Former Wilco member Jay Bennett sued band founder Jeff Tweedy in Cook County Circuit Court on Monday, claiming Tweedy owes him money from the band’s 2002 documentary and royalties on songs written during Bennett’s seven years with the group.
The suit, which seeks $50,000 in damages, argues that “as a recording musician in Wilco, Bennett is entitled to compensation for his services rendered in the form of continuing and perpetual artist royalty payments from” Tweedy.
It concedes that Bennett was paid during his years in the group, but only in “infrequent partial payments” equivalent to 15 percent of the band’s income from sales and performances.
Bennett claims Tweedy did not compensate him for his appearance in the 2002 film “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart,” which documented the sometimes contentious creative process behind the making of the “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot” album in 2000-01.
The suit argues that Tweedy “never obtained the necessary releases for the use of Bennett’s performance in the film.”
Bennett was a key member of Wilco from 1994 to 2001; he was a multi-instrumentalist and Tweedy’s primary collaborator. But soon after the completion of “Yankee Hotel Foxtrot,” Bennett was ousted from the band. It was in many ways a classic power struggle, with Bennett asserting that he was a co-leader of the band Tweedy had formed. Bennett joined the band a few months after it began in 1994 as lead guitarist, but his role quickly expanded to include songwriting and production.
Bennett has gone on to a solo career in which he has made several albums and produced other artists’ work. Wilco’s next album, “Wilco (The Album),” is due out in June.