The Mary Wallopers urge fans to support crowdfunder to help Dick Gaughan "retrieve his music"

The Mary Wallopers have urged fans to support singer-songwriter Dick Gaughan in the fight for his music rights.

Dick Gaughan is a 77 year old Scottish musician, known for writing social protest songs such as 'Workers' Song' and for playing with trad band The Boys of the Lough. The rights to eight of his albums, released between 1972 to 1992, belong to Celtic Music, a Yorkshire-based record label. Gaughan has stated that he hasn't received royalties for these works since 1985.

"Like many, Dick Gaughan has been a big influence on us. Sadly, the rights to seven of Dick’s albums, from the 70s to the 90s are held by an entity named ‘Celtic Music’ and he has not been paid royalties since 1985," wrote the Mary Wallopers on social media.

"To help Dick retrieve the rights to his music, a GoFundMe has been set up to cover the significant legal costs. This is not just about royalties, it is about making this music accessible again as the albums are long out of print and unavailable digitally."

 

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Gaughan's legal team is currently taking action against Celtic Music.

Journalist Colin Harper launched the Dick Gaughan Legacy Project last year, releasing a box set of Gaughan's past performances.

Folk-rock musician Billy Bragg, who performed with Gaughan in the '80s, expressed his support for the project last March, stating: "Dick Gaughan's entire career has been about showing solidarity for people in need. Let's show some solidarity for him now and get this project funded and flying."

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