Prelude to Death — The 45

 

 

The early fifties were a hot bed for the music business. The 45* record and the jukebox had become a staple. As the 50’s progressed many DJ’s would find themselves out of the music scene and many small record labels would be caught up in the peak of the payola debacle. The industry itself had been, from the start, a low integrity entity. Hands were held out and hands were filled.

Have you wondered, how a song became a hit? The producers, songwriters, arrangers and musicians worked to make the product. The record company worked to make the product a hit. The distributor hawked the product. The record pluggers filled the streets with sweet goodies for the record players. Money makes the world go around as well as putting records at the top of the charts.

Disc jockeys, who played the records, on smaller radio stations were the targets of the record pluggers. Sometimes easy picking, sometimes not. Some had to be convinced.

 

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He looked in his mid-fifty’s; when he barked out an order it was done. His face was ruddy; deep marks and scars showed a violent man was behind the dark piercing eyes. He was called, The Old Man, out of respect. He had sent his main man, Malloy, with three other iniquitous underlings to set up Vernon Stallings. Stallings was standing in his way to be the number one record label in the race market. Stallings had been putting out hit after hit and selling them to his competitors. Malloy was to make it look as if Stallings had stolen two million bucks from the other record label owners. Malloy knew what he had to do. The Old Man would take nothing less.

Malloy instructed his men to place two million plus a few hundred in small bills in a case and stash it in a closet at Stallings residence. This had been accomplished over the weekend. The two million was stolen from the offices of four different small-time record labels who were also suppliers of illegal drugs. They were using the music industry to cover their deceit. When they found the money missing they checked in with The Old Man, after all he was their supplier.

He immediately told them he was leery of Stallings and accused him of stealing the money. The Old Man had Malloy take them to Stallings home in West Orange, NJ. When they arrived, the place was empty. Stallings had spotted the case with the money and disappeared. He and the case with two million plus, were gone.

The Old Man was not happy, “Find him or else!” was his explicit instruction to Malloy.

Stallings had a girlfriend in Lodi, NJ. Malloy headed in the direction. As they turned onto Church Street, Stallings was spotted getting out of his car. They pulled up and forced him into theirs. Stallings had the case. They found a few hundred in small bills but the two million was gone. They spent a few hours at the old factory working him over but to no avail. The more they beat him the less he talked. He was a tough cookie.

Malloy knew he had to get the money or The Old Man would…well let’s say, he was not a forgiving sort.

They decided to take Stallings to the dumpsite. There they would start digging a grave, maybe with that as incentive he would talk. They left the factory in two large sedans. Malloy would be the man who had Stallings life in his hands.

They worked Stallings over and tried every which way to convince him to return the money. However, he kept denying there was any money in the case. Two of the men continued to work over Stallings while the other started to dig the grave. Stallings passed out and fell in a heap.

“Pick him up,” hollered Malloy.

He was limp. The men told Malloy he looked dead. One of the men thought he heard a noise coming from across the dumpsite, maybe a couple of hundred feet away. As they were about to check out the area a car engine could be heard at the entrance to dumpsite.

“Quick throw the body in the shallow grave and cover it with as much debris as you can. Throw the empty case in there as well. Now! Let’s get out of here, pronto!” Malloy exclaimed, in a commanding voice.

They departed knowing The Old Man would not be happy. Malloy asked the men if they wanted to work for him. By morning no one would ever hear The Old Man bark out another order.

The way it was back in October of 1951.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*A record is a vinyl disc with a hole in the middle. The record contains groove’s which produces audio (sound) when played on a turntable (phonograph)