the legal matters were sorted out.

Prior to the release of the Jameson version, Mira/Surrey attempted to force Jameson to sign a contract against his will, a contract Jameson had never seen nor been made aware of until it was shown to him for the first time by Randy Wood and Abe Somer, Wood's attorney. Jameson refused to sign the agreement on the grounds that he didn't know what the contract actually said. Jameson told Wood that he wanted outside help to understand the contract before he would sign it, but was rebuked by Wood for even suggesting that the contract was not fair. Jameson said that the contract may well be a good one but that he was unwilling to sign it then and there until he had the opportunity to understand it's contents more fully. Wood became enraged over Jameson's refusal to sign the document and physically threw Jameson against the office wall in the presence of Abe Somer. Following this altercation between Wood and Jameson, Mira/Surrey chose to release the album anyway with nothing being done to insure the legal rights of Jameson.

The Jameson penned songs, as well as Jameson's performance as Chris Lucey, were the legal property of Bobby Jameson because he had not agreed to give up his rights to them. But in an illegal and callous move, Mira/Surrey secretly registered Jameson's songs to Mirwood Music, a Wood/Chiapetta company, without Jameson's knowledge or permission, claiming later that it (Mirwood Music) owned the publishing rights to the songs. Jameson's performance as Chris Lucey was likewise claimed as the legal property of Mira/Surrey, but was done without Jameson's signature, knowledge, or permission. This was done for the purpose of facilitating Mira/Surrey's self-interests, in spite of having refused to comply with Jameson's request for legal representation in the contract dispute.

Mira/Surrey, and Mirwood Music, by way of manipulation and criminal acts in 1965, and later, claimed ownership and control over the Bobby Jameson version of Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest for the purpose of it's own profit and gain. With malice, intent, and criminal disregard for the rights of Bobby Jameson, Randy Wood, Betty Chiapetta, and Abe Somer, deliberately and intentionally conspired and carried out the theft and use of the property of Bobby Jameson.

These facts, were, and continue to be, the premise on which Mira/Surrey and Mirwoodwood Music, and it's successors, owners, and partners, deliberately caused harm to one Robert Parker Jameson, aka Bobby Jameson, aka Chris Lucey, by preventing him from enjoying any benefits or rights from his own work on the album Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest, which he created in good faith in 1965. The subsequent sale of the master of Jameson's version of the album to Ace Records UK in the ensuing years, and continuing collection of publishing revenue from the Jameson songs, once again intentionally harms Bobby Jameson. The refusal of Ace Records UK, and it's lease partners Rev-Ola and Cherry Red Records UK, to acknowledge and curtail the illegal purchase, manufacturing, and sale of Songs Of Protest, makes evident their callous disregard of the facts. For the purpose of their own profit and personal gain, Ace Records, Rev-Ola Records, and Cherry Red Records deliberately joined with Betty Chiapetta in the ongoing conspiracy to violate the rights of Robert Parker Jameson, aka Bobby Jameson, aka Chris Lucey, and cause him further harm.

A FINER POINT

Randy Wood...owner of Mira/Surrey with Betty Chiapetta

It is definitely time to make a far finer point out of how desperate Randy Wood and Betty Chiapetta were over the disaster they were facing by not being able to release the original Songs Of Protest album by Chris Ducey. Bobby Jameson's actions in solving the problem actually saved the Mira/Surrey launch into Europe. Had Mira/Surrey not been able to salvage the album, the entire Surrey line would have gone down in flames. This is not an overstatement, but a fact. The entire deal would have collapsed otherwise. If this is true, which it is, then Bobby Jameson's work in reinventing the album from stem to stern must be viewed as being directly responsible for accomplishing the company's successful outcome and ultimate expansion.

Overtime, far too many people with no connection or real knowledge about this subject have continued to spew forth their personal opinions regarding something they know little or nothing about. They were not there; I was. The original Ducey record was not released because it had legal problems. Fortunately, Ducey had legal representation and they prevented Mira/Surrey from releasing the album. That fact is what caused the snag in the first place for Mira/Surrey. The newly minted Jameson version was then released in place of the Ducey version with even more critical legal problems. But Jameson, unlike Ducey, was not represented by anyone, and was incapable of preventing the album's release. Be that as it may, it was the Jameson version, as Chris Lucey, that saved the entire Surrey line from collapse before it even got off the ground.

