‘Helping’ Naomi Sego: The Rest Of The Story
Less than two weeks ago, Kasey Kemp and Judson Horner released an open letter to set the record straight with regard to their departure from Naomi & The Segos. You can read that letter by clicking HERE.
Here’s a portion of the opening paragraph:
“It is an awful thing that the TRUTH has been distorted (especially since this is suppose to be a Christian industry)and now requires this letter to be sent out. As our email friends, you deserve to know the truth about this situation. In sharing this truth with you we sincerely hope this helps to end the “stories” that have been manufactured in recent days.”
Let me just interject here with a seemingly random observation. Any time someone has to stress and re-stress that they’re telling me the truth, my bull-meter goes off.
Here’s another line from their press release: “Having watched the financial situation take its toll on Naomi for several months, Judson and I were forced with a decision. Go down with the ship, or relieve the weight from the Captain?”
They went on to reveal that they decided to leave due to financial issues. Fair enough. They announced they had formed a CD/DVD duplication business several weeks earlier in order to relieve some of their own financial shortfalls since their work with the group wasn’t paying the bills. Again, fair enough. They went on to explain that they had given a five week notice to Naomi. They worked two of those weeks, and took off the next two when Naomi was scheduled to make appearances with the Golden Girls (the late Dottie Rambo and Lulu Roman). They were then shocked to learn their services would not be required for Memorial Day weekend. The press release concluded with a plug for their new CD/DVD duplication business, a plea to pray for Naomi to experience a “financial miracle” in order to stay on the road, and a plug for what was called the “final” Naomi & The Segos CD due to hit stores in June 2008.
Now, here’s where you learn the part Kemp and Horner didn’t tell you.
Kemp and Horner have filed Articles Of Organization in the state of North Carolina to create a limited liability company called “The Segos, LLC.” In addition to ‘helping’ Naomi by removing the financial stress of their paychecks, they evidently think the burden of the Segos name should be their own to bear. The date of this filing was April 28, 2008. This date curiously works out to just one week AFTER they gave Naomi Sego their five-week notice. Chuck Peters has a copy of the paperwork which you can see by clicking HERE.
Would someone please explain to me how on earth you resign from a group and then file paperwork to start a business using THAT GROUP’S NAME one week later? Then you have the audacity to issue a press release complaining about rumors and bringing up your unrelated CD/DVD duplication company when in fact, you’ve started a business attempting to continue making a living as The Segos? Those rumors that Kemp and Horner named in their press release are pretty mild compared to reality. I’d have let people go on thinking I’d left with no notice and trashed the bus if I was in the process of trying to take legal possession of the legacy of the Sego name after I’d already resigned.
One of my first jobs was delivering drinks for the Coca-Cola company. I worked for them a couple of summers. I wonder how far I’d have made it if I’d tried this stunt when I resigned my position. What’s sad is that if Naomi really is as financially strapped as she’s been made out to be, she may not have the means to challenge Kemp’s and Horner’s right to use the Segos name.
UPDATE (June 2, 4:29 PM): Susan Unthank helpfully points out that Kemp has issued a statement today. He and Horner have abandoned this LLC company and they’re in the process of canceling the paperwork they filed in April. It still isn’t entirely clear why this paper was signed after they’d submitted their notices. It still isn’t clear why someone told Naomi Sego she couldn’t bill herself as “The Segos.” Those rabbits aren’t worth chasing, in my opinion. This story is over.
Seems to me if Naomi’s last name is Sego, shouldn’t she be getting the rights to it? Ridiculous…
Hopefully some good Christian lawyer will see this and help Naomi. This stinks, smells, and looks rotten any way you look at it.
Why on earth would they want to do this? There can be no logical explanation.
The logical explanation is that they may have an eye on the value of “All Things Sego” on that unfortunate day when Naomi passes away. (Not to be gruesome, but it IS a fact that all of our legends are going to heaven – and Naomi is certainly a legend).
The two of them (with a possible third member) can do tribute concerts, featuring the songs she was best known for – as the last of the faithful who traveled with her while she still had a trio. This, with the duplication business, may provide enough support for them. And, it may have worked – if we didn’t find out about their move to form this corporation.
Am I saying this is what they are planning? No – of course not! But, in the light of Thom saying there can be no logical explanation for this – try this explanation on for size. It certainly may seem logical to them.
Especially since there are at least 4 groups operating under the “Blackwood” name today.
Whatever their motivation, I don’t think Naomi is jumping up and down excited about their plans. I also don’t think I’ll be considering their duplication business for my group’s needs.
But here’s what I will consider. If someone starts a fund to help Naomi fight this legally -I will contribute to it.
One thing is for certain. I don’t believe the public was to learn of their filing for the new corporation. I think that was supposed to be a secret.
Oops!
Kasey Kemp has issued a statement that you can read at SoGospelNews.com
[...] 3, 2008 by burkesbrainwork LIke most others in the SG world, I am following the Sego story closely. I’m just choosing to reserve comment until things become a little less [...]
How was this suppose to “help” lighten Naomi’s load? I mean there is nothing that has been said that shows proof of the name useage lightening her load. If they wanted to lighten her load, they should have continued to sing with her and start a dupilcation business under a new name. Then rely on the duplication business to pay they differance in bills. I keep hearing “to help Naomi”, but this seems to have made things more difficult for her.
You guys messed up!
I see my last comment was deleted. Typical of you hypocrites. You always resist the truth.
Judson,
Yes, I usually delete slanderous comments about third parties. It’s not so much a matter of resisting the truth as it is a matter of not taking slander at face value. Plus, I also tend to delete nasty comments about the way people sing. Sometimes I let them slide, but yours were particularly mean-spirited.
Provide me with indisputable documentation similar to the documentation Chuck Peters found on what you guys were up to back in April, and I’ll consider writing an article about it. No promises, of course, but I will look into it and pass it along to my readers if I think it’s anything they’d care about.
Or, you can always issue a press release or post whatever you have to say on some other site. There are certainly some bloggers out there who are more permissive about what they’ll allow in a comment than I am.
Well if you would do your homework, you will see that there is no documentation for CVM as legal business. But the more I look at it, all of you are involved with CVM some form or another. So it doesn’t matter what anybody says. If you keep Cerce’s comments on here then you should have no problem if the devil himself should post anything on here. Shame on all of you.
Thank you for presenting the “FACTS”.
Naomi is truly one of the few remaining “legends” in Southern Gospel Music, along with gals like Eva Mae and Lily Fern. It is sad that she even has to deal with a situation like this. She still sings very well too. Naomi has a unique sound and you instantly recognize her voice on radio. Above all, she is a Godly Christian woman who sings the gospel for HIS GLORY not $$$$$$$$. God is not done with the REAL Segos yet. May he grant her the health, strength and determination to kepp on keepin on. She’s been through bumps in the road before, and she will make it over this one as well. There are a lot of us out here who love and respect her so very much. We should all keep her in our prayers.
Thanks again for presenting both sides of the issue and for bringing out the facts on this situation.