Devon singer 'excited' song used by US rapper
- Published
Mick Ware wrote the song Today in 1970s that has now been sampled by Tyler, The Creator
A retired musician says he is excited a song he wrote 50-years ago has been used on a track by a popular US rap artist.
Mick Ware wrote the song in the 1970s, when he was part of a band called Czar. He now restores furniture in Devon.
His track has been used in the song Puppet by Tyler, The Creator, with lyrics written by Kanye West.
The song has been streamed 15 million times, with Mr Ware, 71, getting a percentage of the royalties.
Mr Ware, who lives near North Molton, said he was contacted by a lawyer in the US claiming to represent a musician and initially thought it was a "scam".
Mick Ware was lead singer in a prog band called Czar
"We had a name given to us, which was Tyler, The Creator, which we hadn't heard of because we are too old", he said.
Tyler, The Creator's songs have been streamed more than 100 million times.
"We are so excited about it", Mr Ware said.
"I'm now 71 so I didn't think at this age I was ever going to be associated with any type of music."
The song features on a new album called Igor, which recently went to number one in the US.
Mr Ware was offered an outright payment, but said he negotiated hard to get a share of the royalties, and his name on the credits.