Think for a moment, if you will, what it would have meant to Mira's reputation as a record company, and to the reputation of Wood himself, as well as Chiapetta, if the Surrey deal had actually failed. They would have been harmed in a myriad of ways, but managed to save themselves from that catastrophe because of a kid named Bobby Jameson who resurrected the entire album. Wood and Chiapetta were in no position by then to continue looking for someone else to do the job. They had already run out of time when Jameson was brought in.

The facts, as they truly existed in 1965, were explained in depth to Bobby Jameson by Randy Wood the first time the two met. Randy, in no uncertain terms, said he was up against the wall over the problem he was facing, and was being forced by circumstances to rely on Jameson's ability to salvage the wreck threatening Mira/Surrey. Bobby Jameson was Randy Wood's last ditch effort to prevent such a catastrophic failure from happening. The entire company knew that the Surrey deal would fail if the album, Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest, failed. That was the pressure. The pressure on Mira/Surrey as a company, and the pressure on a twenty-year-old flat broke kid named Bobby Jameson, who was willing to give it a try.

Bobby Jameson was not being sought after as an artist or writer by anyone in 1965. He just happened to meet Pam Burns, Randy Wood's secretary, in Hollywood. Pam became fond of Jameson and learned he could write songs and sing them. Because Mira was faced with the Ducey problem, and had already come up with the Lucey fix for the Ducey album jacket, which happened before Jameson ever stepped foot in Mira's office, Pam knew that finding someone to write and record ten new songs was a priority. After Wood and Chiappetta repeatedly failed at getting someone to do the job, Pam Burns began pestering Wood about this kid she'd met. Like it, or believe it or not, Bobby Jameson was brought to Mira for one reason and one reason only: To save the Songs Of protest album so it could be used to finalize the Mira Surrey expansion into Europe.

It probably sounds like impossible nonsense to some who think they know what went on back then, but the truth is, a twenty year old kid was given a job that the entire company's reputation depended on. I agree, it sounds implausible, but in my mind back then it was far simpler. Just write ten songs to this guy Ducey's titles and then sing em in the studio. That's what I was good at, writing songs and singing them. I didn't care what their business problems were, I just knew I could come up with the songs and do a good job recording them. I thought the whole thing sounded pretty weird, but if that's what they wanted me to do, then that's what I'd do.

What I did know, was that Randy Wood was like an animal that everybody was afraid of. He didn't talk to people, he told them things, and expected them to accept what he told them. He was pretty damn colorful, and forceful, but I'd already been through Tony Alamo's bullshit, and Andrew Oldham as well, not to mention Brit Record's, so I wasn't intimidated by him. He seemed exactly like the others I'd had to deal with. Randy didn't like that about me, my brashness, he damn near told me to kiss off because of it, but he couldn't, because he needed me, and that bothered the shit out of him.

For some to now presume that I did the job I did in 1965 for Mira, and knowingly and willingly give up all of my rights to my songs and performance as Chris Lucey is about as far fetched a reach as I can imagine. There was no verbal agreement or written agreement saying, I Bobby Jameson knowingly and willingly give up all my rights to this work, and as I have stated, I was not represented by anyone in this matter at the time it took place.

CHRIS LUCEY: WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

At twenty years old I returned to America after making All I Want Is My Baby/Each And Every Day with Mick Jagger and Andrew Oldham in London, for which I wasn't paid a penny. I was also not paid for I'm So Lonely/I Wanna Love You on Talamo Records. My point is, I was flat broke. In 1965 I was wandering the streets of Hollywood alone trying to eat and find a place to sleep from day to day. It is in that context that I was introduced to Randy Wood at Mira Records by Pam Burns. Randy and his partner Betty Chiapetta were involved in launching a budget label, Surrey Records, in Europe, but they'd run into trouble with one of the albums scheduled as part of the deal. The album was called Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest and had been written and performed by an artist named Chris Ducey. Mira/Surrey had run into contractual problems with Ducey's other commitments with ABC, so the Ducey album could not be used, which in turn halted the entire launching of the Surrey label in Europe, and here's why.

