CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - The man who invented the scream of "SOUL TRAIN!!!" for the popular show says he has been withheld royalty payments through the years.
In a lawsuit filed Jan. 12 in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Joe Cobb, an 80-year-old radio legend from Little Rock, Arkansas, is suing Black Entertainment Television (BET), Paramount Global, and CBS Entertainment Group.
The suit revolves around the use of Cobb's iconic "Soul Train Scream" which has been globally recognized for more than five decades.
Cobb's complaint alleges that his famous scream was used to brand and introduce the "Soul Train" music program without providing him with adequate compensation. Despite receiving royalty checks from Don Cornelius Productions while the show was running, Cobb claims he was not compensated after the Soul Train franchise was sold in 2007.
Cobb asserts that he contacted SAG-AFTRA union multiple times to inquire about his royalty payments but was told they had no file on him. Later, when a file was found, it allegedly contained no information about his broadcast history or involvement with Soul Train.
The defendants in this case are accused of ignoring and depriving Cobb of his right to commercially benefit from the use of his famous voice. The lawsuit comes as Soul Train continues to enjoy worldwide success with its branded cruise experience, DVD sets of the television series, syndicated reruns, an “American Soul” miniseries, ringtones on smartphones among other products, the suit says.
Cobb is represented by Chicago lawyer Manotti Jenkins.