Primary Wave finalizes a publishing acquisition deal with Kool & The Gang’s George Brown, which includes songs like “Ladies Night,” “Celebration,” “Jungle Boogie,” and many more.
Leading independent publisher Primary Wave Music has partnered with legendary songwriter, drummer, producer, and founding member of Kool & The Gang, George Brown. The deal sees the publisher acquiring a stake in the Grammy-winning artist’s music publishing catalog, writer’s share, and writer’s share of public performance.
George Brown was one of the primary songwriters for the legendary R&B group whose sound helped define the ’70s and ’80s. As a member of Kool & The Gang, Brown has earned two Grammy Awards and seven American Music Awards.
The band has sold over 70 million albums worldwide, has received recognition with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2008 was honored by the Living Legends Foundation. In 2018, the band was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The deal with Primary Wave encompasses some of Brown’s and Kool & The Gang’s biggest hits, including 25 Top 10 R&B hits and nine Top 10 pop hits. Classics like the group’s first No. 1 on the R&B Charts, “Hollywood Swinging,” “Jungle Boogie,” which was ranked as the No. 12 song for 1974 by Billboard, “Cherish,” which was the biggest Adult Contemporary chart hit of the ’80s, and the No. 1 hit “Ladies Night,” are all included.
Further, the new partnership includes one of the band’s most well-known songs, “Celebration,” released in 1980. The song was the band’s chart-topping single at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, spent six weeks atop the R&B chart, and has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.
Terms of the deal will also give George Brown access to Primary Wave’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, which includes digital strategy, licensing, sync opportunities, and film/TV production.
“I am very pleased to call Primary Wave my music partner and to join with dozens of other iconic artists and creatives in an incredible business family,” says George Brown. “I look forward to collaborating with Larry Mestel and the entire Primary Wave team to further enhance my catalog and the Kool & The Gang brand.”
“As counsel to George Brown and Astana Music, it was my pleasure to initiate, negotiate, and close this deal with Primary Wave,” adds Kendall A. Minter. “The alignment of a globally iconic artist and creative talent with an iconic, global independent music publisher and brand enhancer is a win-win for the entire music community and fans.”
“Kool & The Gang’s influence on generations of musicians and fans around the globe cannot be denied,” said Samantha Rhulen, SVP, Business and Legal Affairs at Primary Wave Music. “A few of us from Primary Wave were excited to have been in the audience when they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018, and we are so thrilled to now be partnering with George Brown in 2023.”