Debra Laws
Encyclopedia
Debra Laws is an American R&B singer and actress from Houston, Texas
. In her music career, she works closely with her siblings, Eloise Laws
, Hubert Laws
and Ronnie Laws
, who are producers.
, the seventh of eight children to Hubert Laws, Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue. She has performed throughout the U.S.
in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall
, The Berkeley Jazz Festival
and the Hollywood Bowl
. She has also toured in Europe
, Africa
, and Southeast Asia
.
Her most recent album is entitled Moments, and she produced, wrote or co-wrote nine of the 12 songs contained in the album. The album is now in release in Japan
and the first single, "Moments Like This", reached the number 18 spot in the Japanese charts.
.
Laws made her debut as a solo recording artist in 1981 with the release of her album Very Special on Elektra Records. This album, produced by her two brothers sold in excess of 385,000 copies, while the two singles, "Very Special" and "Be Yourself" sold combined totals in excess of 260,000 copies.
From 1981 through 1990, Laws worked with her three siblings, recording and doing many live performances in the United States and abroad.
In 1985, she recorded "Crusin' Tonight", written and produced by George Duke, for the Heavenly Kid motion picture soundtrack.
In April and May 1991, she toured Europe
with the Commodores
for a 38 city tour. In November of that year, she performed with Kool and the Gang, Third World
, Shabba Ranks
, Rita Marley
, the Commodores
and many others at a benefit for the children of Africa
held in Lagos
, Nigeria
.
In 1992, she toured Asia in January and February, performing in Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.
She then began the writing and recording process for an album which was completed in October 1994. In November and December of that year, she toured Europe again.
She has also recorded soundtracks for The Heavenly Kid
, Fighting Back, and Prison Dancer, and is featured on Pam Williams album "Eight Days of Ecstasy".
/Epic Records
in the United States District Court for the Central District of California
, claiming that the use of samples from "Very Special" without her consent in Jennifer Lopez's
recording of "All I Have
" on her album "This Is Me... Then
" violated her statuory and common law right of publicity
under California law (even though the writers of "Very Special" and Elektra Entertainment Group
-- successor to Elektra/Asylum records, which had released the original recording of "Very Special" -- had given their consent to the use of the sample). In November 2003, Judge Lourdes Baird granted Sony Music's motion for summary judgment
on the ground that Laws's state law claims were preempted by Section 301 of the United States Copyright Act
. In 2006, that decision was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
.
In 2004, after losing the lawsuit against Sony Music, Laws and her production company, Spirit Productions, Inc. (which is owned and controlled by her brother, Hubert
), sued Elektra Entertainment Group (as well as Elektra's parent company, Warner Music Group
, and former parent, Warner Communications, Inc.
), claiming that Elektra was contractually obligated to obtain their consent before agreeing to allow the "Very Special" sound recording to be used in "All I Have (song)
." Laws's claims were dismissed early in the case on res judicata
grounds, and Spirit's claims settled in early 2007 on undisclosed terms.
Film
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
. In her music career, she works closely with her siblings, Eloise Laws
Eloise Laws
Eloise Laws is a singer and a member of the prominent Laws family of musicians from Houston, Texas.-Biography:Lavern Eloise Laws was born November 6, 1943 in Houston, Texas as the fourth of eight children of Miola Luverta Donahue and Hubert Laws, Sr...
, Hubert Laws
Hubert Laws
Hubert Laws is an American flutist and saxophonist with a 40+ year career in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Alongside Herbie Mann, Laws is probably the most recognized and respected jazz flutist...
and Ronnie Laws
Ronnie Laws
Ronald Wayne "Ronnie" Laws is an American jazz, blues and funk saxophonist. He is the younger brother of jazz flautist Hubert Laws.-Biography:...
, who are producers.
Biography
Debra Renee Laws was born September 10, 1956 in Houston, TexasHouston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, the seventh of eight children to Hubert Laws, Sr. and Miola Luverta Donahue. She has performed throughout the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
, The Berkeley Jazz Festival
The Berkeley Jazz Festival
The Berkeley Jazz Festival is held once a year at the outdoors Hearst Greek Theatre on the University of California, Berkeley campus. The theatre overlooks the San Francisco Bay at Hearst & Gayley Road. The festival, begun in 1967 by Darlene Chan, is now being produced by "Bay Area Productions",...
and the Hollywood Bowl
Hollywood Bowl
The Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
. She has also toured in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
.
Her most recent album is entitled Moments, and she produced, wrote or co-wrote nine of the 12 songs contained in the album. The album is now in release in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and the first single, "Moments Like This", reached the number 18 spot in the Japanese charts.
Her career
Her professional career started as a teenager in 1977 when she was featured on her brother Ronnie's album entitled "Friends and Strangers", on United Artist Records. In 1979, she was a lead vocalist on her brother Hubert's album, "Land of Passion", on Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
.
Laws made her debut as a solo recording artist in 1981 with the release of her album Very Special on Elektra Records. This album, produced by her two brothers sold in excess of 385,000 copies, while the two singles, "Very Special" and "Be Yourself" sold combined totals in excess of 260,000 copies.
From 1981 through 1990, Laws worked with her three siblings, recording and doing many live performances in the United States and abroad.
In 1985, she recorded "Crusin' Tonight", written and produced by George Duke, for the Heavenly Kid motion picture soundtrack.
