Primary Wave has acquired a stake in the catalog of Gerry Goffin, lyricist for dozens of classic songs with his former wife Carole King: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow,” “(You Make Me Feel Like a) Natural Woman,” “Up on the Roof,” “The Loco-Motion,” “One Fine Day,” “Take Good Care of My Baby,” “Wasn’t Born to Follow,” “Pleasant Valley Sunday,” “I’m Into Something Good” and many, many other songs that epitomized the “Brill Building” sound that dominated the hit parade of the early ‘60s. Goffin-King songs reigned throughout that decade and long after the pair stopped collaborating around the time of their divorce in 1968, and have been performed by everyone from Aretha Franklin, the Beatles and the Shirelles to the Monkees, Grand Funk Railroad and Kylie Minogue. The pair were inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame in 1987 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Goffin died in 2014 at the age of 75.
Sources say the company has acquired a sizable stake in Goffin’s catalog for $20 million.
The deal also encompasses several songs Goffin wrote with other songwriters such as Russ Titelman, Barry Goldberg, and Michael Masser which include the Oscar nominated “Theme From Mahogany (Do You Know Where You’re Going To)” and the Golden Globe nominated “So Sad the Song.” Goffin continued to write hit after hit throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, penning such classics as Peabo Bryson & Roberta Flack’s platinum selling international hit “Tonight, I Celebrate My Love For You” and Whitney Houston’s “Saving All My Love For You” — her first No. 1 single and a Grammy winner in 1985.
Throughout his 4+ decade career, Goffin wrote 114 Billboard Hot 100 hits, eight of which went to No. 1.
“Not only did Gerry Goffin personally impact my life, he has universally impacted the world through his extraordinary songs,” says Christine Russell, Founding Partner at Evolution Music Partners. “Having managed Gerry Goffin’s catalogue for over twenty years, it is my pleasure and honor to be working with the incredible team at Primary Wave to continue to represent this iconic songwriter and his legendary song catalogue.”
Larry Mestel, CEO & Founder of Primary Wave Music, adds “The songs Gerry Goffin penned over the course of his incredible career are proven to be ageless and have stood the test of time. We are thrilled to have these iconic songs, some of which are among the greatest of all time, on our roster. We are honored to welcome him to the family of Primary Wave Music artists.”
Over the past 15 years Primary Wave has built a business working with creators or their estates to monetize not just song catalogs but artists-as-brands, involving everything from musicals to official sneakers. Their roster includes Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks — with whom they partnered in a reported $100 million deal last year — Sun Records, Bob Marley, Prince Smokey Robinson, Whitney Houston, Burt Bacharach, Ray Charles, Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons, Aerosmith, War, Robbie Robertson, Count Basie, Sly & The Family Stone and many more.
