Jump to content

Isaias Gamboa (music producer): Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Isaias24 (talk | contribs)
150 edits
No edit summary
 
(35 intermediate revisions by 11 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Afro-Costa Rican-American music producer}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
|name = Isaias Gamboa
| name = Isaias Gamboa
|image = Isaias Gamboa (music producer).JPG
| image = Isaias Gamboa (music producer).JPG
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|4|21|mf=yes}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1963|4|21|mf=yes}}
| birth_place = [[San Jose, Costa Rica]]
}}'''Isaias Gamboa''' (born April 21, 1963) is an [[Afro-Costa Rican]]-American educator, music producer, songwriter, musician, arranger, author, and filmmaker.
| notable_works = [[We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil's Tongue]]
}}


'''Isaias Gamboa''' (born April 21, 1963) is an [[Afro-Costa Rican]]–American music producer, songwriter, musician, arranger, author and filmmaker. Gamboa is known for his lawsuit which revealed the origin of the [[protest song]] "[[We Shall Overcome]]".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/2016/04/13/474120870/we-shall-overcome-foundation-wages-copyright-war-over-civil-rights-anthem |last=Blair |first=Elizabeth |date=April 13, 2016 |title=Who Owns 'We Shall Overcome'? All Of Us, A Lawsuit Claims |work=[[NPR]] |access-date=December 20, 2023 |archive-date=December 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220152120/https://www.npr.org/2016/04/13/474120870/we-shall-overcome-foundation-wages-copyright-war-over-civil-rights-anthem |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author=David Holthaus |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/28/civil-rights-anthem-we-shall-overcome/2725169/ |title=Book: Cincinnati musician wrote 'We Shall Overcome' |publisher=Usatoday.com |accessdate=2013-09-11 |archive-date=2013-09-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902072246/http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/28/civil-rights-anthem-we-shall-overcome/2725169/ |url-status=live }}</ref> After years of research, Gamboa published the book ''[[We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song On The Devil's Tongue]]'' in 2012,<ref>{{cite web |author=Neff |first=David |title=The Religious Roots of Protest: How Justice Movements Have Coopted The Church's Music |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/march/religious-roots-of-protest.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150320163329/http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/march/religious-roots-of-protest.html? |archive-date=2015-03-20 |accessdate=2015-03-21 |work=Christianity Today}}</ref>{{Unreliable source?|date=April 2024}} which described how "We Shall Overcome" was based on a gospel song by [[Louise Shropshire]] rather than other gospel songs as suggested by [[Pete Seeger]] who had it copyrighted to protect it from abuse.<ref>{{cite web |author=Joel M Beall |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/02/01/shall-overcome-belongs-cincinnati/22593805/ |title='We Shall Overcome' belongs to Cincinnati |publisher=Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati.com |accessdate=2015-02-15 |archive-date=2015-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163207/http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/02/01/shall-overcome-belongs-cincinnati/22593805/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Kimberly Milhoan|url=http://www.acluohio.org/blog-posts/one-woman-three-words-we-shall-overcome/|title=One Woman, Three Words: "We Shall Overcome"|publisher=ACLU press release)|accessdate=2015-03-09|archive-date=2015-02-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150226105446/http://www.acluohio.org/blog-posts/one-woman-three-words-we-shall-overcome|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Dawn Fuller|url=http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=20383|title=UC Historical Collection Reveals the Songwriter Who United the Voice of the National Civil Rights Movement|publisher=University of Cincinnati press release)|access-date=2015-02-28|archive-date=2016-03-04|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304051808/http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=20383|url-status=live}}</ref> Gamboa sued [[The Richmond Organization]] who claimed the rights to the song.<ref name="Lawyers seek to end We Shall Overcome copyright">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36043455 | title=Lawyers seek to end We Shall Overcome copyright | publisher=BBC | date=14 April 2016 | accessdate=14 April 2016 | archive-date=14 April 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160414195253/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36043455 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="billboard-weshalllawsuit">{{cite magazine|title='Happy Birthday' Legal Team Turns Attention to 'We Shall Overcome'|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7332976/we-shall-overcome-public-domain-lawsuit-copyright|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=15 April 2016|archive-date=16 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416042957/http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7332976/we-shall-overcome-public-domain-lawsuit-copyright|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018, the court removed any copyright claims, and stated that the song was public domain.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/the-most-famous-civil-rights-song-we-shall-overcome-is-no-longer-copyrighted/|title=Judge throws out 57-year-old copyright on "We Shall Overcome"|date=September 11, 2017|work=Ars Technica|access-date=September 11, 2017|language=en-us|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911222603/https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/the-most-famous-civil-rights-song-we-shall-overcome-is-no-longer-copyrighted/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/09/11/550209220/federal-judge-rules-first-verse-of-we-shall-overcome-public-domain|title=Federal Judge Rules First Verse Of 'We Shall Overcome' Public Domain|last=Karr|first=Rick|date=September 11, 2017|work=NPR|access-date=September 11, 2017|archive-date=September 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911205054/http://www.npr.org/2017/09/11/550209220/federal-judge-rules-first-verse-of-we-shall-overcome-public-domain|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/01/27/581343567/-we-shall-overcome-ruled-public-domain-in-copyright-settlement|title=We ShallOvercome Ruled Public Domain in Copyright Settlement|last=Karr|first=Rick|date=January 27, 2018|work=NPR|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 9, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209150359/https://www.npr.org/2018/01/27/581343567/-we-shall-overcome-ruled-public-domain-in-copyright-settlement|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-music-weshallovercome/u-s-civil-rights-anthem-we-shall-overcome-now-in-public-domain-idUSKBN1FF2YY|title=US Civil Rights Anthem Now In Public Domain|last=Stempel|first=Jonathan|date=January 26, 2018|work=REUTERS|access-date=February 8, 2018|archive-date=February 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180207122152/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-music-weshallovercome/u-s-civil-rights-anthem-we-shall-overcome-now-in-public-domain-idUSKBN1FF2YY|url-status=live}}</ref>
==Early Life and Career==
Born in San Jose, [[Costa Rica]] to parents of [[Spaniards|Spanish]] and [[Afro-Caribbean]] ancestry. Isaias Gamboa's mother, Carmen Gamboa Beckles, was born in the coastal Costa Rican city of Puerto [[Puerto Limón|Limon]]. His father, Danilo Gamboa Mora, was born in the interior province of [[San Ramón, Costa Rica]].


