Destiny's Lawsuit Settled

Ex-Destiny Child members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson have settled their lawsuit against original group members, Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, their manager and Knowles' father, Matthew, and the group's label, Sony Music.

The lawsuit charged all parties with breach of contract, defamation, libel and fraud. Terms of the settlement, which was reached on July 24th, were not disclosed.

Luckett and Roberson were original members of the group but quit two years ago after complaints about Matthew Knowles' management. The suit alleges that Mr. Knowles attempted to gain legal guardianship of Luckett and Roberson, refused to share financial information with them and their parents, and unlawfully replaced them in the group without informing them. Luckett and Roberson claimed that they found out they were no longer in Destiny's Child when they saw the video for the group's hit single "Say My Name" with their replacements lip-synching to the vocals they recorded.

Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams replaced Luckett and Roberson, but Franklin left shortly after and the group has since remained a trio.

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Song Stories

“Tonight's the Night”

The Shirelles | 1960

The lead cut and title track from this girl group's debut album, "Tonight's the Night" was written by 19-year-old bandmember Shirley Owens, who sings lead, and producer Luther Dixon. The band from Passaic, New Jersey met in high school, first calling themselves the Pequellos. The song's frank thoughts about sexual and emotional surrender was racy for the time, but that didn't stop the Chiffons from cutting a similar version immediately after the original came out. "We were the first female group to write some of our own material," band member Beverly Lee recalls. "We did have some say-so in our writing."

More Song Stories entries »

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