Buxton Books is proud to be the bookseller for the Charleston Library Society as they welcome Jay Bergen for an author talk on his book Lennon, the Mobster, & the Lawyer: The Untold Story. This is a ticketed event. To purchase tickets, please click here.
While John Lennon retreated into private life in 1975, he also fought a major legal battle that flew under the public radar. Mafia-connected Morris Levy, owner of Roulette Records, released Roots, an unauthorized version of a rock ’n’ roll oldies album John had been producing. Levy claimed the former Beatle had verbally agreed to market Roots via TV. The quick release of John Lennon Rock ’n’ Roll, the official album, resulted in two Levy lawsuits against John—and John’s counterclaims against Levy.
The ensuing high-stakes drama—both in and out of the courtroom—spanned the better part of two years and is the subject of Lennon attorney Jay Bergen’s upcoming discussion on March 9. Drawing from stories shared in his 2022 book, Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer—The Untold Story, as well as archival documents and multimedia materials, Bergen will tell the intimate story of how he worked closely with John to rebut Levy’s specious claims, and what it was like getting to know the man behind the myth. Bergen will also recount how John explained his recording process in poetic, exacting terms for a judge who knew little about The Beatles or John’s solo career.
A Q&A session will follow the presentation.
Tickets are $10 for members, and $15 for guests. To purchase tickets, please click here or call 843-723-9912.
About Lennon, the Mobster, & the Lawyer: The Untold Story:
Before John Lennon retreated peacefully into private life in 1975, he fought a major legal battle that went under the public radar.
Just as his Rock 'n' Roll oldies album hit the market, Morris Levy, the Mob-connected owner of Roulette Records, released Roots, an unauthorized version of the same record. Levy had used rough mixes of John's unfinished Rock 'n' Roll recordings-and claimed the former Beatle had verbally agreed to the arrangement. The clash led to a lawsuit and countersuit between Levy and Lennon.
Attorney Jay Bergen, a partner in a prestigious New York City law firm, represented John in this epic battle over the rights to his own recordings. Millions of dollars were at stake.
Jay tells the intimate story of how he worked closely with John to rebut Levy's outrageous claims. He also recounts how John explained his recording process in poetic, exacting terms before a judge who knew little about the Beatles and John's solo career.
Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer catches the high drama of the courtroom skirmishes in this previously untold story. It also paints a detailed personal picture of John and his world in 1975-76, when he was soon to have a new son and went into happy seclusion to be a husband and father.
About Jay Bergen:
Jay Bergen was a trial lawyer in New York City for forty-five years. He has handled antitrust, securities, entertainment and copyright/trademark cases.
As Jay began to write his memoir, he and collaborator playwright/director Catherine Gillet developed a 90-minute multi-media show in which he shares his experiences as John Lennon’s attorney and friend at sold-out venues including two shows at New York City’s renowned cultural center, the 92nd Street Y (2019).
While Jay presented as a buttoned-down NYC trial lawyer, deep down he was a rock ’n’ roller from his high school days. He and John Lennon hit it off right from the day they first met, February 3, 1975. While Jay was awed to become John’s trusted advisor in the Morris Levy litigation, he was able to treat John Lennon as “just another client” – and that’s the way Jay worked with him preparing for the January 1976 trial. The two became friends and that relationship opened Jay to living his life the way he wanted to, rather than the way others wanted.
Through more than 40 years and five home moves, Jay preserved the entire trial transcript, exhibits and related documents in six bankers boxes. The legal records were an integral part of his memories and John and Jay’s friendship. It was a friendship that put Jay on a new life path that culminated in Lennon, the Mobster & the Lawyer: The Untold Story.