Van Morrison Was On The Run From The Mob
In 1967, Van Morrison was the former lead singer of a successful group (Them) who’d put out a solo album nobody bought on Bang Records. Then on December 30 of that year, Bang’s owner Bert Berns died and the New York mob ended up owning Morrison’s contract — it’s not clear how they got their hands on it, but they’re the mob. Warner Bros. wanted to sign Morrison, but the label would have to satisfy his new masters and buy him out of his existing contract. Though the music industry can often be a bit seedy, this was exceptional. Warner Bros. executive Joe Smith was instructed to bring $20,000 in cash to an address on Ninth Avenue in Manhattan.