Isaac Hayes’ Family Sues Trump Campaign for Unauthorized Use of “Hold on, I’m Coming”

The family of Isaac Hayes is suing Donald Trump and his campaign for continued unauthorized use of the Sam & Dave hit song “Hold on, I’m Coming,” which was co-written by the late soul icon.

On Sunday, Isaac Hayes III, the Grammy and Oscar-winner’s son, posted on social media that the family had filed suit over the Trump campaign’s use of the Sam & Dave hit at its rallies from 2022 to this year, as most recently as in Montana on Aug. 9 “even with your office apparently aware that you had no permission,” according to the legal letter.

“We the family of @_isaachayes Isaac Hayes Enterprises, represented by Walker & Associates, are suing Donald Trump and his campaign for 134 counts copyright infringement for the unauthorized use of the song “Hold on, I’m Coming” at campaign rallies from 2022-2024,” the official Isaac Hayes account posted on X (formerly Twitter), in a post signed by The Hayes Family.

The post added, “We demand the cessation of use, removal of all related videos, a public disclaimer, and payment of $3 million in licensing fees by August 16, 2024. Failure to comply will result in further legal action.”

In the Notice of Copyright Infringement dated Aug. 11 and addressed to both Trump and the Trump campaign, which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter on Monday, the family’s attorney James L. Walker, Jr. also requested the campaign release an official statement as an official disclaimer that the family and Hayes Estate “have not authorized, endorsed or permitted use of the Isaac Hayes Enterprises’ property at any point, now or in perpetuity throughout the universe.”

On his own Instagram account Sunday, Isaac Hayes III elaborated more forthright reasons for trying to distance his father’s work from the Trump campaign. “Donald Trump epitomizes a lack of integrity and class, not only through his continuous use of my father’s music without permission but also through his history of sexual abuse against women and his racist rhetoric. This behavior will no longer be tolerated, and we will take swift action to put an end to it,” Isaac Hayes III wrote.

He added, “We stand in solidarity with all musicians whose work has been co-opted without consent by divisive political campaigns. A musical performer’s art is a reflection of their soul, not a tool for promoting hatred or bigotry. It’s time for all artists to unite and demand respect for their creative legacies.”

Hayes co-wrote “Hold on, I’m Coming” with his songwriting partner David Porter. The song, which was first released by Sam & Dave in 1996, hit No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts and achieved gold status.

The song has become a regular feature of Trump’s rallies, with it often playing before and after the former president’s stump speech. It also featured prominently at the 2024 Republican National Convention, with a band playing the song after Trump finished his lengthy and meandering 90-minute speech.

The Hayes family lawsuit is just the latest legal battle between musicians and the Trump campaign. The likes of The Beatles, Adele, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John and Earth, Wind & Fire have slammed Trump and his team for using their music at political events. Indeed, the number of musicians who have publicly requested that the Trump campaign stop using their work is so lengthy that it has its own Wikipedia entry.

On Saturday, Celine Dion’s management team released a statement on behalf of the artist and her record label Sony for the Trump campaign’s use of the Titanic hit “My Heart Will Go On,” at a rally in Montana on Friday. “In no way is this use authorized, and Celine Dion does not endorse this or any similar use…. And really, THAT song?” the statement said.

Aug. 12, 8:30 a.m. Updated to include the Notice of Copyright Infringement.