Stop - The Copycats - In the Name of Love
Long-time Supreme Mary Wilson was in the Capitol Tuesday to push for a bill that would stop copycat musical groups from billing themselves as the originals. Ms. Wilson testified before the Senate Business and Commerce Committee on the legislation and then visited the full Senate where several members sung her praises before voicing their support for the proposed protections for famous singers and musicians.
Ms. Wilson opened her testimony to the Senate committee by singing two of the Supreme's best know tunes. "Because this bill has to do with music, I probably should sing a couple of my greatest hits first," she said, breaking into the opening lyrics of "Come See About Me" and "Stop in the Name of Love." After bringing a high note to the committee's normally staid business, the singing great said of her brief performance, "How dare I sing so early in the morning."
In her remarks, she noted that a half dozen copycat groups now travel around the world billing themselves as the Supremes. "We worked very hard to make our name and legacy...just to have somebody come along and steal it," she told senators. The bill has already passed the House and is now being carried through the Senate by Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, who is a part-time musician and full-time family doctor. The bill would authorize the attorney general or local prosectors to seek fines of $5,000 to $15,000 against musicians that advertise themselves as a well-known group unless they have at least one original member or hold the legal rights to the group's name.