Great White and Jack Russell End Legal Tug-of-War Over Band Name
Great White's most recent reunion ended with original singer Jack Russell out of the lineup and fighting for the right to use the band's name -- a fight that's now ended in what looks like a rock 'n' roll draw.
The two sides announced an end to their pending litigation yesterday, revealing that after several days of closed-door mediation, they've agreed that the Russell-free version of the band can continue to tour and record as Great White, while Russell's band will go forward as Jack Russell's Great White.
The decision marks the end of a saga that started in March 2012, when Russell sued the rest of the band for continuing to perform as Great White after he'd "taken a leave of absence from the band for medical reasons." Neither side appeared willing to give in, and their settlement allows things to stay more or less the same -- with two Great Whites in the studio and on the road.
The split diluted the value of a band name that's already taken a pretty solid beating over the past 20 years, with changing trends and tragedy overshadowing Great White's latter-day output, while a series of breakups and reunions have prevented the group from establishing any kind of creative momentum. Fans hoping for a full-scale reunion may be disappointed by the terms of the settlement, but two Great Whites are better than none ... right?