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

Lawyer’s book reveals the inside story of the musician’s 1976 court battle with Morris Levy, a mafia-affiliated music mogul

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.