It is important to note that Ducey was the writer as well as the artist, and that he was fully represented by counsel and management in the Mira/Surrey matter.

The cover of the Ducey album was actually a picture of Brian Jones from the Rolling Stones, not Chris Ducey. It was used because a lot of people just plain liked the photo, particularly the people in Europe who were involved in the Surrey deal with Mira/Surrey Records. When they were advised the album was no longer available they balked and told Wood/Chiapetta that without that album the entire deal was dead. Surrey was a budget label, as I said, which meant the Surrey albums would be sold in store bins that were visible to patrons at cut rate prices. The cover of the Ducey album was thought to be perfect for this purpose because of the photo, and without it the deal would not happen.

So there was Mira/Surrey at a standstill, trying to figure out how they could save their business expansion into Europe. The whole thing was on hold until the problem could be resolved. To make matters worse, the album jacket had the titles of ten Ducey songs printed on it, adding to the difficulty of trying to salvage the cover for any use at all. Here's what they did! The printer of the original Ducey cover said he could color out part of the D in Ducey and make it into and L, which would change the name to Lucey. OK! One problem solved, but how were they going to deal with the ten song titles printed on the jacket?

Wood and Chiapetta decided they would come up with ten new songs written to the already existing titles on the cover and that would solve another problem. Pretty clever, eh? Now they were faced with the difficulty of finding someone to write ten new songs, but also having to find an artist to record the ten new songs, which meant spending more money recording a brand new record. As you can see, this was a unique way of keeping this particular cover in play, but was the only way to save the entire  Mira/Surrey deal.

Marshall Leib, of Teddy Bears fame with Phil Spector, and a friend of Wood and Chiappetta, was rounded up to produce what would be the new album, now called Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest by an artist named Chris Lucey who didn't yet exist. This was their last and most difficult task to insure that the Surrey deal didn't fail. Find someone to write and record ten new songs, and do it now, because the time factor was breathing down their necks.

Randy Wood and Betty Chiapetta could not find anyone to do this job. They were hamstrung for a few reasons: Time, and the fact that nobody wanted to be someone called Chris Lucey on a budget album for Europe. Thirdly, Surrey wasn't offering anything monetarily to convince anybody to change their mind and take on the job. Remember! Surrey needed an artist and a writer. After a significant amount of time Wood and Chiapetta were desperate. It was then, and under those circumstances, that Randy Wood agreed to meet Bobby Jameson, who Pam Burns, Randy's secretary, had befriended on the streets of Hollywood. She was convinced that Jameson could do the job and had tried repeatedly to convey that to Randy Wood.

OK! Let me be clear as a bell here, and I am going to write this part in the third person for a reason. The circumstances in 1965, when Bobby Jameson first met with Randy Wood, were that Bobby Jameson was twenty years old, flat broke, and unrepresented by counsel or management. Now recall, if you will, that representation was significant with regards to Ducey's involvement and subsequent withdrawal from the project. Jameson didn't have more than five bucks to his name and no place to live. He was on the street. It is important to place in context the actual conditions of Bobby Jameson's life at the time this happened before embarking on the story of Wood's and Jameson's meeting.

Randy Wood knew full well that Bobby Jameson was broke, homeless, and sleeping on people's couches. His only interest in Jameson was whether or not this 20 year old kid could write a song and sing it in in the studio, and do it well enough to put it on vinyl for the purpose of saving Mira Record's ass with the Surrey Record's launch. That was it! That was Wood's position. He knew Bobby Jameson wasn't represented in any way by anyone other than Pam Burns, and he relished that fact after the Ducey problem, and used it to his own benefit. Randy Wood was the past president of Vee-Jay Records. He had a heavyweight reputation, and now owned Mira/Surrey. He was an experienced professional and had an office on Sunset Blvd. filled with people who worked for him and a cutthroat attorney named Abe Somer. Collectively the Surrey group knew every in and out there was to know about the business side of the music industry, while Jameson, on the other hand, was no more than a kid who knew little. The fact that Bobby Jameson had no manager or lawyer and was limited in his understanding of the business side of music, made it easy for Wood and Somer to control the situation in their favor, which they did. It was an unfair advantage in the favor of Randy Wood, Betty Chiapetta, and Abe Somer. All Bobby Jameson knew was he could write songs and sing them.

