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Bruce Spizer | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Spizer (1955-07-02)July 2, 1955 (age 70) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Occupation | Tax attorney, music historian |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | B.A., M.B.A., J.D. |
| Alma mater | Tulane University |
| Period | 1998–present |
| Genre | Discography |
| Subject | The Beatles |
| Notable awards | Young Family Award for Professional Excellence[1] |
| Website | |
| www | |
David "Bruce"Spizer (born July 2, 1955) is an Americantax attorney inNew Orleans, Louisiana, who is also recognized as an expert onthe Beatles.[2][3] He has published thirteen books about the band, and is frequently quoted as an authority on their history and their recordings.
Spizer was born and raised in New Orleans. He attendedIsidore Newman School and then receivedB.A.,M.B.A., andJ.D. degrees fromTulane University,[4] where he was a member of honorary societiesPhi Beta Kappa and theOrder of the Coif. While pursuing his legal career, he alsomanagedthe Cold, a popularnew wave band in New Orleans.[5]
In 1997, Spizer earned a large legal fee from the settlement of aclass action lawsuit, and decided to use some of the money to replace his childhood collection of BeatlesLPs (which had been damaged bycockroaches) with a new set of first edition albums. Drawn into the world of Beatlescollectors, he ended up writing andself-publishingThe Beatles Records on Vee-Jay, about the relationship betweenEMI, the Beatles' U.K. record label, andVee-Jay Records, the U.S. label that released the band's first records in the U.S.[5] As of 2020, Spizer has written and published twelve books about the Beatles.[2][4][5] A reviewer forThe New York Times described his books as containing "a wealth of detail about the Beatles' American recordings and their first visit to the United States, touching on everything from contracts and lawsuits to promotional materials, all richly illustrated."[2] ANew York Daily News article called hisThe Beatles' Story on Capitol Records "a Beatle collector's fantasy by a fanatic Beatles collector and historian."[6]
The books about theCapitol releases were issued into two separate volumes:Part One, Beatlemania & The Singles andPart Two, The Albums, both issued in 2000. These were followed byThe Beatles On Apple Records (2003), which told about the record releases on the group's ownApple label. The following book wasThe Beatles Are Coming!, released in January 2004 which was issued to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the group's arrival in America. Spizer's next book was the 2005 release,The Beatles Solo on Apple Records, which gave a complete documentation about the solo recordings of John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney that were released between 1968 and 1975. His sixth book in the series wasThe Beatles Swan Song: "She Loves You" & Other Records, a 2007 publication that told about the American-released Beatles records that were issued on theSwan,United Artists,Decca,MGM,Atco andPolydor labels. It also features information about the Beatles albums and singles released by Capitol in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2011, Spizer releasedBeatles For Sale On Parlophone, which documented Beatles discs released in the U.K. from 1962 through 1970, including theParlophone EPs, which, according to Spizer, "up until now haven't been accurately documented in any book."[7] In 2017, he also publishedThe Beatles and 'Sgt. Pepper': A Fans' Perspective which coincided with the 50th anniversary of the release of thisground-breaking album.[8]
Spizer has served as a consultant to EMI andApple Records for their CD re-releases of the American configurations of the Beatles catalog.[2] He wrote the text for the companion booklet for the 2006 box setThe Capitol Albums, Volume 2,[9] and for the "catalography" that accompanies the 2009 "Box of Vision" release.[10] In 2015, he contributed to the re-release of1, by providing scans of international picture sleeves of some singles for the booklet. He was also chosen to write 2,592 questions for a special Beatles edition of theTrivial Pursuitboard game.[5]
Spizer has appeared on television programs such asCBS'sThe Early Show,[11]Fox News, andGood Morning America,[5] and on theNational Public Radio news programAll Things Considered.[12][13][14] He has been cited as a Beatles authority in print publications such asRolling Stone,[15]The Guardian,[16]The New York Times,[17] andTime.[18]
(2007) PublishedThe Beatles Price Guide For American Records 6th Edition (ByPerry Cox and Frank Daniels. Foreword by Bruce Spizer) Pub. 498 ProductionsISBN 978-0-9662649-6-8
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