Petrillo, James Caesar, << puh TRIHL oh, jaymz SEE zuhr >> (1892-1984), served as president of the American Federation of Musicians from 1940 to 1958. He continued as president of the union’s Chicago branch until 1963. His greatest victory as a labor leader came in 1942 when he forced recording companies to pay a royalty to the musicians for every record they sold. Petrillo fought the use of recorded music whenever it caused musicians unemployment. He barred many great artists from performing on the radio and making records until they joined the union. He was born on March 16, 1892, in Chicago. He died on Oct. 23, 1984.
