Johnny Cash’s Estate Is Suing Coca Cola
Food News!
Johnny Cash’s estate is taking Coca Cola to court, and the reason is pretty wild.
The estate says Coca Cola misled fans by using a Johnny Cash soundalike in a college football commercial. The song in the ad is not from Johnny Cash’s catalog, but the voice is close enough that plenty of people thought it was the real “Man in Black.”
The lawsuit was filed in Tennessee under the new ELVIS Act, which protects a person’s voice from being used without permission. A lawyer for the estate wrote that “Coca Cola is pirating Johnny Cash’s voice in a nationwide advertising campaign” and then he called it “theft of his integrity, identity and humanity.”
The estate wants damages and a court order to stop the ad.
On the flip side, the actual singer in the ad is impersonator Shawn Barker. And he was thrilled for the gig. His manager said Shawn has spent over twenty years performing as Johnny Cash and loved getting the chance to sing for the spot.
SOURCE: The Boot
