Karma: Michael Bolton Disrespected Isleys, But Ron Tells How They Got Millions From Him As Payback

The Isley Brothers had a legal trouble with vocalist, Michael Bolton, that was strung along for 9 years in the courts. The year they eventually received their victory over Bolton, was in 2000, later the Supreme Court said something like ‘Stop it Bolton and pay them what you theft from them.’

It began in 1991, after The Isley Brothers felt that Bolton, his co-writer, and his label, Sony Music, had al’legedly done a jack move on their 1968 jam, “Love Is A Wonderful thing.” Bolton also named his 1991 hit the same name,“Love Is A Wonderful Thing,” and featured it on his album, Time, Love, & Tenderness, ultimately selling 10 million copies. The Isleys initially attempt to talk it out with Bolton, but as per Ronald Isley, Bolton planned to get truly c’ocky and disrespect them.

That’s when Ronald told he lost all respect for Michael Bolton. In court, Bolton refused he’d ever heard The Isley’s album, but the jury believed that he was telling a big, fat lie later hearing Bolton’s swiss cheese testimony (his story was had so numerous holes in it).‘[The] court ruled that Bolton, co-writer Andrew Goldmark, and Sony Music launching had to give the Isley Brothers $5.2 million in profits from the sales of Bolton’s version [of “Love Is A Wonderful Thing]. The fight ended Jan. 22,

2000 when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Bolton’s appeal of the May ruling. The original attempt jury determined there were five instances in which the Bolton/Goldmark song plagiarized the Isleys’ tune…and that the Isleys [were] to be paid $4.2 million from Sony Music,$932,924 from Bolton, $220,785 from Goldmark, and the balance from Bolton and Goldmark’s music launching company.’