Ahmet Ertegun

Ahmet Ertegun ( born July 31, 1923 in Istanbul, † December 14, 2006 in New York), often written in English language publications Ertegun was a Turkish- American entrepreneur in the United States and founder of the influential jazz and soul label Atlantic Records. With his brother Nesuhi Ertegun he founded in 1971 the New York New York Cosmos soccer club, took football stars as Pele, Franz Beckenbauer, Johan Neeskens under contract and forwarded it to 1985.

Life

Ertegun was born in Turkey and moved with his family to Washington, DC, as his father Münir Ertegun was a Turkish ambassador to the United States. Münir Ertegun was the legal advisor to the Turkish state founder Ataturk and served him as previously Ambassador of Turkey in Switzerland, France and the UK. The enthusiasm for the young Ahmet Ertegun Jazz acquired in 1932 at a concert at the London Palladium concert hall, where his older brother took him Nesuhi. There they experienced the orchestra of Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway and were henceforth the elegance and beauty of this music forfeited. 1943 made ​​the 19 -year-old Ahmet first private recording with the R & B singer Little Miss Cornshucks in Washington. In 1944, he joined the St. John 's College in Annapolis ( Maryland), with the BA degree. Then he began a study of medieval philosophy at Georgetown University. After the lectures he attended Rhythm and blues record stores in Washington DC and went every evening in various jazz and blues clubs.

At age 23, he broke off his studies and founded in September 1947 along with Herb Abramson the record label Atlantic Records. To this end, he borrowed $ 10,000 from his family dentist. His older brother Nesuhi (1917-1989) was added in 1956. They worked among others with producer Tom Dowd and Jerry Wexler. His brother succeeded to obtain the most innovative jazz musicians of the time under contract, most notably John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, the Modern Jazz Quartet and Ornette Coleman. 1957 Atlantic Records took one of the first record companies to only with stereo technology. Furthermore Ertegun enjoyed great success with the soul greats Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. After the sale of the record company, he remained as a talent scout and producer of the music business faithfully.

Ertegun married on April 6, 1961 Born in Romania, Ioana Maria Banu, called Mica, which was a well-known interior designer. In marriage, each retained its denomination.

Ertegun was in addition to numerous activities including for several years chairman of the " Turkish-American Businessmen Association ".

On October 29, 2006 Ahmet Ertegun fell at a Rolling Stones concert in New York's Beacon Theatre a flight of stairs and pulled to severe head injury, in consequence of which he died on 14 December 2006. In this concert of music film Shine a Light was directed by Martin Scorsese, who is therefore dedicated to Ahmet Ertegun. Like its companion also of Turkish origin, the producer Arif Mardin, Ahmet Ertegun and was buried according to Islamic tradition in his native Turkey in Istanbul. The tomb is in Istanbul's Üsküdar in the family grave of Özbekler Order, who played a major role in the Turkish War of Liberation.

Work

Atlantic Records was in the 1960s one of the great artistic and influential labels in jazz and pop music.

The first successes were able to celebrate with rhythm-and - blues artists such as Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, The Clovers, The Drifters and Ray Charles to Ertegun brothers. They managed to develop the R & B genre of a fringe group subject to an important part of the music scene. Ahmet Ertegun wrote a number of classic blues pieces, including " Chains of Love" and " Sweet Sixteen", which he under the pseudonym " A. Nugetre " (his name spelled backwards ) published. Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding and many other soul greats celebrated in the 1960s, her great success in the Atlantic label.

In the 1960s, Ertegun heard a demo of the group Led Zeppelin. This convinced him after the first few songs at once, and he took Led Zeppelin under contract. He also convinced David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Graham Nash, Neil Young to take on tour and thus contributed to the founding of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

Ahmet Ertegun continued his skill in negotiations with major music stars. For example, when the Rolling Stones were looking for a record company to market their independent label Rolling Stones Records. Ertegun personally negotiated with Mick Jagger and was able to complete the transaction between the Rolling Stones and Atlantic, although other labels the band had offered more money than Atlantic Records.

Ertegun suggested the mid-1980s to the founding of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. From about 2002, he worked with Turkish Pop Tarkan on his first album in English.

In September 2006, Ahmet Ertegun bought with the Australian media mogul Rupert Murdoch Turkish private TV station TGRT for $ 90 million.

Awards

Miscellaneous

• In honor of Frank Zappa Ahmet Ertegüns called his son born in 1974 also Ahmet. Ahmet Zappa, musician and actor.
• Ahmet was awarded in 1934 after a Chick Webb concert the first autograph a background singer that they ever wrote. It was Ella Fitzgerald.
• The rock band Led Zeppelin has played on 10 December 2007 for the first time since 1980 a concert - in honor of Ahmet Ertegun.
• Shortly before his death, the Montreux Jazz Festival 2006 was dedicated to, among other things Ahmet Ertegun.
• The music magazine Rolling Stone described him as " the greatest man who ever lived record ".
• The " NONPERFORMANCE Award" from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has been renamed in 2007 in the " Ahmet Ertegun Award".
• The film Shine a Light by Martin Scorsese (2008) was dedicated to Ahmet Ertegun.

Movies

In the film, Ray, the biography of Ray Charles, Ahmet Ertegun is portrayed by Curtis Armstrong. In Beyond the Sea, a film about Bobby Darin, embodies him Tayfun Bademsoy.

In the documentary Once In A Lifetime on the New York Cosmos Ertegun tells about the founding of the club.