AUGUSTA, Ga. " The legal feud over the estate of James Brown is stalling the release of the soul legend's final recordings, his longtime adviser said.
Brown cut an album in Los Angeles the summer before he died in December 2006, but the songs are not being released because of courtroom disputes about who should benefit from his legacy and music royalties, said attorney Buddy Dallas. There are also between 50 and 60 other previously recorded songs in vaults, Dallas said.
Brown's fourth son, Daryl, is one of five heirs trying to have their father's will voided because they say his former advisers " including Dallas " used undue influence to get the singer to create charitable trusts from which the advisers would profit. The other advisers named in the lawsuit are Alford Bradley and David Cannon.
Dallas quit as an estate trustee in November but now is trying to retract his resignation.
Daryl Brown, who is lead guitarist for his father's backing band, the Soul Generals, says he is not aware of any recordings done in California in 2006. Brown and the Soul Generals were working on an album at a studio in Georgia, but they only finished two songs before the singer died, his son said.
But he said there are dozens of unreleas ed songs stored in vaults and on master tapes at Brown's Beech Island, S.C., estate.
Brown died on Christmas Day 2006 of heart failure. He was 73.