Peter Levinson
Author of Tommy Dorsey: Livin’ in a Great Big Way—A Biography
Peter Levinson’s career in the entertainment business has involved stints as an agent,
freelance writer, personal manager, and publicist. His firm, Peter Levinson
Communications, has represented various musical artists and a variety of musical events.
The company was well-established in New York when, in June 1989, Peter Levinson
moved to Los Angeles and PLC became the only bi-coastal public relations firm that
specialized in representing jazz personalities and companies. For many years, his company
set the standard for publicity campaigns on behalf of its jazz clients.
In 1999, Levinson fulfilled a longtime dream with the publication of Trumpet Blues—the
Life of Harry James by Oxford University Press. His second biography, September in the
Rain: The Life of Nelson Riddle, was published by Billboard Books in the fall of 2001.
During the thirty years of PLC, Levinson has represented the Count Basie Orchestra, Louis
Bellson, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dave Brubeck, Charlie Byrd, Benny Carter, Rosemary
Clooney, Chick Corea, Phyllis Diller, Kurt Elling, Bill Evans, Maynard Ferguson, Pete
Fountain, Art Garfunkel, Erroll Garner, Stan Getz, Dexter Gordon, Jim Hall, Woody
Herman, Earl “Fatha” Hines, Freddie Hubbard, Illinois Jacquet, Milt Jackson, Antonio
Carlos Jobim, J. J. Johnson, Albert King, Frank Langella, Peggy Lee, Jack Lemmon,
Ramsey Lewis, Darlene Love, Johnny Mandel, Chuck Mangione, Herbie Mann, Wynton
Marsalis, Johnny Mathis, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Frank
Morgan, Gerry Mulligan, Art Pepper, “Shorty” Rogers, Lalo Schifrin, Bud Shank, Artie
Shaw, George Shearing, Jo Stafford and Paul Weston, Dr. Billy Taylor, “Toots”
Thielemans, Mel Torme, Stanley Turrentine, Weather Report, and Phil Woods.
Levinson began his professional career in November 1958 in the publicity department of
Columbia Records. His first job was based on the numerous articles he had written on jazz
musicians and as a presenter of jazz concerts and dance dates while a student at the
University of Virginia and also while serving with the U.S. Army in South Korea.
Following his stint at Columbia, Levinson became an agent for MCA, where he gained
valuable experience booking big bands like Charlie Barnet. It was then that he met Harry
James. His association with James subsequently led to his writing several magazine articles
on him and later a biography.
In 1961, Levinson’s freelance writing career kicked into gear with a major story on Frank
Sinatra in the New York Herald Tribune and resulted in his writing a spate of articles on
Sinatra during the next several years. Among them was an exclusive interview piece on the
set of the comedy western, “Sergeants 3,” and Sinatra’s first recording session with Count
Basie. Since that time, Levinson has written dozens of articles for national magazines and
newspapers and liner notes for more than thirty albums.
Levinson became a member of NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and
Sciences) in 1963, by qualifying as an album notes writer. In 2001 he resigned from the
organization after thirty-seven years, shortly after having completed a two-year term as a
member of the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles chapter.
Some of the events Levinson has publicized include the unveiling of the Duke Ellington
postage stamp, the installation of plaques of the 52nd Street jazz greats in the sidewalk in
front of CBS, the premiere of “Classical Jazz” at Lincoln Center (which led directly to the
establishment of the Lincoln Center Jazz Department), Woody Herman’s 40th and 50th
Anniversary Concerts at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl respectively, the 60th
anniversary of Decca Records, and most recently the Centennial of Hoagy Carmichael.
Peter Levinson resides in Malibu, California, and is currently at work on his fourth book—
a look at the artistry of Fred Astaire.
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