The Isley Brothers

• Earlier today, a US court ruled in favour of singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, agreeing his song Thinking Out Loud did not breach musical copyright.
• The high-profile court case, brought by the estate of soul singer Marvin Gaye, claimed Sheeran’s song was too similar to Gaye’s song Let’s Get It On.
• In this case against Sheeran, the song’s chord progression was at the heart of the claim.
• This chord progression and many others are part of the songwriting toolkit of rock and pop and have been heard continuously over the past 70 years.

The 12 bar blues

• One of the oldest chord progressions in pop is the 12-bar blues – a looping pattern of three chords that is very identifiable.
• More recently, Lizzo’s Better in Colour uses the 12-bar blues in a way that makes an old formula fresh.

The ‘doo-wop’ progression

• The “doo-wop” progression has appeared in pop music for close to 80 years, and is named because most doo-wop songs feature this chord progression – it was an essential part of its sound.
• Comedy act Axis of Awesome use a similar progression in their video for 4 Chords, where they cleverly play almost 50 different songs with a variation on these four simple chords.

The I-IV-V (the ‘one, four, five’)

• Perhaps the most common chord progressions in rock and pop are those that use the I, IV and V chords in various combinations.
• They’re usually the first three chords you learn on an instrument and open up thousands of songs to play – from the rock and roll of Summertime Blues by Eddie Cochran, the garage rock of Wild Thing by the Troggs, the bubblegum of Hanson’s Mmmbop and the indie rock of Coldplay’s Yellow, to the modern pop of bad guy by Billie Eilish and good 4 u by Olivia Rodrigo.

Going forward

• Rock, pop, blues, doo wop and other musical genres can often be defined by their use of repeated chord progressions.
• These chord progressions are part of a songwriter’s toolkit in a similar way to how an artist may use different paint brushes.
• It also acknowledges that influence and inspiration from previous works are part of the construction of the pop music we love.

• This year’s tribute will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center and includes a reception and silent auction, followed by a dinner and tribute concert.
• Performers will pay tribute to the individual musical legacies created by Mr. Gordy and Mr. Robinson as well as the music they created together during their decades-long friendship.
• "I am so excited to share the always wonderful MusiCares event with my best friend Smokey Robinson and I can't wait to hear these wonderful artists celebrate the Motown music," says Berry Gordy, founder of Motown.
• For media interested in applying for red carpet credentials, please reach out to Asenath Nakayama at [email protected] .

• Additionally, the event will culminate with a spectacular two-day festival on June 18 and 19 at Emancipation Park.
• "The Emancipation Park 150th Juneteenth celebration will be a grand event to honor the past, embrace the present and look to the future."
• "We look forward to celebrating the 150th birthday of the park during this Juneteenth event."
• Emancipation Park Conservancy is a non-profit 501c3 charitable corporation established in 2014 to restore, manage and enhance Houston's Emancipation Park.

• ESSENCE Communications, Inc., the leading media, technology, and commerce company serving Black women and communities, today announces its major partnership with AT&T, Ford, McDonalds, Target, The Walt Disney Company and UnitedHealth for the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca Cola.
• This years festival is taking place June 30-July 3 in-person in New Orleans and virtually on EssenceFestival.com.
• With an impressive slate of talent, the 2022 ESSENCE Festival of Culture presented by Coca-Cola will deliver diverse programming and impactful moments.
• The Walt Disney Company joins Essence to celebrate "The Power of Joy" with Black excellence reflected across its brands, content, talent, and experiences.