Morris Levy (August 27, 1927 - May 21, 1990) was an American music industry executive, who is best known as the owner of the record label Roulette Records. He was born Moishe Levy in The Bronx, New York City, New York. is the 239th day of the year (240th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1927 (MCMXXVII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 141st day of the year (142nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar). ... Roulette Records is a record label which was started late 1956 by George Goldner, Joe Kolsky, Morris Levy and Phil Khals, but the label was soon sold to Hugo Peretti and Luigi Creatore. ... For other uses, see The Bronx (disambiguation). ... New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... “NY” redirects here. ...

Levy is frequently referred to as "The Godfather of the American music business" because of his alleged links with the Mafia (specifically the Genovese family), his reputation for cheating his (largely African-American) artists out of royalties and his reputed habit of falsely claiming authorship of songs. This article is about the criminal society. ... The Genovese Family is one of the five Mafia Families in New York City. ... Languages Predominantly American English Religions Protestantism (chiefly Baptist and Methodist); Roman Catholicism; Islam Related ethnic groups Sub-Saharan Africans and other African groups, some with Native American groups. ...

After leaving the Navy he became the proprietor of numerous night clubs in New York at the dawn of the bebop movement in the late 1940's -- the most famous of which was Birdland, which Levy allegedly took over from mobster Joseph "Joe the Wop" Catalano in 1949. Birdland is a jazz club started in New York City in 1949. ...

During this time Levy learned the value of owning the publishing rights of a piece of music -- as each time a song he owned was performed or played he was entitled to royalties. As a result he founded his first publishing company, Patricia Music, and commissioned George Shearing to write a signature piece for the club -- the now-famous "Lullaby of Birdland". George Shearing George Shearing (born 13 August 1919 in London) is a well-known jazz pianist. ... Lullaby Of Birdland is a popular song. ...

He founded Roulette Records in 1956, where he began his alleged practice of claiming authorship on many early songs of the rock-and-roll era that he did not have a hand in composing. A notable case is the song "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", originally recorded by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, which is presumed to have been wholly written by lead singer Frankie Lymon. Frankie Lymon (September 30, 1942 - February 27, 1968) was the leader of a doo wop group called The Teenagers. ... Frank Joseph Frankie Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an African-American rock and roll/Rhythm and blues singer, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of a New York City-based early rock and roll group called The Teenagers. ...

In the mid-1970s Levy filed a much-publicised lawsuit against John Lennon for appropriating a line from the Chuck Berry song, "You Can't Catch Me" (for which Levy owned the publishing rights) in The Beatles' song "Come Together." Lennon ultimately settled with Levy by agreeing to record three songs from Levy's publishing catalogue during the sessions for his LP Rock & Roll. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980), (born John Winston Lennon, known as John Ono Lennon) was an iconic English 20th century rock and roll songwriter and singer, best known as the founding member of The Beatles. ... Charles Edward Anderson Chuck Berry (born 18 October 1926, St. ... You Cant Catch Me is a song written and performed by Chuck Berry, released as a single in 1956. ... The White Album, see The Beatles (album). ... Music sample Come Together ( file info) Problems? See media help. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ...

Levy sold Roulette Records and his publishing rights for an estimated $55 million. Although investigations into his affairs began in the early 1950s, it was not until 1986 that law officials caught up with Levy. He was tried and convicted on charges of of extortion but died in Ghent, New York before serving any time in prison. Ghent is a town located in Columbia County, New York. ...

He may have been the inspiration for the character Hesh Rabkin in the HBO series The Sopranos. Like the fictional character, Levy kept race horses and had ties to the Mafia. It's also been said by some that the lyrics of "The Man Who Sold the World" were partly inspired by Levy. This article is about a fictional character from The Sopranos. ... The Sopranos is an American television drama series created by David Chase and originally broadcast on the HBO network. ... The Man Who Sold the World is a song by David Bowie. ...

External links

• Morris Levy

References

Dannen, Frederic
Hit Men: Powerbrokers and Fast Money Inside the Music Business
(Vintage Books, UK, 1991)Cetegory:American Jews