⚫
Gamboa has written, performed, produced and/or arranged more than 200 songs for recording artists including, [[Shalamar]], [[Gladys Knight & the Pips]], [[Tavares (group)|Tavares]], [[the Brothers Johnson]], [[Dynasty (band)|Dynasty]], [[the Pointer Sisters]], and five albums for [[the Temptations]]. In 1994 Gamboa produced the remix of "Pain" by [[Tupac Shakur]] for the film soundtrack ''[[Above the Rim (soundtrack)|Above the Rim]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/isaias-gamboa-mn0000773692/credits|title=Isaias Gambona: credits as producer, composer or arranger|publisher=ALLMUSIC.com|accessdate=2015-02-15|archive-date=2016-03-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310153158/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/isaias-gamboa-mn0000773692/credits|url-status=live}}</ref>
Gamboa grew up during the 1960s and 70s in the primarily [[African American]] community of [[West Adams, Los Angeles]]. He was first introduced to the piano by his mother at age 5, and by age 11, he was playing several musical instruments. In the early '70s, he was taught the guitar by noted guitarist Edgar Rice of the Alexander Nelson Trio. Under Rice's tutelage, Isaias learned [[Honkey tonk]] guitar and a particular style of [[West Coast blues]] called [[Jump blues]]. At 13, Gamboa accompanied Los Angeles-based Blues singer [[Ernie Andrews]] on the blues guitar at an outdoor event in Los Angeles.

In 1980, at age 17, Isaias was introduced by pop singer [[Foster Sylvers]] to his older brother, R&B music producer [[Leon Sylvers III]], who signed him to his music production and music publishing companies. While still in his teens, Gamboa was signed by music industry executive [[Clive Davis]] as a member of the 1980s R&B band [[Real To Reel]] ([[Arista Records]]).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwH2-v9w3TQ|title = - YouTube|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> Five-time Grammy Award-winning music producers, [[Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis]] produced their first professional recordings; "Can You Treat Me Like She Does," <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=snXBzGibyqc|title = - YouTube|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> and "Don't Keep Me Hangin' On" for Real To Reel.

