Morris Levy (August 27, 1927 – May 21, 1990), born
Moishe Levy, was an
American music industry executive, widely known as the founder and owner of
Roulette Records, owner of the
Birdland jazz club and Roulette Room. At the peak of his businesses, Levy owned more than 90 companies employing 900 people, including record pressing plants, tape-duplicating plants, a distribution company, a prominent New England chain of 81 record stores (Strawberries), and numerous record labels. He was convicted in 1990 on extortion charges from an
FBI investigation into the alleged infiltration of
organized crime into the record business — and died after losing his appeal and two months before he was scheduled to report to prison.