In April and May 1991, she toured Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
with the Commodores
Commodores
The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour...
for a 38 city tour. In November of that year, she performed with Kool and the Gang, Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
, Shabba Ranks
Shabba Ranks
Shabba Ranks is a Jamaican dancehall musician.He was one of the most popular dancehall artists of his generation. He was also one of the first Jamaican deejays to gain worldwide acceptance, and recognition for his 'slack' lyrical expressions and content, when "ridin' di riddim"...
, Rita Marley
Rita Marley
Alpharita Constantia Anderson , better known as Rita Marley, and sometimes called "Nana Rita", is the widow of reggae legend/musician Bob Marley, and a member of the trio the I Threes, Bob Marley's backup singers.-Biography:...
, the Commodores
Commodores
The Commodores are an American funk/soul band of the 1970s and 1980s. The members of the group met as mostly freshmen at Tuskegee Institute in 1968, and signed with Motown in November 1972, having first caught the public eye opening for The Jackson 5 while on tour...
and many others at a benefit for the children of Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
held in Lagos
Lagos
Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...
, Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
.
In 1992, she toured Asia in January and February, performing in Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan.
She then began the writing and recording process for an album which was completed in October 1994. In November and December of that year, she toured Europe again.
She has also recorded soundtracks for The Heavenly Kid
The Heavenly Kid
The Heavenly Kid is a 1985 comedy film directed by Cary Medoway and starring Lewis Smith, Jason Gedrick, Jane Kaczmarek, and Richard Mulligan.-Plot:...
, Fighting Back, and Prison Dancer, and is featured on Pam Williams album "Eight Days of Ecstasy".
Lawsuits against Sony Music and Elektra Entertainment Group
In March 2003, Debra Laws sued Sony Music EntertainmentSony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
/Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
in the United States District Court for the Central District of California
United States District Court for the Central District of California
The United States District Court for the Central District of California serves over 18 million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population...
, claiming that the use of samples from "Very Special" without her consent in Jennifer Lopez's
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
recording of "All I Have
All I Have (song)
"All I Have" is the title of a song by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez, featuring American rapper LL Cool J. Written by Lopez, Makeba Riddick, Curtis Richardson, and Ron G and produced by Cory Rooney, Ron G, and Dave McPherson, it was released in December 2002 as the second single from...
" on her album "This Is Me... Then
This Is Me... Then
This Is Me... Then is the third studio album by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez, released on November 19, 2002 by Epic Records. The album debuted at number six on the U.S. Billboard 200 selling 314,000 copies during its first week, then propelled to number two two months later remaining...
" violated her statuory and common law right of publicity
Personality rights
"Personality rights" is a common or casual reference to the proper term of art "Right of Publicity". The Right of Publicity can be defined simply as the right of an individual to control the commercial use of his or her name, image, likeness or other unequivocal aspects of one's identity...
under California law (even though the writers of "Very Special" and Elektra Entertainment Group
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
-- successor to Elektra/Asylum records, which had released the original recording of "Very Special" -- had given their consent to the use of the sample). In November 2003, Judge Lourdes Baird granted Sony Music's motion for summary judgment
Summary judgment
In law, a summary judgment is a determination made by a court without a full trial. Such a judgment may be issued as to the merits of an entire case, or of specific issues in that case....
on the ground that Laws's state law claims were preempted by Section 301 of the United States Copyright Act
United States copyright law
The copyright law of the United States governs the legally enforceable rights of creative and artistic works under the laws of the United States.Copyright law in the United States is part of federal law, and is authorized by the U.S. Constitution...
. In 2006, that decision was affirmed by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is a U.S. federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Alaska* District of Arizona...
.
In 2004, after losing the lawsuit against Sony Music, Laws and her production company, Spirit Productions, Inc. (which is owned and controlled by her brother, Hubert
Hubert Laws
Hubert Laws is an American flutist and saxophonist with a 40+ year career in jazz, classical, and other music genres. Alongside Herbie Mann, Laws is probably the most recognized and respected jazz flutist...
), sued Elektra Entertainment Group (as well as Elektra's parent company, Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
, and former parent, Warner Communications, Inc.
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
), claiming that Elektra was contractually obligated to obtain their consent before agreeing to allow the "Very Special" sound recording to be used in "All I Have (song)
All I Have (song)
"All I Have" is the title of a song by American recording artist Jennifer Lopez, featuring American rapper LL Cool J. Written by Lopez, Makeba Riddick, Curtis Richardson, and Ron G and produced by Cory Rooney, Ron G, and Dave McPherson, it was released in December 2002 as the second single from...
." Laws's claims were dismissed early in the case on res judicata
Res judicata
Res judicata or res iudicata , also known as claim preclusion, is the Latin term for "a matter [already] judged", and may refer to two concepts: in both civil law and common law legal systems, a case in which there has been a final judgment and is no longer subject to appeal; and the legal doctrine...
grounds, and Spirit's claims settled in early 2007 on undisclosed terms.
Acting career
Theater- It Ain't Nothin' But the BluesIt Ain't Nothin' But the BluesIt Ain't Nothin' But the Blues is a musical revue written by Charles Bevel, Lita Gaithers, Randal Myler, Ron Taylor, and Dan Wheetman. It was originally produced at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts, and later presented by the Crossroads Theatre, in association with San Diego Repertory...
- Clothes Pins and Dreams Suds
- The Choice is Yours
- The World is a Playground and a Great Big Circus
Film
- CrossroadsCrossroads (1986 film)Crossroads is a 1986 film starring Ralph Macchio, Joe Seneca and Jami Gertz, inspired by the legend of blues musician Robert Johnson.The film was written by John Fusco and directed by Walter Hill and featured an original score featuring Ry Cooder and Steve Vai on the soundtrack's guitar, and...