BIOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Full Name: Moishe Levy
Description: Publisher – USA
Known For: Music Publisher and owner of Roulette Records
Location: United States of America
Date Born: 27th August 1928
Location Born: Bronx, New York, United States of America
Date Died: 21st May 1990
Location Died: Ghent, New York, United States of America
Cause Of Death: Liver cancer
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BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE
Morris Levy
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, and generally known as Morrie Levy to insiders in the industry.
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”.
Music mogul with a Music Empire mainly concentrating on the publishing side. He also among many other avenues including record stores all over the United States. He sued John Lennon for $42 Million for Lennon copying ’You Can’t Catch Me’ by Chuck Berry with Lennon’s writing of ’Come Together’ that was very much a copy.
An agreement was made where as John Lennon would record part of an album with songs Published by Levy’s company. The album released was ’Rock ’n’ Roll’.
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”,[1] originally recorded by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, which is presumed to have been wholly written by lead singer Frankie Lymon. Other questionable 1960s Levy compositions included Lee Dorsey’s “Ya Ya,” Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop,” and The Rivieras’ “California Sun.”
Levy quickly became one of the wealthiest executives in the record business, and handled distribution on many major labels in addition to his own companies.
Levy sold Roulette Records and his publishing rights for an estimated $55 million.
Levy died while awaiting appeal, marking the official end to the swashbuckling days of the music industry. In 1990, the Roulette catalogue was jointly acquired by EMI and Rhino Records.
He was tried and convicted on charges of extortion but died in Ghent, New York before serving any time in prison.