Description
Book SynopsisAdventures of a Jazz Age Lawyer is the lively story of legal giant Nathan Burkan, whose career encapsulated the coming of age of the institutions, archetypes, and attitudes that define American popular culture. With a client list that included Charlie Chaplin, Al Jolson, Frank Costello, Victor Herbert, Mae West, Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, Arnold Rothstein, and Samuel Goldwyn, Burkan was New York's Spotlight Lawyer for more than three decades. He was one of the principal authors of the epochal Copyright Act of 1909 and the guiding spirit behind the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (Ascap), which provided the first practical means for songwriters to collect royalties for public performances of their works, revolutionizing the music business and the sound of popular music. While the entertainment world adapted to the disruptive technologies of recorded sound, motion pictures, and broadcasting, Burkan's groundbreaking work laid the legal foundation for the Great American Songbook and the Golden Age of Hollywood, and it continues to influence popular culture today. Gary A. Rosen tells stories of dramatic and uproarious courtroom confrontations, scandalous escapades of the rich and famous, and momentous clashes of powerful political, economic, and cultural forces. Out of these conflicts, the United States emerged as the world's leading exporter of creative energy. Adventures of a Jazz Age Lawyer is an engaging look at the life of Nathan Burkan, a captivating history of entertainment and intellectual property law in the early twentieth century, and a rich source of new discoveries for anyone interested in the spirit of the Jazz Age.
Trade Review"Lively and revealing," * Wall Street Journal *
“A thoughtful and in-depth look at the substance of many foundational cases in the history of entertainment history.”
* Bowery Boys Podcast *
“Reflective, detailed examples of Burkan's impact on music and film. This is the only detailed examination of this subject, and it will be important for those interested in entertainment law and popular culture.” * CHOICE *
“A captivating look at an American original. . . . Rosen’s a good writer with a fun story to tell, and his enthusiasm makes
Jazz Age Lawyer a delightful read. He loves these characters.”
* Splice Today *
“Lively new biography. . . . Much of Burkan’s work has lasted right up to the modern era and the digital challenges that have upended the music business. Burkan’s legacy of protecting and encouraging ongoing creative output, according to Rosen, helps assure that art continues to reflect the time in which it is made.”
* Media Industries *
"A rich and detailed history of an important moment in the development of American popular culture through a legal lens."
* Journal of Popular Music Studies *
Table of ContentsPrologue: Nathan the Wise
PART ONE. LEG SHOWS AND LONGHAIRS
1. Immigrant Passages
2. The Pittsburgh Troubles
3. To Victor Belong the Spoils
PART TWO. A RIVER OF NICKELS
4. Tin Pan Alley
5. Canned Music
6. Mr. Burkan Goes to Washington
7. The Two-Cent Solution
PART THREE. BENDING THE FIRMAMENT
8. Entr’acte
9. The Lone Star
10. Charlie in the Harem
11. The Price of a Good Time
PART FOUR. FLEETING, EPHEMERAL, AND FUGITIVE
12. The Gospel of Performing Rights
13. Shanley’s Cabaret Extraordinaire
14. The Music Tax
15. The Ether Toy
PART FIVE. CHIEF OF JUSTICE OF CELLULOIDIA
16. The Silent Screen
17. The Jazz Singer
PART SIX. TWENTY DAYS IN JANUARY 1927
18. Rumrunners
19. The Bindlestiff
20. New York’s Spotlight Lawyer
PART SEVEN. THE NAKED CITY
21. Love’s Undertaker
22. Nightstick Censorship
23. The Big Bankroll and the Little Flower
PART EIGHT. MODERN TIMES
24. New Deal Days
25. Gloria
26. Blue Bloods Meet the Hoi Polloi
27. Twilight of the Music Trust
28. Exeunt
Acknowledgments
Chronology
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
