During the early days of rock and roll the mob used intimidation and violence to make millions from the careers of young performers who had dreamt of stardom but instead were exploited and used.

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, pounced. 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 mob’s victims, especially numerous young performers who were exploited and never received the compensation that record companies owed them. The Mafia used intimidation and violence to achieve their ends, and corporate executives sacrificially ended the careers of various legitimate members of the music community, relying on the protection of political allies. The mob made millions from the careers of young performers who had dreamt of stardom and instead suffered from the indifference of those who could have helped them.

"Backbeat Gangsters: The Rise and Decline of the Mob in Rock Music" organized crime expert Jeffrey Sussman lays it all out in fascinating and documented detail from jukeboxes to Morris Levy, Vincent 'the Chin' Gigante to Payola, from Scalping to Skimming, and so much more." - Midwest Book Review