Ahmet Ertegun | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Ertegunc. 1960 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | A. Nugetre |
| Born | (1923-07-31)July 31, 1923 Istanbul, Turkey |
| Origin | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Died | December 14, 2006(2006-12-14) (aged 83) New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Blues,rhythm and blues,rock and roll |
| Occupation(s) | Record label executive,record producer,songwriter,composer,philanthropist |
| Years active | 1944–2006 |
| Labels | Atlantic |
Ahmet Ertegun (/ˈɑːmɛtˈɛərtəɡən/AH-metAIR-tə-gən; Turkish:Ahmet Zahrettin Sebuhi Ertegün,pronounced[ahˈmeteɾteˈɟyn]; July 31, 1923 – December 14, 2006) was aTurkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive andphilanthropist.
Ertegun was the co-founder and president ofAtlantic Records. He discovered and championed many leadingrhythm and blues androck musicians. Ertegun also wrote classicblues andpop songs. He served as the chairman of theRock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, located inCleveland, Ohio. Ertegun has been described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry."[1] In 2017 he was inducted into theRhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in recognition of his work in the music business.
Ertegun helped foster ties between the U.S. andTurkey, his birthplace. He served as the chairman of theAmerican Turkish Society for over 20 years until his death.[2] He also co-founded theNew York Cosmossoccer team of theoriginal North American Soccer League.
Ahmet Ertegün's great-grandfather, İbrahim Edhem Efendi, was the last sheikh of theÜsküdar Özbekler Tekkesi, a secret base and hospital located in downtownIstanbul, used duringOttoman times and theTurkish War of Independence. He was the second son of Turkish ambassadorMünir Ertegün and Hayrünnisa Rüstem. His father, Münir Ertegün, was a statesman who undertook significant duties and services during theNational Struggle period. Ertegun was born Ahmet Munir inIstanbul, Turkey, on July 31, 1923.[3] His mother, Hayrünnisa, was an accomplished musician who played keyboard and stringed instruments. She bought the popular records of the day, to which Ahmet and his brother,Nesuhi, listened.[4] His older brother Nesuhi introduced him to jazz music, taking him at the age of nine to see theDuke Ellington andCab Calloway orchestras in London.[5] In 1935, Ahmet and his family moved to the US with his father who was appointed as the Ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to the United States.[6] When Ahmet was 14, his mother bought him a record-cutting machine, which he used to compose and add lyrics to instrumental records.
Ertegun's love for music attracted him to the heart ofWashington, D.C.'s black district where he would frequently see such top acts as Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway,Billie Holiday andLouis Armstrong. He attendedLandon School, an affluent all-male private school inBethesda, Maryland. Ahmet joked, "I got my real education at the Howard"; Howard being theHoward Theatre, an historic performance space located inWashington, D.C.[7][8] Despite his affluent upbringing, Ertegun began to see a different world from his wealthy peers. Ertegun would later say: "I began to discover a little bit about the situation of black people in America and experienced immediate empathy with the victims of such senseless discrimination, because, although Turks were never slaves, they were regarded as enemies within Europe because of theirMuslim beliefs."[7]
Ertegun and his brother frequentedMilt Gabler'sCommodore Music Shop, assembled a collection of over 15,000 jazz and blues78s, and became acquainted with musicians such as Ellington,Lena Horne andJelly Roll Morton. Ahmet and Nesuhi staged concerts byLester Young,Sidney Bechet and other jazz giants. They also traveled toNew Orleans and toHarlem to listen to music and develop a keen awareness of developing musical tastes.
Ertegun graduated fromSt. John's College inAnnapolis in 1944. In November of the same year, Munir Ertegun died. In 1946 PresidentHarry Truman ordered the battleshipUSSMissouri to return his body to Turkey as a demonstration of friendship between the US and Turkey. This show of support was meant to counter theSoviet Union's potential political demands on Turkey.
At the time of his father's death, Ahmet was taking graduate courses inmedieval philosophy atGeorgetown University.
Soon afterward, when the rest of the family returned permanently to Turkey, Ahmet and Nesuhi stayed in the United States. While Nesuhi moved toLos Angeles, Ahmet stayed in Washington and decided to get into the record business as a temporary measure to help him through college.
In 1946, Ertegun became friends withHerb Abramson, adental student andA&R man forNational Records, and they decided to start a new independent record label forgospel,jazz, andR&B music. Financed by family dentist Dr. Vahdi Sabit, they formed Atlantic Records in September 1947 in New York City. The first recording sessions took place that November.
