The present Grace Thrillers are (stooping in front) Noel Willis Jr. (left) and Alrick O'Connor (seated) Hemmings (left) Shalli Burrell (centre) and Cadian Brown; and (at back) Mary Lewis (left) and Natalie Foster. - Contributed

Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

Claiming they were exploited in the name of gospel music, members of Thrillers United plan to sue their former group, Grace Thrillers, for years of service without reaping the rewards.

Since the 1970s, the gospel group Grace Thrillers has seen members come and go, eventually becoming one of the most known and energetic gospel groups around. Recently, the group has experienced a much publicised 'rebirth', with all new and young members. However, long-standing former members of the group have come together to shed light on their years and mis-service in the group. According to entertainment lawyer Conrad Powell, the Grace Thrillers went from a primarily non-profit organisation to a profit-driven entity and the former members did not receive any profit.

Former members

Some of these former members of the Grace Thrillers - Shirley Willis, Sandra Brooks, Dian Barnett Stewart, Marcia Patricia Archer and Leroy Smith - years after leaving the group joined together in 2005 to form the Thrillers United. Powell is representing members of the Thrillers United in a soon-to-be-filed lawsuit against the Grace Thrillers Outreach Ministries Ltd., Grace Thrillers Music and the founder and CEO of Grace Thrillers, Noel Willis. According to Powell, his clients received very little money for their work in the group.

Powell stated that "My clients were so young when they started and they were promised the world. They worked so hard and received so little. We're suing for unpaid royalties in the sum of US$5 million ($335 million). We're also suing for misappropriation of likeness and image and fraudulent conversion of assets and breach of contract."

Members of the Thrillers United claim to be disillusioned and underpaid for their work in the Grace Thrillers. Back in 1978 when a young and hopeful 20-something Leroy Smith joined Grace Thrillers, his expectations were high for his future in the group. "The Grace Thrillers were strapped in workload and the manager decided to form a Grace Thrillers 2. However, that did not pan out and hence I ended up in the original group. When I joined the Grace Thrillers in 1978 they had two albums; when I left they had 18 albums. I did 16 albums with them and received hardly anything," Smith said.

Regroup

Smith officially left the Grace Thrillers in December 2002, after handing in his resignation. According to Smith, he was not seeing eye to eye with Noel Willis. "Although there was a board of directors, he (Noel Willis) really had the last word. Things went the way he wanted it to go. Things got particularly worse after a three-month tour we had in 2001. After the tour there was to be a break to 'regroup' our energies. That's when all the confusion started," Smith told The Sunday Gleaner. According to Smith, a number of meetings followed and his relationship with Willis slowly deteriorated.

A disillusioned Smith recounts his years of service to the group, becoming more than just a singer but the life behind the group, the technician, bearer - everything.

"I received nothing from the Grace Thrillers. I got nothing apart from my basic salary, which was nothing to talk about. No royalties, no nothing at all. No one has received money from the albums. Only later on did I receive a mere US$200 from the tours; that never happened in the beginning. He (Noel Willis) would tell us in meeting after meeting that if you took care of the group, the group would take care of us," he said.

Eventually, Smith left the group and started a solo career. However, there were still many fans who missed his and other older members' presence, and suggested they should form a group together. After many discussions among the other members the Thrillers United was formed on August 20, 2005. "The requests kept coming in and we realised that people had given us so much, it was natural for us to give back to the people. For us it isn't about the money," Smith said.

Just when it looked as if his years in the Grace Thrillers were behind him, shortly after launching the Thrillers United in 2005, Smith received a letter from the lawyers of Noel Willis, telling the group to desist from using the name 'Thrillers United'.

Thrillers United

That was when Smith contracted the assistance of Conrad Powell who trademarked the name 'Thrillers United'. After being sued Smith and other members decided to take a stand. "When I joined Grace Thrillers they had no money and look at them now. At the end of the day I realise I walked away from the group empty-handed. I came out with nothing and Grace Thrillers have so much. Overall, sometimes I feel real bad within myself to know I have served in this group tirelessly; I sacrifice so much for this group. Those albums I contributed to are selling and have sold thousands," Smith said.

Despite his tribulations, Smith says he wants closure more than anything else. "I need closure. If anything come to me financially I would accept, but mainly I need closure," he said.

Efforts to contact Willis proved futile up to press time. However, in a previous interviewwith The Sunday Gleaner entitled 'Thrillers by grace, harmony by unity', Willis testified that he had no contact with the former group members. He said in reference to whether there was only one group called Grace Thrillers, "Yes, there is. In 2003 there were some problems and some of the members chose to leave and we replaced them. When they left they did solo careers for a while and then teamed up calling themselves 'Thrillers United'. That caused some confusion, because people were still referring to them as 'Grace Thrillers'."