Bluesfest v. Ranglin?

Ranglin,81, was advertised to return to the festival as part of “Jamaican Legends” with Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare and Bitty McLean and do headline shows.

When Ranglin pulled out Oct. 11, Bluesfest founder Peter Noble suggested the performer may have received a better offer elsewhere.

Ranglin told Australian media he was not aware he was on the Bluesfest bill.

Noble contends he had emails in August from Ranglin’s manager/agent Mark van den Bergh from Amsterdam, and Eric Addeo from AMI Agency in New York, both confirming the tour.

Noble also said he had in his possession emails written by Ranglin and his wife Joan acknowledging the tour.

Noble also revealed he had earlier, in March 2013, met agent Christian Georgiadis from the French agency Bacana about a Jamaican Legends tour.

He subsequently discovered he had not booked Ranglin through 2013 or around the time of Bluesfest.

Georgiadis “has blocked (the Australian visit) for purposes which should best be described as unethical and self serving,” Noble claimed.

Georgiadis subsequently maintained he served as a non-exclusive agent for Ranglin, and that the Jamaican performer had his own reasons for pulling out.

Georgiadis told media, “I also consider this situation an untrustworthy and unfair campaign. Its public exposure seems unfounded and to a certain extent also ridiculous.”

The final word (for this week) was Noble telling the Sydney Morning Herald that he heard Georgiadis was offering Ranglin for an Australian visit a few weeks before Bluesfest.

“I’ll be speaking to my lawyers this afternoon, I think I’ve got a lawsuit against [Georgiadis],” he told the paper.