There was no agreement with Mira/Surrey Records entered into by Bobby Jameson at anytime, verbally, or in writing. Bobby Jameson never agreed to write songs and knowingly give up his rights to them. Nor did Bobby Jameson ever knowingly give up his rights to his performance as the artist, Chris Lucey. If anything, these issues were proposed unexpectedly after the fact by Mira/Surrey in a lengthy exclusive artist/writer contract in Randy Wood's office in the presence of Abe Somer, Randy's attorney. The contract they proposed would have tied Jameson up for seven years without a penny, and make it impossible for him to seek work elsewhere. Bobby Jameson refused to sign that contract because it offered nothing to him, and because he felt incapable of understanding, without counsel, all that was was actually said in the contract. Randy Wood, incensed that Jameson refused to immediately sign the contract, physically threw Bobby against an office wall, demanding that Jameson sign it, which Jameson again refused to do. Bobby said he needed to get someone to read the contract before he signed it, to which Wood's angrily replied, "There's no time for that. This album is already released!" Wood was referring to his Mira/Surrey deadline deal with Europe.

Jameson's need, and verbal request, for some form of legal representation at the time, and help in understanding the Abe Somer penned document, was disregarded completely. That fact alone should have legally put the entire album on hold until it was sorted out, in the same way the Ducey version had been withheld from release for similar reasons. But Bobby Jameson didn't have what protected Ducey in his dealings with Mira/Surrey. Bobby had no lawyer or manager who could negotiate for him. Bobby Jameson was by himself in that office at twenty years old with no representation at all, so he refused to sign the agreement for good cause.

Almost immediately thereafter, in what can only be considered a criminal act of theft and fraud, as well as a conspiracy to defraud and harm an individual (Bobby Jameson), Mira/Surrey knowingly and with purposeful intent released Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest anyway. Without any sort of agreement with Bobby Jameson as writer, or artist, Mira/Surrey acted in it's own self-interest and released the record as a means of fulfilling it's own jeopardized agreement with the European expansion of Mira/Surrey Records. The album contained the ten stolen songs written by Jameson that were registered as belonging to Mirwood Music, an act which had been done in secret without Jameson's knowledge or approval. The master recording of Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest by Chris Lucey is evidence of a crime. The album has been treated by the owners of Mira/Surrey Records, Mirwood Music, and all those persons involved in those companies, and their successors, as their own private and personal property to do with as they please, with a callous and criminal disregard for the harm done to one Robert Parker Jameson, aka Bobby Jameson, aka Chris Lucey, who created the work in good faith.

To put it bluntly, Bobby Jameson saved the Surrey Record's launch into Europe. He made Randy Wood, Betty Chiapetta, and Abe Somer look good. Without Bobby Jameson's songs and voice as Chris Lucey, Surrey Records would not have expanded into Europe. As a result of his work on the Songs Of Protest project Jameson was given $200. His songs were stolen by Wood, Chiapetta, and Somer and registered to Mirwood Music without his knowledge or permission. He has never received a single royalty as the artist or writer for any of that work. As well, Girl From The East, which came from Songs Of Protest by Jameson/Lucey, was used as the b side of Mira Record's single release and album Hey Joe, by The Leaves, where again Jameson received no royalty as the writer.

The album, Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest, should not have been released by Mira/Surrey in 1965 until the rights of Bobby Jameson were legally sorted out. But Mira/Surrey chose to ignore and hide this fact at the time in pursuit of their own needs, in spite of knowing the harm that would be done to Bobby Jameson. They were unmoved and unafraid of Jameson, because they knew he was a kid without anyone speaking for him and without having legal protections of any kind. They were, and are, convinced that his version of the facts and events were and are forever hidden from legal scrutiny with regards to the choices and decisions they (Mira/Surrey and Mirwood Music) made in 1965. To release the album, knowing what they knew, for the purpose of benefitting themselves financially and defrauding the creator of the works, is criminal. It is knowingly criminal and comes with the knowledge built into it that someone (Bobby Jameson) would be harmed. It is a conspiracy to harm for profit by criminal and deceptive means.

