Bands resolve dispute over The Clovers name

[October 12, 2013]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two groups with ties to the 1950s R&B group The Clovers who had been fighting over the use of the band's name have come to an agreement.

Lawyers for the two groups filed a document Friday in federal court in Washington saying they've settled a lawsuit over the name.

The original group The Clovers started performing in the Washington area and gained fame in the 1950s, in particular for their song "Love Potion No. 9." The group's fame fell off in the 1960s, however, and the members moved on, with different band mates still using The Clovers name over the years.

Earlier this year, Florida resident Harold Winley, who was part of the group in the 1950s, sued to be able to use the name when performing. Winley's former band mate, Harold Lucas, trademarked the name in the 1980s with other performers, and they continued to use it after Lucas' death. Winley sued the Lucas group, saying they should be barred from using the name.

As a result of an agreement between the groups, however, Winley will now perform as Harold Winley and the Clovers. The Lucas group will continue to call themselves The Clovers.

Winley, 80, called the resolution "all right with me" and said he hopes to perform "as much as I can."

One of the members of The Clovers, Charles Stevens, said Friday that it's a resolution everyone can live with.

"We all are clovers," said Stevens, whose group's next performance is in December in Maryland.

The song "Love Potion No. 9" was written and composed by Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber, the duo behind many of Elvis Presley's biggest hits.

After The Clovers' version rocketed up the charts in 1959, the song was covered by various groups and singers, most notably England's The Searchers, who had a hit version of it a few years later. The Clovers' version was later featured in George Lucas' iconic 1973 film "American Graffiti."

[Associated Press; By JESSICA GRESKO]

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