Eagles ‘Hotel California’ Lyrics Now An Unusual Criminal Trial
George Harrison was sued by the Chiffon’s writers, for allegedly stealing “He’s So Fine.” Led Zeppelin was sued by the band Spirit for allegedly stealing “Stairway To Heaven.” Ray Parker…
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 27: Don Henley of the Eagles performs at MGM Grand Garden Arena on September 27, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
George Harrison was sued by the Chiffon's writers, for allegedly stealing "He's So Fine." Led Zeppelin was sued by the band Spirit for allegedly stealing "Stairway To Heaven." Ray Parker Jr. was sued by Huey Lewis for allegedly stealing "I Want A New Drug." Music lawsuits are as common as a sunrise and taxes. But now, there's a new musical theft making headlines. The Eagles "Hotel California" lyrics are now in the middle of an unusual criminal trial.
According to TheGuardian.com:
Glenn Horowitz, a rare-book dealer; Craig Inciardi, a former Rock & Roll Hall of Fame curator, and Edward Kosinski, a memorabilia seller, are charged with conspiring to own and try to sell manuscripts of Hotel California and other Eagles hits without the right to do so.
These three man pleaded not guilty. Their lawyers are saying that the transcripts they wanted to sell from the Eagles iconic album, were obtained legally through a third party from someone who worked with Don Henley. The Manhattan DA is crying foul saying the three men are trying obscure the documents’ disputed ownership, despite knowing that Henley said the pages were stolen.
Don Henley To Testify
It maybe right out of a Hollywood Law And Order episode, as Don Henley himself is expected to testify. At issue, a whopping 80 pages of draft lyrics from Hotel California. According to The Guardian, the bands manager Irving Azoff says those sheets are irreplaceable pieces of music history.
The three men are not charged with stealing any documents. The prosecution will have to prove that the documents were in fact stolen. But if they we not stolen, where did they come from?
Eagles Biography
Ed Sanders, a writer was involved with writing an approved Eagles biography that was never published. Sanders claims that while working on the book, "he was sent whatever papers he wanted from Henley’s home in Malibu, California, according to the indictment."
Reportedly, Sanders sold the papers to defendant Glenn Horowitz, who then sold them to Inciardi and Kosinski.
The trial starts tomorrow. Get ready, as the Eagles "Hotel California" lyrics are about to travel down the dark desert highway of a Manhattan courtroom.
