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Primary Wave Acquires Rights to Classic Shirley & Lee Song "Let the Good Times Roll"

December 14th, 2010

PRIMARY WAVE MUSIC PUBLISHING ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO CLASSIC SHIRLEY & LEE SONG “LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL”

(New York, NY) — Primary Wave Music Publishing, one of the largest independent music publishing and marketing companies in the United States, today announced that they have acquired the publishing rights to the 1956 Shirley & Lee classic R&B song “Let the Good Times Roll”.  “Let the Good Times Roll” was New Orleans-based Shirley & Lee’s biggest hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard R&B chart and #20 on the Hot 100 singles chart and selling over one million copies.

Larry Mestel, CEO of Primary Wave Music says, “I am proud to have this important piece of our American musical history within our ranks.  ‘Let the Good Times Roll’ is a significant cultural apex of the era it was created in and we’re thrilled to be entrusted with this tremendous work of art.”

The seminal New Orleans R&B group Shirley & Lee consisted of Shirley Goodman and Leonard Lee, who were school mates and eventually were paired by executives at Aladdin Records.  Dubbed “the Sweethearts of the Blues”, Shirley & Lee also had success with “I’m Gone” and “I Feel Good”, though neither single achieved the chart triumph of “Let the Good Times Roll”.  Shirley Goodman had a busy solo career, reaching #12 on the Billboard charts with the 1974 disco classic “Shame, Shame, Shame”, as well as providing vocals for artists such as Dr. John, Sonny & Cher, and The Rolling Stones on the timeless album Exile on Main Street.  Leonard Lee became a social worker and passed away in 1976 after suffering a heart attack.

Prior to her death in 2005, Goodman spoke about the origins of the song, explaining, “An old man shouted it out one night in a club as we were performing, just like we sang it — ‘Hey Shirley, come on baby let the good times roll.’ And then I said to Lee, ‘Ooh, did you hear what he said?’ And the next night we sat down at the piano and we wrote it, the birth of the song ‘Let the Good Times Roll’”.

Goodman’s son, Calvin Pixley, says, “I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with Primary Wave Music Publishing.  I am 100% certain that I have entrusted the right people to help us market my mother’s greatest work.”

About Primary Wave Music Publishing and Marketing:

Primary Wave is one of the largest music publishers and music marketers in the United States. It is a global music company that markets its unique publishing repertoire, which includes an interest in the Beatles songs written by John Lennon, the catalogs of Kurt Cobain/Nirvana, Steven Tyler/Aerosmith, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Lee Loughnane of the band Chicago, Maurice White (Earth, Wind & Fire), Steve Earle, Daniel Johnston, Marvin Hamlisch, The Matrix , Lamont Dozier and Steven Curtis Chapman, as well as developing artists such as Airborne Toxic Event, Albert Hammond Jr., John Forte, The Boxer Rebellion, New Boyz, Anberlin, Matt Serletic and Emblem Music Group, as well as marketing and administration agreements with Def Leppard, Gregg Allman, Katrina and The Waves, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Graham Parker, Evolution Entertainment/Twisted Pictures, Hammer Films, and many others. Additionally, Primary Wave manages artists such as Cee Lo Green, Cody Simpson, Lords & Lady, Big Sean, Saving Abel, Taddy Porter, Volbeat, and 4 Troops as well as writers/producers such as Brian Kennedy, Matty Trump, Troy “Radio” Johnson and Ali Tamposi. Primary Wave is based in New York with offices in Los Angeles and Austin, Texas.