Who is Ahmet Ertegun?
Ahmet was a visionary and a giant in the music business, although he never intended to be. He was simply a man who loved music, and who followed his heart where it took him. He was the co-founder of Atlantic Records, as well as the founder and chairman of the Rock and Roll hall of Fame. He was a huge figure in the recording industry. He was a well loved man, in a large part due to his generosity, and his ideals. You may not recognize his name, but you can certainly recognize many of the immense talents he signed. Any of these names sound familiar?: Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones, The Rascals, Crosby Stills Nash and Young? Ahmet was instrumental to the success of all of these artists.
An overview of Ahmet from Wikipedia
Ahmet Ertegün (July 31,1923 - December 14, 2006) was the Turkish American co-founder and executive of Atlantic Records and chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry".Ahmet Ertegun
He also co-founded the New York Cosmos soccer team of the North American Soccer League.
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What a legendary man!
Ahmet was such a legend. He touched and changed so many lives. He was driven by his love of music- specifically jazz. That love, and his uncanny ability to know what music the public would like (and buy) helped him to seek out and nurture talent. He would hear a mediocre track, and know exactly what to add to achieve star quality. He would hear raw talent, and be able to envision its full potential.Ahmet fell in love with jazz music as a young boy. His mother was very musical. She loved to sing and could learn to play most any instrument by ear. In 1935, Ahmet moved to Washington D.C. with his family. His father had been appointed "Turkish ambassador to the United States". Once in America, Ahmet sought out the music that he so loved, and was introduced to a new world of people- the "black Americans" as he called them. He gravitated to The Howard Theatre, which was in the middle of the "black district" of D.C. This was a theatre built for "black artists" and "black audiences". It was here that Ahmet found the music and the people that he found so captivating. He also learned about the discrimination that the blacks faced at the time. He felt sort of a kinship with the blacks, due to the discrimination he himself had faced growing up as a Muslim in his native Turkey.
Before too long, Ahmet and his brother Nesuhi were holding informal collaborative concerts of jazz musicians in the Turkish Embassy. Due to the discriminatory atmosphere of the times, this outraged many people. Ahmet's father was not-so-politely informed that "in this country", it was not considered favorable for black people to be seen entering a home through the front door. His response was that in his home, his friends all entered through the front door, and anyone who was offended by this practice was welcome exit through the back door!
Ahmet had always known that he wanted to produce records for a living, and in 1947 he co-founded the company that would make his dreams bigger than he could ever have imagined- Atlantic records. His goal wasn't to get rich, but to find and produce the music that he loved. Other producers were trying to get ahead financially by making shady deals, and not paying the musicians their fair share. Ahmet ran his company to benefit the music and the musicians. In his later years, he even donated a huge amount of money to help establish the The Rhythm and Blues Foundation, to provide financial support and other benefits to blues and motown artists who had been cheated out of royalties from their music.
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Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built
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What'd I Say: The Atlantic Story
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Atlantic Blues 1949-1970
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60 Anniversary R & B Classics
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The Language of Music
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In the words of The Man himself:
"Just because you've sold millions of records doesn't mean you're good. McDonalds sells a lot of hamburgers!"
-Ahmet Ertegun
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Thanks in part to Ahmet- today's top 100 songs...
Find out what others have to say about Ahmet
- Check Into Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built — Get It ...
- Don't wait another minute to see Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built? Check out this great movie today! I think Ahmet Ertegun and Bette Midler were incredible together! And, the great cast includes Ahmet Ertegun, Bette Midler, ...
- Dick and DeeDee,Carl Dobkins Jr. Ahmet Ertegun
- With sadness we all learned about the passing of Jerry Wexler, Atlantic records producer, and collaborated with Ahmet Ertegun to become an amazing production team and had a great eye for talent. And that is an understatement. ...
- New Zep Album in the Works?
- While nothing is set in stone, it has been widely rumored since last year's reunion performance for Atlantic's farewell to Ahmet Ertegun that the remaining members of Led Zeppelin were entertaining the idea of future touring and ...
- The man behind rhythm and blues
- His work there caught the attention of Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records, then a small independent label focusing on black music, who asked him to join the company in 1953. Wexler was already in his 30s when he entered the music ...
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Here are a few articles from Rolling Stone. Updated frequently, so make sure you come back!
What is jazz music?
Jazz is an American musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions. The style's West African pedigree is evident in its use of blue notes, improvisation, polyrhythms, syncopation, and the swung note.Alyn Shipton, A New History of Jazz, 2nd. ed., Continuum, 2007, pp. 4?5
From its early development until the present, jazz has also incorporated music from 19th and 20th century American popular music.Bill Kirchner, The Oxford Companion to Jazz, Oxford University Press, 2005, Chapter Two. The word jazz began as a West Coast slang term of uncertain derivation and was first used to refer to music in Chicago in about 1915; for the origin and history, see Jazz (word).
Jazz has, from its early 20th century inception, spawned a variety of subgenres, from New Orleans Dixieland dating from the early 1910s, big band-style swing from the 1930s and 1940s, bebop from the mid-1940s, a variety of Latin-jazz fusions such as Afro-Cuban and Brazilian jazz from the 1950s and 1960s, jazz-rock fusion from the 1970s and later developments such as acid jazz.
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Shout Out For Ahmet Ertegun!
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RufusQuail
Very well-written and well-designed. Nice tribute to Ahmet.5* Posted August 16, 2008 |
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ArtSiren
Nice lens! I'd never heard of him, but obviously very influential. My jazz knowledge is pretty limited, mainly Miles Davis. BTW, I've lensrolled you back!! Posted June 06, 2008 |
I absolutely MUST thank Glen!
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