In 1949, after 22 unsuccessful record releases, including the first recordings byProfessor Longhair, Atlantic had its first major hit withStick McGhee's "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee". The company expanded through the 1950s, withJerry Wexler and, later, Ertegun's brother Nesuhi on board as partners. Hit artists that recorded on Atlantic includedRuth Brown,Big Joe Turner,The Clovers,The Drifters,The Coasters andRay Charles.
Like the Erteguns, many independent record executives were from immigrant backgrounds, including theBihari and theChess brothers. The Ertegun brothers brought a jazz sensibility (and many jazz artists) into R&B, successfully combining blues and jazz styles from around the country. Atlantic helped challenge the primacy of the major labels of the time by discovering, developing, and nurturing new talent. It became the premier rhythm and blues label in a few years and, with the help of innovative engineer/producerTom Dowd, set new standards in producing high-quality recordings. Atlantic was among the first labels to record instereo, and in 1957 was the first record company to utilize an8-track tape machine.[9]
Ertegun himself wrote a number of classicblues songs, including "Chains of Love" and "Sweet Sixteen", under thepseudonym "A. Nugetre" ("Ertegun" backwards). The songs were given expression first by Big Joe Turner and continued inB.B. King's repertoire. "Chains of Love" was a popular hit forPat Boone. He also wrote the Ray Charles hit "Mess Around", with lyrics that drew heavily on "Pinetop's Boogie Woogie". He was briefly listed as "Nuggy" in the credits before changing to "A. Nugetre". Ertegun was part of the shouting choral group on Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll", along with Wexler and songwriterJesse Stone. He also wrote "Ting A Ling", a 1956 hit for The Clovers that was covered byBuddy Holly. "Fool, Fool, Fool", another Clovers song was a hit forKay Starr. His "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" was recorded byAretha Franklin,Ben E. King, and in an international version byAdriano Celentano.
The five lines of the lyrics of "Lovey Dovey" by the Clovers were used bySteve Miller in his hit "The Joker". Other Nugetre rhythm and blues hits include "What'cha Gonna Do" by The Drifters, "Wild, Wild Young Men" by Ruth Brown, Ray Charles's "Heartbreaker", "Middle of the Night" by The Clovers, "Ti-Ri-Lee" by Big Joe Turner, and "Story of My Love" byLaVern Baker. All of these were originally recorded for Atlantic Records. He also wrote "Missä Olit Silloin (Dawn in Ankara)" for Finnish singer Irina Milan as Ahmet Ertegun.
In 1958, Ertegun replaced Abramson as Atlantic's president and Abramson left the company after selling his financial interest.[10]
On 6 January 1953 Ertegun married Jan Holm (née Enstam), a Swedish-American actress, fashion model, and set designer, who was the daughter of Carl Enstam and the former wife ofEdward Walter Rathbun. She and Ertegun had no children and divorced in about 1956.[11][12]
In 1961 he married Ioana Maria "Mica" Grecianu, the former wife of Stefan Grecianu and a daughter ofGheorghe Banu, a Romanian doctor and statesman. Mica later became a well-known interior designer, a co-founder of the decorating firm MAC II. The couple had no children.[13][12]: 143–146
In the 1960s, Atlantic, often in partnerships with local labels such asStax Records inMemphis, helped to develop the growth ofsoul music, with artists such as Ben E. King,Solomon Burke,Otis Redding,Sam and Dave,Percy Sledge,Aretha Franklin andWilson Pickett. Ertegun helped introduce America toThe Rascals when he discovered the group at aWesthampton nightclub in 1965 and signed them to Atlantic. They went on to chart 13Top 40 singles in four years and were elected to theRock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Ertegun heardLed Zeppelin'sdemo and was confident they would be successful after hearing the first few songs, and quickly signed them. In the late 1970s, during the disco era, Ertegun contracted producer Silvio Tancredi to Atlantic Records. Atlantic Records also held the rights to recordings byStephen Stills. After negotiating withDavid Geffen, who in turn was negotiating withClive Davis atColumbia Records to transfer the rights toDavid Crosby andGraham Nash to Atlantic Records, he signedCrosby, Stills and Nash[14] and convinced the trio to allowNeil Young to join them on one of their tours, thereby foundingCrosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Ertegun initially had no desire to sell Atlantic, but his partner Jerry Wexler was nervous about the label's future and after convincing Ertegun's brother Nesuhi of his position, Ertegun eventually conceded and they sold Atlantic toWarner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1967 for $17 million in stock, although Wexler later admitted that, because of assets including the rights to theWoodstock film andthe accompanying record, the deal paid them less than half of what the label was actually worth.[15] Wexler had seen the other 1950s independent record labels disappear with the waning popularity of rhythm and blues, and said only Ertegun's foresightful adaptation of signing white rock musicians turned out to be the basis of Atlantic's continued success.[16] Four years later, the Ertegun brothers took some of the money and co-founded theNew York CosmosAssociation football team of theNorth American Soccer League. They were instrumental in bringing famous players such asPelé,Carlos Alberto andFranz Beckenbauer to the club.
