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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Dalya Alberge

Beatle v mobster: the day John Lennon put paid to a shady record label boss

John Lennon with Yoko Ono
John Lennon with Yoko Ono in New York City in 1972. Photograph: AP

It was a courtroom drama with two towering protagonists. In one corner stood a record mogul with a history of violence and Mafia links who was notorious for stealing musicians’ work. In the other corner stood a Beatle.

The battle between John Lennon and Morris Levy, the boss of Roulette Records and inspiration for a ruthless music mogul in The Sopranos, played out over several months and culminated in 1976 in New York’s district court.

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