Ahmet Ertegun was born in Istanbul and came to the US in the 1930s when his father became the Turkish ambassador to the US. Instead of following his father's footsteps into diplomacy, he got a loan from a family dentist and founded Atlantic Records (a foray into a whole other kind of diplomacy).
The most amazing thing about watching the special is to see the impeccable ear for talent that Ahmet Ertegun had. He first and foremost loved music, which is unfortunately not often the case with the CEOs that run today's music business. Among the many Atlantic Records musicians he signed and worked with, you may recognize some of these young upstarts:
- Big Joe Turner
- Ray Charles
- Aretha Franklin
- Bobby Darin
- Cream
- Crosby, Stills, and Nash
- Led Zeppelin
- Phil Collins
- Bette Midler
- Kid Rock
- Gnarls Barkley
Ahmet Ertegun died last year, while the American Masters special was in production. He died at the age of 83 from injuries suffered after falling backstage at a Rolling Stones concert in New York City. Now how's that for poetry?
1 comment:
you know i love ahmet, jo! first ray and aretha, and then i was born again with phil collins!
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