When Atlantic became part of theKinney conglomerate in 1969, and later part ofTime Warner, Atlantic Records continued with Ertegun at the helm, and although he was less directly involved as a producer, he wielded considerable influence in the new conglomerate. He continued to produce somerock acts, such asDr. John andThe Honeydrippers. He also used his considerable personal skills in negotiations with major stars, such as whenThe Rolling Stones were shopping for a record company to distribute their independentRolling Stones Records label. Ertegun personally conducted the negotiations withMick Jagger, successfully completing the deal between the Stones and Atlantic, when other labels had actually offered the band more money. He took a personal interest in the progressive rock bandYes, and took a strong stand with bassistChris Squire on the direction of the90125 album. He encouraged Squire and the group to make sure the album produced a hit single, which it did with "Owner of a Lonely Heart".
In 1987 Ertegun was inducted into theRock & Roll Hall of Fame, of which he himself was a founder. In the late 1980s, with the support ofBonnie Raitt and others, he provided $1.5 million to help establish theRhythm and Blues Foundation to award money to underpaid blues artists. The Foundation's establishment arose from a lengthy battle by Ruth Brown and other Atlantic artists to obtain unpaid past royalties from the company; other record companies later also contributed. Among early recipients of payments wereJohn Lee Hooker,Bo Diddley,Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Ruth Brown and theStaple Singers. In 1988, he received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement.[17]
Ertegun received anhonorary doctorate in music from theBerklee College of Music inBoston in 1991, and was awarded theGrammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1993. At the tenth annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Dinner in 1995, it was announced that the museum's main exhibition hall would be named after him. In 1998, Ertegun was honoured Man of the Year atMidem.[18]
TheUnited States Library of Congress honored Ertegun as aLiving Legend in 2000. With brother Nesuhi, he was inducted into theNational Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, theNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presented Ertegun with the first "President's Merit Award Salute To Industry Icons". He was also a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.
Ertegun is interviewed on screen in the 2005 documentary filmMake It Funky!, which presents a history ofNew Orleans music and its influence onrhythm and blues,rock and roll,funk andjazz.[19][20]
Ertegun approved the recording and release ofMusic of the Whirling Dervishes, featuring ayin singerKâni Karaca andney playerAkagündüz Kutbay on the Atlantic label.
In addition to being a seminal figure in the history of popular music, Ertegun was also a prominent philanthropist dedicated to enhancing relations and cultural understanding between the United States and his native country, Turkey. As the chairman of TheAmerican Turkish Society, he introduced numerous American dignitaries, business leaders, investors, and artists to Turkey and garnered U.S. support for Turkey. Following thedevastating earthquake near Istanbul in 1999, Ertegun was instrumental in the success of the Society's Earthquake Relief Fund, which raised over $4 million for Turkey's rebuilding efforts, particularly in education.[21]
In addition to his endeavors at The American Turkish Society, Ertegun funded the Turkish studies departments atPrinceton andGeorgetown universities. In 2008, the Ahmet Ertegun Memorial Scholarship, established by the American Turkish Society, was officially announced and designated for music students of Turkish descent to study at theJuilliard School.[22]
On October 29, 2006, Ertegun tripped, striking his head on a concrete floor during aRolling Stones concert at theBeacon Theatre. He was immediately taken to hospital.[23] Ertegun fell into acoma and died on December 14, 2006, atWeill Cornell Medical Center.[24][25]
Ertegun was buried December 18 in the Garden of Sufi Tekke, Özbekler Tekkesi inSultantepe,Üsküdar, Istanbul next to his brother, his father and his sheikh great-grandfather Şeyh İbrahim Edhem Efendi, who was once the head of thetekke in his native Turkey.