Isaias Gamboa was the founding member of the 1990s neoclassical R&B singing group, "Double Action Theatre" ([[Polydor Records]], which he produced. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvgOcxiERlw|title = Double Action Theatre " Something Special"|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref>). In the 1990s, Gamboa was discovered by music producer [[Richard Perry]], who mentored him and with whom he worked closely on ''[[For Lovers Only (The Temptations album)|For Lovers Only]]''.

In June 2010, Gamboa released a solo CD entitled "Don't Lie To Me" featuring his vocal and instrumental performances. The 12-song collection was written, produced, performed, and arranged by himself. The CD includes performances by guitarist, [[Larry Carlton]], [[The Temptations]]; drummer, Trevor Lawrence Jr.; singer, Vida Jafari and saxophonist, Donald Hayes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/mn/album/dont-lie-to-me/id379347744|title=Don't Lie to Me by Isaias Gamboa|website=[[iTunes]]|date=11 June 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=David Holthaus |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/28/civil-rights-anthem-we-shall-overcome/2725169/ |title=Book: Cincinnati musician wrote 'We Shall Overcome'|publisher=Usatoday.com |accessdate=2013-09-11}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|author=Samantha Ofole-Prince | publisher=CaribPress News Magazine |url=http://www.caribpress.com/2012/10/13/costa-rican-author-isaias-gamboa/ |title=Costa Rican Author, Isaias Gamboa, Pens Controversial Book|accessdate=2013-05-09}}</ref>

⚫
Gamboa has written, performed, produced, and or arranged more than 200 songs for recording artists including [[Shalamar]], [[Gladys Knight & the Pips]], [[Tavares (group)|Tavares]], [[The Brothers Johnson]], [[Dynasty (band)|Dynasty]], [[The Pointer Sisters]], and five albums for [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] recording artists [[The Temptations]]. Three of these include, ''[[For Lovers Only (The Temptations album)|For Lovers Only]]'', ''[[Phoenix Rising (The Temptations album)|Phoenix Rising]]'', which received a [[Platinum certification]], and the [[Grammy Award]] winning CD ''[[Ear-Resistible]]'', which won the 2001 [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance]]. In 1994. Gamboa produced the remix of "So Much Pain" by the late, [[Tupac Shakur]] for the [[Multi-Platinum]], ''[[Above the Rim (soundtrack)|Above the Rim]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/isaias-gamboa-mn0000773692/credits| title=Isaias Gambona: credits as producer, composer or arranger |publisher=ALLMUSIC.com|accessdate=2015-02-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/80509/billboard-goes-backstage-at-the-grammys| title=Billboard Goes Backstage at the Grammys | date=10 February 2008 |publisher=GRAMMY.com|accessdate=2015-02-15}}</ref>

=="We Shall Overcome" Book, Audiobook and Documentary Film==

Published in 2012, ''[[We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song On The Devil's Tongue]]'' tells the previously undocumented history of the protest anthem, We Shall Overcome. The book also includes biographical information on [[Louise Shropshire]] (1913-1993). According to evidence revealed in Gamboa's book, Shropshire - a hymn writer, civil rights activist and close friend of the Reverend Doctor [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], Rev. [[Fred Shuttlesworth]] and Rev. [[Thomas A. Dorsey]], is most likely to have played an important role in the creation of the iconic freedom anthem, "[[We Shall Overcome]]." The song, popularized by Pete Seeger and others, has been credited to "Unknown" for over half a century. Newly-discovered evidence presented in Gamboa's book traces Shropshire's uncredited involvement with the freedom anthem to her hymn, "If My Jesus Wills," more commonly known as "I'll Overcome" from which ''prima facie'' and other evidence indicates "[[We Shall Overcome]]" was derived.

Lyrics to "If My Jesus Wills":

"I'll Overcome,
I'll Overcome,
I'll Overcome Someday,

Oh yes, If My Jesus Wills,
I Do Believe,
I'll Overcome Someday"

Shropshire's hymn was composed between 1932 and 1942 and copyrighted in 1954. Gamboa's book was featured at the Author's Pavilion at the 2015 [[NAACP]] National Convention.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://naacpauthorpavilion.org/losangeles/authorsubmission/isaias-gamboa |title=Isaias Gamboa &#124; 2014 NAACP Author Pavilion - las vegas, nv |access-date=2016-02-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160215131222/http://naacpauthorpavilion.org/losangeles/authorsubmission/isaias-gamboa |archive-date=2016-02-15 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Audiobook

