Jeffrey Sussman

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Selected Works

nonfiction

Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music

Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music is the latest Rise and Decline Mob books by popular author Jeffrey Sussman. The book is a shocking expose of the early days of rock and roll when the mob used every tactic they could, from creating their own record labels, bribing radio DJs and stacking jukeboxes with their own artists, to exploiting and intimidating performers, and creating their own black market of bootlegged records, to make millions.

Nicholas Pileggi, author of Casino and co-author of Goodfellas, wrote, "Jeffrey Sussman exposes how the mob controlled much of the music business and shaped much of American culture. It will fascinate anyone interested in organized crime, rock & roll, and American history."

It began in the 1950s, when rock and roll music burst upon the scene. The major established record companies thought that the new music was a passing teenage trend, but mobsters were there and pounced on the new business opportunity. They opened small independent record companies, signed ambitious young singers and musicians, and produced truckloads of 45 rpm records. To make sure that their records would be successful, the mob bribed disc jockeys in major cities to play the records and made sure jukeboxes, which were already mob-controlled, were filled to capacity with the new music. Whatever it took to gain airtime and repeated plays of their songs, the mob made sure it happened.

Backbeat Gangsters includes the stories of the most sinister people who took control of the record business during the early days of rock and roll, as well as those of the numerous, young performers who were exploited and received threats and beatings instead of the compensation they were promised. The Mafia used intimidation and violence to achieve their ends and made millions from denying royalties, maintaining copyrights and trademarks, bribing DJs, and numerous scams like flooding the market with counterfeit records which didn't have the burden of paying royalties. In yet another well-researched and thorough account, Jeffrey Sussman, details how the mob was able to infiltrate and control another aspect of American culture with devastating results.

Tinseltown Gangsters; The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Hollywood

Tinseltown Gangsters is an exciting, in-depth account of how mobsters controlled movie studios, movie stars, directors, and producers during the 20th century. Its narrative is as engaging as a gripping gangster movie.

Sin City Gangsters:The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas

Sin City Gangster provides an exciting, eye-opening account of how the mob created and controlled Las Vegas. In addition, it contains fascinating accounts of celebrities, such as Frank Sinatra and others, who were controlled by the Vegas mobs and were paid with favors.

Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York

Big Apple Gangsters is a a true crime thriller, an engaging page-turner for anyone interested in the history of the mob in New York

Works

Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music

Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music is available at amazon.com under the title and/or author's name as well as on other online book sites.

Tinseltown Gangsters; The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Hollywood

Tinseltown Gangsters has been praised as the most complete and revealing book about mob control of Hollywood studios, movie stars, agents, producers, and directors. From Library Journal: "A great addition to collections about the history of film or organized crime, chronicling famous and lesser-known mobsters who made a killing, literally and figuratively, in Hollywood. Sussman's diligent research and juicy storytelling will appeal to fans of his other works." From the Midwest Book Review: "Unique, fascinating, comprehensive, detailed, documented and informative, Tinseltown Gangsters is unreservedly recommended."

Sin City Gangsters:The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas

Extensively researched, including Sussman’s own interviews and experiences with mobsters and insiders, Sin City Gangsters not only presents all the grimy details of how the mob took hold of the Vegas infrastructure but also how that grip gave way to the mega casinos and their high-flying moguls that run the town today. Chapters on bold-faced names like Howard Hughes, Frank Sinatra, and Jimmy Hoffa are especially compelling, but the salacious stories of lesser-known figures like Moe Sedway are just as provocative. Fans of Sussman’s previous city-focused histories will welcome this outing, but even those without mob connections will be implicated in enjoying this book.
― Booklist

An absolute 'must read' for readers with an interest in Organized Crime in general, and the 20th Century history of Las Vegas in particular, "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas" is an inherently fascinating read that is further enriched by the inclusion of a four page Bibliography and a eight page Index. Exceptionally impressive and well written history, "Sin City Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Las Vegas" is unreservedly and especially recommended for community and academic library American Criminology & Organized Crime collections and supplemental curriculum studies lists.
― Midwest Book Review

Fascinating! It’s all here! I learned a lot.
-- Nicholas Pileggi, author of Casino and Wiseguy. (co-author of the movies, Goodfellas and Casino)

Big Apple Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in New York

The great founding figures of organized crime in the 20th century were born and bred in New York City, and the city was the basis of their operations. Beginning with Prohibition and going on through many illegal activities the mob became a major force and its tentacles reached into virtually every enterprise, whether legal or illegal: gambling, boxing, labor racketeering, stock fraud, illegal unions, prostitution, food service, garment manufacturing, construction, loan sharking, hijacking, extortion, trucking, drug dealing – you name it the mob controlled it.