The Hitmen: The Shocking True Story of a Family of Killers for Hire

Product Information

The first time was in 1995 and I didn’t care about any of it because I wanted to learn about the Nashville music business. Brothers Eric, Keith and John Wilson, their cousin Alan, and nephew Luke shared a trade - assassination. A legendary book, I suppose, and the first half or so lives up to it--yeasty, contentious, endlessly quotable shtick from a legion of record execs, all variously self-justifying, crap-talking, defending themselves, lying, and constantly deploying abundant traditional Yiddish invective to explain why the opponent at hand is a goniff, shlemiel, causes shpilkes, etc. Chronicling the evolution of America's largest music labels from the Tin Pan Alley days to the present day, Fredric Dannen examines in depth the often venal, sometimes illegal dealings among the assorted hustlers and kingpins who rule over this multi-billion-dollar business. Said Art Kass, one of Bogart's earliest partners, 'If it cost him three dollars to make two dollars, he would do it.

Unenjoyable though comprehensive ,repetetive /sic/ telling of faceless execs' egos back and forthing with their jobs. Since 1994, South Africa has witnessed some spectacular underworld killings associated with various industries and sectors.

Actually, you'll be disappointed if you're expecting anything more than passing mention of actual musicians; here, they're little more than names on Billboard charts, or clients of superstar lawyers.

e. after the industry fell apart but pre-Spotify, and it didn't seem like things had changed much at that point. In one way, it's better: unlike Eliot, Dannen documents his sources, leaving you feeling that events really happened as he says they did, instead of thinking (as all too often with Eliot's book) "How interesting--wonder how true it is.Record companies were a bit slow to pick up on the rock n roll era, with the big labels sticking mainly to middle-of-the-road, pop, classical artists.