Casino Headliner Explains $1 Million Owed to Ex

Zowie Bowie are one of the entertainment success stories in off Strip entertainment. The group does a popular show at Red Rock Resort that mixes an old Vegas tribute, contemporary covers and plenty of audience participation. At the center of Zowie Bowie are the duo Chris Phillips and his fiance known on stage as Marley Taylor.

 

But Marley Taylor's stage name turns out to have been for more than entertainment purposes. In real life Taylor is Christine Gabell, and, more than a decade ago, under her real name, Gabell got her start trying to write and sell songs in Nashville. And, therein is an amazing tale which I read in Norm's column in the Review-Journal for the first time yesterday. Apparently, Tree Publishing (part of Sony) arranged for Gabell to record some demos and she struck up a relationship with an executive at the company, Dan Wilson. In the weeks after the relationship ended, Gabell claimed that Wilson began to harass her, and eventually she talked to the head of the company about her concerns. Wilson was fired by the next day and sued everyone involved. In Norm's account Gabell wound up owing Wilson $1 million dollars over the incident:

 

"A Chancery Court judge in Davidson County, Tenn., ruled in November 1997 that...Gabell's conduct led to Wilson's firing 'by virtue of defamatory statements.'"

 

Despite the stage name ruse, Wilson has found Gabell, and last week she was notified that he has gone to Clark County District Court to collect his $1 million. Gabell's current fiance and partner in Zowie Bowie, Carl Phillips, told Norm that he was surprised that Gabell has been found: "She doesn't exist on paper. She doesn't have a driver's license."

 

But looking into the story further, I could not understand how Gabell wound up owing that much money in the first place, especially since Wilson's legal case against the people who actually fired him did not go smoothly. In fact, according to a 2004 article in Nashville's City Paper, in Wilson's second lawsuit (the first ended in a hung jury) against the company, Wilson argued not against Gabell's veracity, but claimed age discrimination was responsible for him losing his job.: "Wilson’s attorneys have presented witnesses who claim the sexual harassment charge was a smokescreen to hire... younger."

 

So, on Sunday I reached out to Gabell/Taylor of Zowie Bowie to get the one answer I could not figure out: how did she wind up owing $1 million in this messy situation to her ex-boyfriend:

 

Abowitz: How did you wind up owing your ex-boyfriend $1 million?

 

Gabell: It is a good question.

Q: It is the million dollar question!

A: I guess it is just a number he and his lawyer came up with. I am not sure where it came from. We dated for like two months. We both worked at Sony Tree Publishing. He was the Vice President and I was a songwriter there and I was under his guidance and we had a relationship for two months. When I broke up with him he didn't want the relationship to end. There was some stalking and some sexual harassment involved. So, basically I went to the president (of the company) and I told her what was happening. I told her I only wanted to be placed with someone else at the company.

 

Q: Was he your boss?

 

A: Yes. He was in charge of helping me pitch songs and put demos together. So, I only asked to be put under someone else's guidance at Sony, so I'd have a fair chance like any other songwriter at the company. Less than 12 hours later he was fired. I really believe, honestly, there were other things with him at Sony publishing and this was the straw that broke the camel's back that allowed that to happen

 

Q: So, from that circumstance, how'd you wind up owing him $1 million?

 

A: Well, after he was fired he sued the company and me as well.  I was young and naive and I was living in Nashville at the time. So, I decided I can't deal with this and I left. I was in Arizona. The Sony attorneys came to Arizona to take depositions. Everything was in Nashville, and I didn't make the court date. I was very young. .

 

Q: So, you didn't defend yourself  in court? You didn't show up?

 

A: I just went back to where I was originally from. I couldn't deal with it. I never disputed it. The court said that there was no contest so he wins. I was stupid; I didn't show up. Then he put a judgment against me, and that is where the $1 million came from. I've had to deal with this now for 11 years. It has made things difficult

 

Q: What happens now?

 

A: I guess they try to collect the judgement. He went to trial with Sony and lost. I am the only one who didn't show up. I made a mistake, and now I have to pay for it. Maybe, I can turn this around and go after him. I don't want to; I don't want to spend the energy on it. But there are options.