An abridged, dramatized audiobook version of the book, also named, [[We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song On The Devil's Tongue]] was released in 2011. Narrated and produced by Isaias Gamboa on his Plum Recordings music label, the dramatized four-CD collection also features slave narratives and negro spirituals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0060GF7TW/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp|title=We Shall Overcome : Sacred Song on the Devil's Tongue|website=Amazon}}</ref>
<ref>{{cite web|author=Joel M Beall |url=http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/02/01/shall-overcome-belongs-cincinnati/22593805/ |title='We Shall Overcome' belongs to Cincinnati |publisher=Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati.com |accessdate=2015-02-15}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Kimberly Milhoan|url=http://www.acluohio.org/blog-posts/one-woman-three-words-we-shall-overcome/ |title=One Woman, Three Words: "We Shall Overcome"|publisher=ACLU press release)|accessdate=2015-03-09}}</ref>

Through the efforts of Dr. P. Eric Abercrumbie, the then-Director of Ethnic Programs and Services and the African American Culture and Resource Center at the University of Cincinnati, Louise Shropshire's collection of documents, personal papers and artifacts was acquired in 2014 by the [[University of Cincinnati]] and are preserved in the Rare Books Archives.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dawn Fuller|url=http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=20383 |title=UC Historical Collection Reveals the Songwriter Who United the Voice of the National Civil Rights Movement |publisher=University of Cincinnati press release)}}</ref>

According to ''the University of Cincinnati, The Louise Shropshire Family Papers'' collection includes photographs, family memorabilia, letters, sheet music, and other documents. The collection is held in UC's Archives and Rare Books Library, located on the eighth floor of Blegen Library.
<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jbhe.com/2014/10/university-of-cincinnati-acquires-the-collections-of-louise-shropshire/ |title=University of Cincinnati acquires the collections of Louise Shropshire |date=October 2014 |publisher=The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education |accessdate=2015-02-15}}</ref>

Documentary Film

In September 2010, Gamboa began producing and directing a documentary film, [[Claim the Sky: We Shall Overcome]]." The film tracks his 10-year quest to learn the true origins of We Shall Overcome. The film was initially scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2015 until [[The Richmond Organization]], the music publishing company claiming control of the song, denied Gamboa the use of the song in his film. <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2016/04/13/550209220/Who-Owns-'We-Shall-Overcome'?-All-Of-Us,-A-Lawsuit-Claims|title=Who Owns 'We Shall Overcome'? All Of Us, A Lawsuit Claims|last=Blair|first=Elizabeth|date=April 13, 2016|work=NPR|access-date=December 2, 2023}}</ref> <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10755076|title=Claim-The-Sky:-We-Shall-Overcome : Claim The Sky: We Shall Overcome|website=IMDB}}?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_7_nm_1_q_claim%2520the%2520sky}}</ref>

==The "We Shall Overcome" Lawsuit==


After being denied the use of "We Shall Overcome" in his documentary film, which asserted the fraudulent misappropriation of the anthem, by [[Pete Seeger]] and [[The Richmond Organization]]; on April 12, 2016, the We Shall Overcome Foundation (WSOF), a non-profit organization founded by Gamboa in 2011, filed a class-action lawsuit seeking clarification of the [[copyright]] status of "We Shall Overcome". Since 1960, [[The Richmond Organization]] and Ludlow Music (TRO-Ludlow) have asserted legal ownership of the song based on US copyrights registered in 1960 and 1963. The suit alleged that, at best, only specific arrangements of We Shall Overcome were valid and that a version published in 1948 under the title "We Will Overcome" had expired due to [[Copyright renewal|lack of renewal]].<ref name="Lawyers seek to end We Shall Overcome copyright">{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36043455 | title=Lawyers seek to end We Shall Overcome copyright | publisher=BBC | date=14 April 2016 | accessdate=14 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="billboard-weshalllawsuit">{{cite magazine|title='Happy Birthday' Legal Team Turns Attention to 'We Shall Overcome'|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7332976/we-shall-overcome-public-domain-lawsuit-copyright|magazine=Billboard|accessdate=15 April 2016}}</ref> In September 2017, a judge issued an opinion that there were insignificant differences between the first verses of the 1948 and registered versions for copyright to exist in it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2017/09/the-most-famous-civil-rights-song-we-shall-overcome-is-no-longer-copyrighted/|title=Judge throws out 57-year-old copyright on "We Shall Overcome"|date=September 11, 2017|work=Ars Technica|access-date=September 11, 2017|language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2017/09/11/550209220/federal-judge-rules-first-verse-of-we-shall-overcome-public-domain|title=Federal Judge Rules First Verse Of 'We Shall Overcome' Public Domain|last=Karr|first=Rick|date=September 11, 2017|work=NPR|access-date=September 11, 2017}}</ref>

