The estate of Chris Bailey – the frontman and sole constant member of The Saints from their inception until his death in 2022 – have spoken out against the upcoming tour billed The Saints 73–78, headed up by founding members Ed Kuepper and Ivor Hay. In a statement shared on Friday (June 14th), the estate said that it “questioned the decision” to have the supergroup go out on tour performing The Saints’ songs, with Mudhoney‘s Mark Arm replacing the late Bailey.
“Neither the family, nor the Chris Bailey Estate, were informed or consulted on this decision,” the statement read. “We are surprised that Mark Arm agreed to do this without consultation.” The estate further alleges that both Kuepper and his manager, Tim Pittman, have been releasing “unauthorised merchandise and reissues without any consultation with the Estate” and that the pair have attempted “to reduce or negate the role Chris Bailey played in the original Saints” in interviews.
The Saints – ‘Know Your Product’
Pittman responded to the estate’s claims when speaking to Double J, denying that either the merch or the vinyl reissues were illegitimate. “[They were both] approved by the Bailey estate: the artwork, the idea, and the bank details that they gave me for payment for the supposed unapproved releases,” he said.
Furthermore, Pittman notes that neither Kuepper nor Hay “need to get anyone’s approval to perform the songs that they wrote and recorded”. To avoid legal confusion with The Saints – a name which the Bailey estate holds the rights to – the tour is billed as The Saints ’73–’78, and is a moniker that Pittman alleges Bailey had approved of while still alive.
“After having agreed to terms with Chris prior to his death, and the other members of The Saints, we use it… to differentiate ourselves from the other Saints,” he said. “[The estate] requested of us to use that name moving forward in whatever manner we were using it to promote that era of the band. We were already using it anyway, so it was a no-brainer for us to say yes. The Bailey estate took exception to the fact that Chris had agreed to everything prior.”
Further Reading
Magic Dirt Release Cover of The Saints’ ‘(I’m) Stranded’
The Saints Drummer & Music Journalist Iain Shedden Dies, Aged 60
Nick Cave Pays Tribute To His “Favourite Singer” Chris Bailey Of The Saints
