LOU LEVY, MUSIC PUBLISHER, DIES AT 84
Eric LeBlanc-CISTI
(founder of JOE DAVIS & JAY DEE RECORDS)
This posting is dedicated to Michael Jackson & The Beatles. Sony Corp.
has just bought 250 Beatles songs from Michael Jackson for $95 Million.
Lou Levy's LEEDS MUSIC published the Beatles' first hit in the USA,
"I want to Hold Your Hand".
LOU LEVY b. 1910/NOV/29, MANHATTAN, NY. - d. 1995/OCT/31. MANHATTAN, NY.
Pioneer song publisher, LOUIS (LOU) LEVY JR.., died in his hometown of
Manhattan, NY., on Tuesday, October 31, 1995 where he was born on
November 29, 1910. As a youth he had been a hoofer, working the audience
(in black-face!) at the Apollo Theatre (1935) when he met Jimmie Lunceford,
persuading Lunceford to perform songs by a few of his friends. During
this time, he also managed The Andrews Sisters (& briefly married Maxene,
who died on Oct. 21, 1995). Lou Levy was one of the few broadway publishers
(he formed LEEDS MUSIC in 1939) who had an understanding of blues. In time
LEEDS would own the copyrights to such songs as "C. C. Rider", "Milk Cow Blues",
"The Dirty Dozen", "Boogie Woogie Stomp", most of Leroy Carr's songs
including "How Long Blues"/"Big Four Blues", and most of Clarence Williams'
compositions. It was also LEEDS MUSIC that pioneered the boogie woogie era,
publishing the works of Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, Pete Johnson,
Jay McShann, Sammy Price, Mary Lou Williams and Jimmy Yancey. He was also
a champion for Meade Lux Lewis when Lux Lewis applied to be a member of
ASCAP, who I believe was the FIRST Afro-American to be admitted.
On November 25, 1964, Lou Levy sold his 12,000 copyrights to MCA for $4.5
million, remaining active in ASCAP & negotiations involving music publishers.
In 1987, Levy received the Songwriter's Hall of Fame Abe Olman Award for
excellence in music publishing.
LOUIS (LOU) LEVY JR. was survived by his (3rd) wife Julie, and his 3
children (Lou, Aleda and Peter).