The continuance of the conspiracy has occurred and reoccurred for decades, with each successive release of the album, and collection of revenue from the stolen copyrights and sales of the record. This again was done without any revenue whatsoever going to Bobby Jameson. In recent years (2002) Betty Chiapeta again advanced this criminal endeavor by selling the master to ACE Records UK, who subsequently leased it to Rev-Ola/Cherry Red Records UK for the purpose of manufacturing, distribution and sale for profit. Again this was done by cutting out Bobby Jameson from any and all revenue created by his work known as Songs Of Protest And Anti-Protest. Wittingly or not, these new partners in crime are just that, because they have furthered the original intent of the conspiracy by joining it for the same purpose: To defraud Bobby Jameson out of any and all revenue from his own original work. In spite of the fact that Jameson has informed and and made clear all of these facts to all of the parties, they continue to malign his character and refuse to cooperate in the rectification of this serious matter, making them all co-conspirators under the law. In time this fact alone will make any settlement harsher for them with regards to punitive damages, which accrue with the passage of time, and their intentional refusal to end the harm to Bobby Jameson, aka Robert Parker Jameson, aka Chris Lucey. They are guilty of an intentional and knowing obstruction of justice.

One more small victory

CLICK ON PICTURES TO ENLARGE

This is a screen shot of an interactive video linked to facebook. It is called Take This Lollipop and has over 13,000,000 views.....I wrote and performed the song in 1963 and have finally been given credit along the bottom throughout the 2 minute length of the video.....No money.....but at least I got credit....it's a start...

I WIN...ANOTHER LEGAL PRECEDENT IN THE BATTLE FOR THE RIGHTS TO MY WORK

from: Nicola Saunders
Subject: Re: color him in album by Jameson
Date: September 22, 2011 2:22:00 AM PDT
To: Bobby Jameson


Dear Mr Jameson,

Further to the correspondence below, I can confirm Color Him In will be removed from iTunes on 27th September 2011. This process takes 5 business days and cannot be done immediately, but please be assured that the process of removing this album has commenced and will be completed as soon as possible.

Please let me know if there is anything else you need.

Kind regards

Nicola  

Cease And Desist...COLOR HIM IN Illegally Hosted On Itunes

From: bobbyjameson@
Subject: COLOR HIM IN album by Jameson on itunes
Date: September 19, 2011 3:45:47 PM PDT
To: enquiry@startentertainments.com
Cc: copyrightagent@apple.com
Reply-To: bobbyjameson@

I, Bobby Jameson aka Robert Parker Jameson aka Jameson hereby demand on this 19th day of September, 2011, that Start Entertainments Limited UK and it's subsidiary nostalgia music UK remove at once, from itunes music, my protected work COLOR HIM IN. I , Bobby Jameson aka Robert Parker Jameson, am the artist/performer, writer/composer, and publisher of this protected work. I own any and all rights to this work. Start Entertainments Limited Uk and nostalgia music UK have no legal rights or authorities of any kind regarding the aforementioned work COLOR HIM IN.

My telephone # in the U.S. is

I expect an an immediate response to this email.....Start Entertainments Limited UK and it's subsidiary nostalgia music UK are guilty of violating U.S. copyright law, International copyright law, and my rights, by alleging to itunes music, Apple Corp, or anyone, anywhere, that they have the legal right to claim ownership and or any rights whatsoever to the work COLOR HIM IN, which is the property, in it's entirety, of one Robert Parker Jameson aka Bobby Jameson aka Jameson.

Regards, Bobby Jameson aka Robert Parker Jameson aka Jameson

Songs....and Record Companies...

Copyright Law Record Industry Braces for Artists’ Battles Over Song Rights...click on copyright law for story.

Mojo Music Magazine article June 2004 by Steve Stanley

My song "Girl From The East" by The Leaves

Me and the internet

Below is a list of records I made in the 60's. I received nothing for these records with the exception of $200 for Songs Of Protest in 1965.

Click on any pic to make larger

Vietnam Mondo Hollwood

1964 Billboard Magazine double page ad..Bobby Jameson campaign

Gotta Find My Roogalator...Penthouse 1966

Early 45's Bobby Jameson

My first single from 1963...labled as Bobby James.

Second Talamo single 1964