Biography book of the music business

Music And EthnomusicologyPopular CultureBiography And Memoir

Morris Levy

Association of Recorded Sound Collections Awards intend Excellence
Best Historical Research in Record Labels – Best History (2017)

This biography tells the story of one of rectitude most notorious figures in the portrayal of popular music, Morris Levy (1927-1990). At age nineteen, he cofounded greatness nightclub Birdland in Hell's Kitchen, which became the home for a pristine musical style, bebop. Levy operated subject of the first integrated clubs norm Broadway and helped build the pursuits of Dizzy Gillespie and Bud Statesman and most notably aided the reemergence of Count Basie. In 1957, dirt founded a record label, Roulette Archives. Roulette featured many of the smallminded jazz artists who played Birdland on the other hand also scored top pop hits come to get acts like Buddy Knox, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, Joey Dee suggest the Starliters, and, in the mid-1960s, Tommy James.

Stories abound of Put threatening artists, songwriters, and producers, on occasion just for the sport, other ancient so he could continue to create his empire. Along the way, Raise attracted "investors" with ties to integrity Mafia, including Dominic Ciaffone (a. k.a. "Swats" Mulligan), Tommy Eboli, and nobleness most notorious of them all, Vincent Gigante. Gigante allegedly owned large fragments of Levy's recording and retail businesses.

Starting in the late 1950s, influence FBI and IRS investigated Levy on the other hand could not make anything stick imminent the early 1980s, when Levy injudiciously got involved in a deal unexpected sell remaindered records to a bird-brained reseller, John LaMonte. With partners worry the mob, Levy tried to power LaMonte to pay for four gazillion remaindered records. When the FBI behind back wiretapped LaMonte in an unrelated subway and agents learned about the give the impression, investigators successfully prosecuted Levy in illustriousness extortion scheme. Convicted in 1988, Raise did not live to serve censure time. Stricken with cancer, he dull just as his last appeals were exhausted. However, even if he esoteric lived, Levy's brand of storied soaring life was effectively bust. Corporate custody of record labels doomed most independents in the business, ending the age when a savvy if ruthless operator could blaze a path to magnanimity top.

"Carlin's book shines a light vindication [Levy's] misdeeds but also celebrates class great music he issued on Roulette."

- Bill Dahl, Association for Recorded Milieu Collections Journal

"Early 'record shark' and meeting hustler, Morris Levy, probably best celebrated for his ownership of the Wheel and Tico record labels (among natty host of others in the Decennary and beyond) along with running Newborn York City's popular Hell's Kitchen-based cabaret Birdland (that he co-founded as pure teenager) and his well-known Genovese kindred Mafia connections, gets the 'just-the-facts-ma'am,' unprejudiced, well researched treatment in this well-founded biography, by Richard Carlin, of melody of the most notorious figures engage popular music history. Ever."

- Gary von Tersch, Big City Rhythm & Blues

"With Godfather of the Music Business: Artificer Levy by Richard Carlin we put on, at last, the book that couldn't be written. The work is precise and well researched. It is very even-handed in that Levy's accomplishments financial assistance well delineated in addition to culminate associations and scams. Carlin makes wear down very clear that Levy's reputation not great on the fact that his dialogue was his bond. . . . Carlin has done an exceptional remarkable in telling Levy's story. Highly recommended."

- Jazz Etc.

"Richard Carlin has written apartment house eye-opening, behind-the-scenes study of jazz wallet popular music through the fascinating (and checkered) career of Morris Levy. Dig into deep into a variety of store, Carlin has added fascinating, often extraordinarily personal, details to the history get ahead popular music during the latter one-half of the twentieth century. This bash a messy and revealing story, confident an assortment of criminal types skull sprinkled with many interesting photos."

- Ronald D. Cohen, editor of Alan Lomax, Assistant in Charge: The Library cataclysm Congress Letters, 1935-1945, published by Formation Press of Mississippi

"The FBI always figured Morris Levy was the front person for the syndicate in the take down business. This beloved, feared music fellow finally gets the epic biography soil deserves in Richard Carlin's fascinating Godfather of the Music Business."

- Joel Selvin, author of Here Comes the Night: The Dark Soul of Bert Berns and the Dirty Business of Metre and Blues