A memorial service for Ertegun was held in New York on April 17, 2007. A large part of the evening was given over to musical performances.Wynton Marsalis opened the tribute with thejazz standard "Didn't He Ramble",Eric Clapton andDr. John performed "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee", and other performers includedSolomon Burke,Ben E. King,Sam Moore,Stevie Nicks,Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, andPhil Collins.[26]
Another informal salute to him took place in Los Angeles on July 31, 2007, the anniversary of his birth. The tribute took place atGrauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Several of his friends shared anecdotes about their experiences with him and the assembled gathering then saw a special screening of theAmerican Masters documentaryAtlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built.[27] Among those who paid tribute to Ertegun in person were:Solomon Burke,Jerry Leiber &Mike Stoller,Keith Emerson,Peter Asher,Spencer Davis, the film's producer (and longtime friend)Phil Carson,Taylor Hackford, and event producerMartin Lewis.[28]
TheMartin Scorsese filmShine a Light, aboutThe Rolling Stones' concert at theBeacon Theatre in New York at which Ertegun sustained the injury that ultimately ended his life, contains a dedication to Ertegun.Andrea Corr's solo albumTen Feet High is also dedicated "To the memory of Ahmet Ertegun".
In honor of the barriers the Ertegun brothers broke during their time in segregated Washington, the Turkish Ambassador to the U.S.,Namik Tan, hosted a series of jazz concerts at the historical residence on Sheridan Circle in Washington, D.C. The "Ertegun Jazz Series," in collaboration withJazz at Lincoln Center, reviving the brothers' legacy of bridging cultures and bringing people together with one common objective: celebrating music. In that same spirit, Ambassador Tan opened the doors of his home to residents of D.C. from various backgrounds – Members of Congress, Administration officials, academia, the media, business leaders, and others.
Abenefit concert held in Ertegün's memory took place on 10 December 2007 at theO2 Arena inLondon. The headline act was the Englishrock bandLed Zeppelin, who performed their first full-length concert for almost three decades, since the death of drummerJohn Bonham in 1980, in a one-off reunion. Bonham's sonJason Bonham played drums during the band's set, and he also sang backing vocals on two songs.
The concert also includedPaolo Nutini,Mick Jones of Foreigner andBill Wyman's Rhythm Kings who supported their acts, and additionally shared the stage with them. The show was held to raise money for the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which pays for university scholarships in the UK, US and Turkey. The show had been scheduled for late November but was postponed by two weeks becauseJimmy Page fractured a finger.
Ertegun's collection ofmodernist works is now housed atThe Baker Museum inNaples, Florida. The collection includes works byOscar Bluemner,Thomas Hart Benton,Stuart Davis,Werner Drewes, John Ferren,Ilya Bolotowsky, andAlbert Swinden; Ertegun'salma mater, St. John's College, presented an exhibition of works from this collection in 2015.[29]
Ertegun has been represented several times in popular culture. InRay, thebiopic ofRay Charles, he is portrayed byCurtis Armstrong. InBeyond the Sea, the biopic aboutBobby Darin, he is played byTayfun Bademsoy. He appeared as an interview subject in the documentary film "Blind Willie's Blues" (1997 and 2023).
MusicianSerj Tankian (fromSystem of a Down) has claimed that Ertegun was againstrecognising theArmenian Genocide in line with the official policy of Turkey, Ertegun's home country.[30]
In December 2006 (shortly after Ertegun's death),[31]Harut Sassounian, an Armenian-American writer and contributor forThe Huffington Post,[31] published anop-ed in which he claims that he had talked with Ertegun, and that Ertegun did acknowledge the Armenian Genocide,[31] and he even wished to speak publicly about it;[31] according to Sassounian, Ertegun "firmly believed that onceAnkara put the issue of the Genocide behind it, the country would attain the respect of the international community and would not waste its efforts and resources to counter Armenian efforts for Genocide recognition".[31] The writer ends his piece by explaining: "I could not write this column while he [Ertegun] was alive, since I did not want him to become the target of hate mails and threats from Turkish extremists by alerting them that he was considering the possibility of issuing a public statement on the Armenian Genocide. Alas, he passed away without being able to do so, which is a great loss for both Armenians and Turks. I hasten to add that it is a greater loss for Turkey. Ertegun believed that by acknowledging the Genocide, Turkey would earn many political dividends and lose practically nothing!"[31]
In 2017, music executive Dorothy Carvello alleged that Ertegun tried to remove her underwear and groped her under her shirt at a public event in 1987. Her bookAnything for a Hit tells of her experiences.[32]
