Godfather of the Music Business: Morris Levy (American Made Music Series)

Generally an excellent, fascinating read on a very important character in American pop of Midcentury. Whether the man was a genius businessman or a cut-throat monster with Mob ties is for you to decide.I found the first half of the book to be more interesting than the second, but maybe that's just me. The first half deals intriguingly more with the accumulated lore of a mythical figure; the second half mainly covers very literally-- and to me, rather drily-- what the man inarguably did in the 80's.Great for serious students of Rock 'n' Roll music.

Before starting this book, grab a piece of paper and pencil and start writing the names and cast of characters....you'll need it. This story is "B" movie gangster all the way. As much as Morris Levy was slammed for his dealings with artists, he definitely was a man of his word, and did a lot of good for a lot of struggling musicians....It was a fine read.....

I enjoyed reading this book very much. I had just read Tommy James's autobiography, and this is the perfect companion. Both are highly recommended. I confess that I am not a fan of jazz music, and the book does feature his association with jazz artists more than the pop/rock/r&b artists, but ultimately the biography is about Levy, and on that count, Mr. Carlin does an exemplary job. He managed to keep me interested, from start to finish. It's well-researched and put together in an interesting fashion. Morris Levy was certainly a driven man, and given his early years (working at sleazy gangster-owned nightclubs as a teenager), it's not hard to understand how the gangster mentality rubbed off on him. I'm not in any way excusing his behavior, but thanks to Mr. Carlin, it's understandable that he turned out the way he did. I do question a couple of minor things. How could Mr. Carlin refer to Joey Dee as a one-hit wonder, when he and his band produced no less than five national hits, four of which made the top 20 (two the top 10)? Why no mention of the last big Roulette hit makers before Tommy James came along, The Essex, who followed their number one song with a top 20 hit. Between The Essex and Tommy James, there was an iceberg that almost sank Levy's ship. Those are minor, of course. The bottom line is that Richard Carlin has produced an exceptional biography of a sad man, who walked all over, and terrorized most of the individuals who made him rich and powerful. Ultimately, he ended up like we all do, with nothing. Death is the one great equalizer in the world. Very highly recommended!

Yes enjoying it very much. I did not know that he opened the very famous Birdland jazz club on Braodway in 1949 New York City. Not as bad a guy as he's always made out to be. I recommend it to get a handle on the early business side of Jazz, R&B and Rock music

If I had been a singer or songwriter back in the 50s to 80s, I sure wouldn't have wanted my contract controlled by Morris Levy. This is a great look at how the mob, through Levy, got their hooks into unsuspecting creatives. Especially true for those with no money management skills and substance abuse problems. It's a wonder they got any money at all.I originally heard of Levy in Tommy James memoir (Me, the Mob and the Music). James has a grudging affection for Levy, who screwed him out of millions. He does seem to have a sort of honest, Mafia-type charm.Carlin, the author of Godfather of the Music Business, tells the history of Levy's record operations in an interesting way, lots of facts. I wish he had gone into Levy's personal life more. He was married several times and had a number of children. Still, the book's a good read, even for people like me who know little about the record industry.

Nothing new bared here many recycled items culled from existing works by Tommy James/Martin Fitzpatrick,John A.Jackson, Larry McShane et.al. The stories are entertaining as Moishe was a true character no embellishments necessary. Joel Selvin's "Here Comes The Night" uncovers more arcane Levy-abillia, touching on Bert Bern's dealings w/him, than Carlin manages.Nonetheless, the book does succeed in holding the reader eager to uncover more , his interactions w/Vinnie "The Chin" Gigante and the rest of the central casting types from the Genovese family,for example,disappointingly ,what is revealed is neither revelatory nor new. The Alan Freed/Morris Levy partnership is described in depth depicting just how entrenched Levy was when the segue from rhythm and blues/race records into rock 'n' roll was imminent. Moreeover,his accuracy in smelling a score having an Alan Freed positioned both as co-producer of Freed's Rock 'N'Roll shows and Freed's nightly radio show on 1010 WINS breaking new records by Roulette recording artists. For the uninitiated, the book delivers somewhat as advertised but for the more fact finding ,discerning few alas, it comes up a tad short. 2 1/2 stars( rating system doesn't register fractions).

The book was very interesting, as it took place around the time I first started getting interested in rock and roll (and then rock, and finally "classic rock") music.There are numerous mentions of bands and artists I followed and whose records I bought, unknowingly lining the pockets of all kinds of shady characters.Very few people in this book come off as sympathetic, and most of them ripped off both the artists and the consumers for years..

A very well-researched and entertaining tale of the legendary and infamous Morris "Moishe" Levy, power-broker of the music/record business. A great book for Jazz fans, Music business and Mob aficionados A very readable page turner.

Shows good insight into Mr Levy's life. Well worth reading along with Tommy James's book!

I've recently read books about The Chess brothers and Sam Phillips both owners of pioneering record companies in the fifties and sixties. Although not always the most honest employers, the Chess bothers and Phillips did have a genuine interest in the welfare and development of their artists. In this book, however, we meet a character, Morris Levy, the owner of Roulette Records, who appears to have had no interest in developing his artists and unashamedly cheated them.Levy realized very early on that the real money to be made in music is from owning the copyright of songs. In fact, he was not averse to adding his name, or those of his partners, to songs which he had absolutely no involvement in writing because he knew that, long-term, he could earn a lot of money that way. Levy spent a great deal of time and energy in acquiring the copyright on songs from a wide range of artists both directly or by buying song publishing companies especially where the back catalogue could be exploited.Levy's main strength was in building a vast and complex array of inter-locking companies both within the music industry and beyond. If the deal could be financially worthwhile, he was willing to take a risk and was, in the main, successful but he had no interest in the long haul. His artists may have been popular for a relatively short time and, during that time, Levy would squeeze every dollar and cent out of that hit record always making sure that he benefitted financially, mostly at the expense of the artist who never really knew how much they should have received in royalties.Many of Levy's partners were unsavoury characters possibly Mafia-related and it was those type of deals with such shady partners which finally resulted in Levy being investigated by the FBI. Over a long period his activities were observed by the authorities who finally brought him to court in 1989 where he was found guilty of "conspiracy to extort" but he didn't live long enough to be sentenced when he died in 1990.Richard Carlin tells this story extremely well but there's nothing to like about his subject.

A slummy version of Norman Granz morphs into a monster during the Twist craze. It's one thing to be greedy (the Manhattan record biz was like that) and pretend otherwise by donating to Israeli charities, but he gonna break all ya arms and all ya legs too. John Lennon stupidly got charmed by him and had to recant in court, probably the only person who 'won' against Moishe Levy. But nobody really could - the otherwise prolific artist thought it best to lay low from the record biz for five years. Musicians have always cried foul of record companies, but the gradual corporate takeover of them in the 1970s at least took the threat out of one's music career.

As Amazon does not allow for "1/2" stars I'll preface my rating would be 3.5 stars.An in-depth look at one of the most recognizable and infamous record label heads of the 50s & 60s. The book tends to gets mired in too much depth when it comes to facts, which historically speaking is a good thing, but slows down the narrative and overall story. It reads more like a thesis. That being said, it's well done, highly accurate and provides the reader an in-depth insight into the the record business of the 50/60s.For students of the music business I'd recommend this book.

Great source material for your library about the Cosa Nostra's music business