Richard Habersham-Bey: [Chuckles] There’s always been guys that want to take over the business when they see you doing good business. The week I had Miles [Davis]… he was working for me regularly; anytime he had a week off he would call and say ‘hey Dick, I’ll bring [the band] in. This guy who was monopolizing the business – he’s dead now, he got shot on Flatbush Avenue… the name is not important. I booked Miles [Davis] that week [the week Miles was shot in an altercation in Manhattan after a gig at The Blue Coronet], the Village Gate had Gloria Lynne. Now he made a deal with me to have Gloria Lynne at my place, I told him I couldn’t, so he told Miles [Davis] ‘don’t show up’ [at The Blue Coronet]; certain people tried to bulldoze musicians at that time.

I looked in the paper and it said Gloria Lynne was gonna be at the Village Gate. This guy said ‘no, Gloria Lynne gonna be at your place…’ I said – his name was Nat Badger, and he was a good friend of gangsters in New York (we don’t have to name no names)… There were some threats passed and Miles [Davis] lawyer – Harold Lovette… that bastard [laughs] knew there was tension. Harold called [Nat Badger] and told him what to kiss… See Harold started everything. They weren’t consulting me because I knew Miles [Davis] was going to be at my place, and not Gloria Lynne. Then Harold told that guy what to kiss and said Miles [Davis] was coming over [to the Blue Coronet] anyway. So over Harold’s BS, this guy wanted to make a point, to show you how bad he was.

When Miles [Davis] played I had to keep two parking spaces out front of The Blue Coronet to keep Miles [Davis] and his red Ferarri out front because there were no designated parking spaces. So when Miles [Davis] left the club they put the boys on him. You know in Brooklyn it’s very easy to get shooters, even at that time, and they drove up and shot Miles [Davis]’ car up. When I went down to see the car, if Miles [Davis] hadn’t had that heavy [car] door, he would have been dead. They arrested Miles [Davis] for having a couple of reefers on him, and he had [drummer] Louis Hayes’ girlfriend in [the car]. Miles [Davis] said he was never coming to Brooklyn again.