On January 26, 2018, Judge Denise Cote of the Southern District of New York filed an order in which Ludlow Music and The Richmond Organization—the defendants in the lawsuit—agreed to a settlement stipulating: "Defendants agree that hereafter they will not claim copyright in the melody or lyrics of any verse of the song We Shall Overcome ("the Song"), included in the registration Nos. EU645288 (1960) and EP 179877 (1963). Defendants agree that the melody and lyrics of those verses of the Song are hereafter dedicated to the public domain".

In September 2018, in her final “opinion and order” regarding this case, SDNY District Court Judge Denise Cote wrote the following five statements:

1. “As part of the settlement, defendants agreed to stop claiming a copyright in the melody or lyrics of any verse of the song We Shall Overcome included in their two copyright registrations…”

2. “As for that prong of the motion that sought to dismiss the
the claim of fraud on the copyright office, the complaint plausibly
alleged that the copyrights had been obtained through fraud…”

3. “On summary judgment, this Court found that there
were material factual disputes as to the authorship, divestment,
and fraud on the copyright claims…”

4. “The defendants were even at significant risk of a finding that they had engaged in fraud on the Copyright Office. The applications for registration of the copyrights had omitted material disclosures of prior works and authors…”

5. “It also bears noting that the second motion came on the eve of a
a trial that the parties had already invested substantial effort
preparing for. That motion is best understood as reflecting the
defendants’ lack of confidence in their ability to defend
against either the authorship or fraud challenges to their
copyrights at trial.”

Case 1:16-cv-02725-DLC Document 164 Filed 07/31/18

The documents obtained by Gamboa's as a result of his research, and submitted as evidence to the court, affirmed that Pete Seeger, Guy Carawan, Frank Hamilton, and Myles Horton (widower of Zilphia Horton) knowingly committed fraud on the copyright office by signing their names to a notarized Songwriter’s Agreement for We Shall Overcome in which they falsely stated they were the: “sole writer/s composer/s, and owner/s of said composition, and any and all rights therein; and that said composition has never been published, copyrighted or registered in any part of the world…”

The 1963 Songwriter's Agreement for We Shall Overcome was used by Pete Seeger's music publisher, The Richmond Organization/Ludlow Music, to file the 1963 copyright for We Shall Overcome. It was also proven through their recorded and written statements, also entered as evidence in the case, that none of these purported writers contributed any original melody or lyrics to We Shall Overcome. <ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/01/27/581343567/-we-shall-overcome-ruled-public-domain-in-copyright-settlement|title=We ShallOvercome Ruled Public Domain in Copyright Settlement|last=Karr|first=Rick|date=January 27, 2018|work=NPR|access-date=February 8, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-music-weshallovercome/u-s-civil-rights-anthem-we-shall-overcome-now-in-public-domain-idUSKBN1FF2YY|title=US Civil Rights Anthem Now In Public Domain|last=Stempel|first=Jonathan|date=January 26, 2018|work=REUTERS|access-date=February 8, 2018}}</ref>

In August 2023, Isaias Gamboa published [[So Help Me, God: Pete Seeger Stole "We Shall Overcome"]].<ref>{{cite book| isbn=9798852392107 | title= ''So Help Me, God - Pete Seeger Stole 'We Shall Overcome Overcome'.| last1= Gamboa| first1= Isaias| year= 2023}}</ref> The book presents a summary and copies of the physical evidence presented to the court in the "We Shall Overcome Lawsuit." The four-part documentary film, [[Claim the Sky - We Shall Overcome]], produced, directed, and edited by Isaias Gamboa, was completed in 2023.

