Genesis Guitarist Steve Hackett May Lose Share of Royalties in Divorce

Rock stars are commitment phobic enough. If the millions paid out by Paul McCartney and Phil Collins in their recent divorces weren’t enough to sound the death knell for rocker marriages, the case of Collins’ former Genesis bandmate Steve Hackett might just do the trick.

Hackett, the guitarist of the band through 1977 divorced his wife, jewelry and art designer Kim Poor, last year after 32 years of marriage. Now Poor is now fighting back, going to court to claim a portion of the royalties from his share of the Genesis catalog, according to the Times of London.

The nitty gritty of the case is that Hackett, who left the group in 1977 to go on to a solo career, formed a firm, Stephen Hackett Ltd, and all rights and earnings from his days with the group, which include such prog rock staples as ‘The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway,’ ‘A Trick of the Tail’ and ‘Selling England by the Pound,’ were channeled into that company. In 2006, Hackett said he would be employed by the company bearing his name for the next decade and it would get all the benefits of his past work. However, Poor is alleging that he violated that agreement and starting receiving payment directly. While Hackett’s lawyer maintains he is entitled to get paid his money in cash, Poor says she is simply trying to protect the company the two of them jointly own. Got it? Good.

If Poor wins, the resulting judgment could be worth millions of pounds, but this isn’t really about the money for most watching. Should the settlement go in her favor, it could set a precedent in English courts that entitles spouses to a share of intellectual properties. If that happens, rock star marriages could never be the same. While we’re not sure who we’re rooting for, it certainly makes this jointly-written letter from Hackett and Poor where they “wish each other all happiness and success in years to come” seem a little dated.