Posted on 12/24/2023 4:17:59 PM PST by nickcarraway
I read the book. Available cheap at ABE Books and a fun read.
The Jewish Mafia.
Ugh.
He hit the scene about the time I was old enough to start paying attention to music, and I have always liked his work. It’s too bad it turned out like this for him.
The character Heschie on “The Sopranos” was based on Levy.
Ancient musical history - bump for later...
IIRC, "Lucky" Luciano pulled some five families together to stop the warfare to make profits. After his death, the main families splintered off for various reasons and started up their warfare again.
There have been many ties between the Sicilian mafia and Jewish, Irish, and other mobsters. Arnold Rothstein was more of a gambler than a true mobster. He profited if not directly fixed the 1919 World Series. He worked with mobs and hired associates that were not Jewish including a pre-famous Legs Diamond.
The Beer Baron of the Bronx, Dutch Shultz, was not Dutch and his real name was Arthur Flegenheimer. He was a Jew and worked with all kinds but he met his end surrounded by his own kind at the Palace Chop House in Newark. On that day he and Abbadabba Berman, Lulu Rosenkrantz, and Abe Landau were shot up by two assassins. None of the Shultz party died at the scene but all four died from their wounds over the next 30 hours. Shultz sought and received last rites as a Catholic but was of Jewish heritage. Some of his death bed ramblings are often quoted including, “Mother is the best bet and don’t let Satan draw you too fast.”
Purple gang.
Tommy James did better than some. Walter Scott, who was the singer of the above hit, was murdered by his wife and her lover, and his body spent four years in a cistern. They also murdered the lover's wife. The wife was only given 18 months.
Some nice girl dancing to “Hanky Panky” back in the day.😎
Myer Lansky?
Then there was Bobby Fuller (of I Fought the Law fame):
https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-strange-death-of-bobby-fuller/
A lawyer once told me “those who run the music business are low-down, lying, thieving scoundrels who commit massive fraud for a living...and that’s the GOOD news.”
Heard one of his Christmas songs on his SXM show a couple of hours ago. He really can sing!
And his blowing is better than his singing.
“IIRC, “Lucky” Luciano pulled some five families together to stop the warfare to make profits. After his death, the main families splintered off for various reasons and started up their warfare again.”
Pretty much the gist of it.
Luciano brought the families together and showed them how they could make more money working together with a corporate structure. He was pretty much the Boss of Bosses with Myer Lansky as his right hand.
They made sure each of the families made bank on everything from bootleg hooch to prostitution to construction. The mob actually did a better job of running the cities than the government.
Troy Shondell of the Shondells established a short-lived recording studio in Fort Wayne, Indiana. It was called Star Fox Studio, located on Newaygo Drive. I recorded there on several occasions. The engineer was none other than Chuck Ainlay, who went on to engineer and produce a good many Grammy albums. I imagine the place folded for similar reasons, but don’t know for sure.
The Mafia, or Costa Nostra, is well known for its Italian only membership, but the central role of the Jews in organized crime is not so well known. I wonder why.
“The mob actually did a better job of running the cities than the government.”
Some how or another I find that completely believable.
If the mob took over the federal government there’s be lots cement overshoes in the Potomac.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.