Michael Levy
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The Right Honourable The Lord Levy |
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|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 July 1944 |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Gilda |
| Children | 2 |
| Religion | Judaism |
Michael Abraham Levy, Baron Levy, (born 11 July 1944) was a practicing Chartered Accountant and Chairman & CEO of a large independent group of music companies, and is a Labour Peer.
He is the President of Volunteering Matters, Jewish Care, Jewish Free School (JFS) and Jewish Lads' and Girls' Brigade (JLGB).
Levy was the chief fundraiser for the UK Labour Party. A long-standing friend of former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Lord Levy spent nine years as Tony Blair's special envoy to the Middle East, being replaced by Gordon Brown's appointee, Lord Williams of Baglan, from September 2007.
Born in Stoke Newington, North London, to devout Jewish immigrant parents of modest means, Levy was educated at Grocers, later known as Hackney Downs School.
Levy qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1966 (ACA then FCA) and set up a very successful professional accountancy practice.
The practice attracted a great number of clients in the music and entertainment industry and Levy became a specialist in international copyright and licence.
Amongst the clients were the Foundations, Vanity Fair, Roger Greenaway, Barry Mason and many other successful producers and artists.
Levy founded Magnet Records with Peter Shelley in 1973. This became one of the most successful independent labels of its day and at one stage had 10% of the British singles market with four singles in the top ten.
The successful artists on the label included Adrian Baker, Alvin Stardust, Chris Rea, Bad Manners, Darts, Susan Cadogan, Silver Convention and Guys 'n' Dolls.
Levy sold Magnet Records to Warner Brothers in 1988 for £10m.
Guitarist Chris Rea said of Levy, "He is extremely tough, one of the hardest bastards I have ever met, but I would leave my children with him rather than anyone else." The music producer Pete Waterman described him as "the greatest salesman I have ever met. He would be able to sell sand to the Arabs."
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