Gamboa is a licensed Christian minister. While his mother was a Baptist and his father a Catholic, he also identifies with his Jewish ancestry through his Jamaican maternal grandmother, Louise Teitelbaum. He describes himself as a follower of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Additional details on his spiritual background are contained in Gamboa's 2012 book, ''[[We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song On The Devil's Tongue]]''.<ref>{{cite book| isbn=978-0615475288 | title= ''We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil's Tongue''.| last1= Gamboa| first1= Isaias| year= 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=David Neff |work=Christianity Today |url=http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/march/religious-roots-of-protest.html |title=The Religious Roots of Protest: How Justice Movements Have Coopted The Church's Music|accessdate=2015-03-21}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
Line 95: Line 20:
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:1963 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from San José, Costa Rica]]
[[Category:Writers from San José, Costa Rica]]
[[Category:Costa Rican musicians]]
[[Category:Musicians from San José, Costa Rica]]
[[Category:Costa Rican male writers]]
[[Category:Costa Rican male writers]]
[[Category:People from West Adams, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:People from West Adams, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:20th-century male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century male musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century male writers]]
[[Category:21st-century male writers]]
[[Category:20th-century Costa Rican writers]]
[[Category:21st-century Costa Rican writers]]
[[Category:Costa Rican people of African descent]]
[[Category:Writers of African descent]]
[[Category:Writers about music]]
[[Category:20th-century American songwriters]]
[[Category:21st-century American songwriters]]

Latest revision as of 05:27, 13 May 2024

Isaias Gamboa
Born (1963-04-21) April 21, 1963 (age 61)
San Jose, Costa Rica
Notable workWe Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil's Tongue

Isaias Gamboa (born April 21, 1963) is an Afro-Costa Rican–American music producer, songwriter, musician, arranger, author and filmmaker. Gamboa is known for his lawsuit which revealed the origin of the protest song "We Shall Overcome".[1][2] After years of research, Gamboa published the book We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song On The Devil's Tongue in 2012,[3][unreliable source?] which described how "We Shall Overcome" was based on a gospel song by Louise Shropshire rather than other gospel songs as suggested by Pete Seeger who had it copyrighted to protect it from abuse.[4][5][6] Gamboa sued The Richmond Organization who claimed the rights to the song.[7][8] In 2018, the court removed any copyright claims, and stated that the song was public domain.[9][10][11][12]

Gamboa has written, performed, produced and/or arranged more than 200 songs for recording artists including, Shalamar, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Tavares, the Brothers Johnson, Dynasty, the Pointer Sisters, and five albums for the Temptations. In 1994 Gamboa produced the remix of "Pain" by Tupac Shakur for the film soundtrack Above the Rim.[13]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Blair, Elizabeth (April 13, 2016). "Who Owns 'We Shall Overcome'? All Of Us, A Lawsuit Claims". NPR. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  2. ^ David Holthaus. "Book: Cincinnati musician wrote 'We Shall Overcome'". Usatoday.com. Archived from the original on 2013-09-02. Retrieved 2013-09-11.
  3. ^ Neff, David. "The Religious Roots of Protest: How Justice Movements Have Coopted The Church's Music". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on 2015-03-20. Retrieved 2015-03-21.
  4. ^ Joel M Beall. "'We Shall Overcome' belongs to Cincinnati". Cincinnati Enquirer/Cincinnati.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
  5. ^ Kimberly Milhoan. "One Woman, Three Words: "We Shall Overcome"". ACLU press release). Archived from the original on 2015-02-26. Retrieved 2015-03-09.
  6. ^ Dawn Fuller. "UC Historical Collection Reveals the Songwriter Who United the Voice of the National Civil Rights Movement". University of Cincinnati press release). Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-02-28.
  7. ^ "'Happy Birthday' Legal Team Turns Attention to 'We Shall Overcome'". Billboard. Archived from the original on 16 April 2016. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  8. ^ "Judge throws out 57-year-old copyright on "We Shall Overcome"". Ars Technica. September 11, 2017. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  9. ^ Karr, Rick (September 11, 2017). "Federal Judge Rules First Verse Of 'We Shall Overcome' Public Domain". NPR. Archived from the original on September 11, 2017. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  10. ^ Karr, Rick (January 27, 2018). "We ShallOvercome Ruled Public Domain in Copyright Settlement". NPR. Archived from the original on February 9, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  11. ^ Stempel, Jonathan (January 26, 2018). "US Civil Rights Anthem Now In Public Domain". REUTERS. Archived from the original on February 7, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2018.
  12. ^ "Isaias Gambona: credits as producer, composer or arranger". ALLMUSIC.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-10. Retrieved 2015-02-15.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Isaias_Gamboa_(music_producer)&oldid=1223598715"