RIP Ahmet Ertegun

djkingottodjkingotto 1,704 Posts
edited December 2006 in Strut Central
NEW YORK - Ahmet Ertegun, who helped define American music as the founder of Atlantic Records, a label that popularized the gritty R&B of Ray Charles, the classic soul of Aretha Franklin and the British rock of the Rolling Stones, has died, his spokesman said. He was 83.Ertegun remained connected to the music scene until his last days ??? it was at an Oct. 29 concert by the Rolling Stones at the Beacon Theatre in New York where Ertegun fell, suffered a head injury and was hospitalized. He later slipped into a coma.???He was in a coma and expired today with his family at his bedside,??? said Dr. Howard A. Riina, Ertegun???s neurosurgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center.Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey, said Bob Kaus, a spokesman for Ertegun and Atlantic Records. A memorial service will be conducted in New York after the New Year???s.Ertegun, a Turkish ambassador???s son, started collecting records for fun, but would later became one of the music industry???s most powerful figures with Atlantic, which he founded in 1947.The label first made its name with rhythm and blues by Charles and Big Joe Turner, but later diversified, making Franklin the Queen of Soul as well as carrying the banner of British rock (with the Rolling Stones, Cream, Led Zeppelin) and American pop (with Sonny & Cher, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and others).Today, the company, part of Warner Music Group, is the home to artists including Kid Rock, James Blunt, T.I., and Missy Elliott.

  Comments


  • RIP indeed.
    A true giant of the industry.
    And of course most people don't have a clue as to who he was.

  • RockadelicRockadelic Out Digging 13,993 Posts
    RIP indeed.
    A true giant of the industry.
    And of course most people don't have a clue as to who he was.

    From '55-'75 this guy just killed it and was as important as anyone in the "biz" during that time.

    RIP

  • pjl2000xlpjl2000xl 1,795 Posts
    NEW YORK - Ahmet Ertegun, who helped define American music as the founder of Atlantic Records, a label that popularized the gritty R&B of Ray Charles, the classic soul of Aretha Franklin and the British rock of the Rolling Stones, has died, his spokesman said. He was 83.

    Ertegun remained connected to the music scene until his last days ??? it was at an Oct. 29 concert by the Rolling Stones at the Beacon Theatre in New York where Ertegun fell, suffered a head injury and was hospitalized. He later slipped into a coma.

    ???He was in a coma and expired today with his family at his bedside,??? said Dr. Howard A. Riina, Ertegun???s neurosurgeon at New York Presbyterian Hospital-Weill Cornell Medical Center.

    Ertegun will be buried in a private ceremony in his native Turkey, said Bob Kaus, a spokesman for Ertegun and Atlantic Records. A memorial service will be conducted in New York after the New Year???s.

    Ertegun, a Turkish ambassador???s son, started collecting records for fun, but would later became one of the music industry???s most powerful figures with Atlantic, which he founded in 1947.

    The label first made its name with rhythm and blues by Charles and Big Joe Turner, but later diversified, making Franklin the Queen of Soul as well as carrying the banner of British rock (with the Rolling Stones, Cream, Led Zeppelin) and American pop (with Sonny & Cher, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and others).

    Today, the company, part of Warner Music Group, is the home to artists including Kid Rock, James Blunt, T.I., and Missy Elliott.
    I heard about that a little while ago. Im working in nbc's newsroom, so we got that info the second it dropped. Were doing a piece on it on tonights 11 o'clock news. Real sad shit. I really liked what he did and how him and tom dowd really set new trends in recording and in music. They always took chances on there acts and technology. When tom dowd started using multitracks in the atlantic studios this revolutinzed engineering and the way we listen to music. And when they signed ray charles and all the other great acts to come out of that label and era, they really changed the entire landscape of music. RIP to ahmet and tom dowd.

  • RIP

  • tuneuptuneup 586 Posts
    I honestly believe that Atlantic is one of the best labels for all kinds of music EVER. A true hero of the business....a definite RIP

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    RIP

    Where has John Book gone? He knows volumes about Ahmet and Atlantic.

  • SoulOnIceSoulOnIce 13,027 Posts
    The Rolling Stones were on Atlantic?

    Was the "Rolling Stones" label an Atlantic subsidiary?

  • luckluck 4,077 Posts
    A legend. One of the most important industry figures in the history of American popular music. Rest in peace.

  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    The Rolling Stones were on Atlantic?

    Was the "Rolling Stones" label an Atlantic subsidiary?

    That line, the first in the article? was bad.

    Rolling Stone label was distributed by Atlantic for a time. But think of Atlantics influence on the Rolling Stones, even though I can't think of any Atlantic covers they did.

  • m_dejeanm_dejean Quadratisch. Praktisch. Gut. 2,946 Posts
    First Arif Mardin, now Ahmet Ertegun. The Atlantic OGs are disappearing now. RIP.


  • nzshadownzshadow 5,518 Posts
    RIP indeed.
    A true giant of the industry.
    And of course most people don't have a clue as to who he was.

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    Not too many record execs can truly be said to have changed the course of popular music. Ahmet Ertegun was one of them, if not the one. RIP.

  • coffinjoecoffinjoe 1,743 Posts
    Not too many record execs can truly be said to have started as a collector[/b] & changed the course of popular music. Ahmet Ertegun was one of them, if not the one. RIP.

  • RIP

    Not to mention all of the great Jazz records on Atlantic.

  • Great man, genuine giant and an nice person.He would walk the halls of Atlantic Records and speak to anyone he saw. RIP.

  • RIP

    Not to mention all of the great Jazz records on Atlantic.

    for the mingus stuff alone he should be remembered. wow. one of my true heros in life.

  • YemskyYemsky 710 Posts
    Ahmet’s wife, interior designer Mica Ertegun died on December 2nd 2023 without any apparent heirs. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/02/style/mica-ertegun-dead.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare


    After their house in Turkey sold in 2013 for €13 million https://www.propertyturkey.com/blog-turkey/property-world-wakes-up-to-bodrum-with-13-million-euro-sale?type=amp a slightly higher price tag of $52,000,000 offers you the chance now to purchase their pad in the Hamptons:





  • ppadilhappadilha 2,243 Posts
    I worked on this PBS doc about Ahmet Ertegun a long time ago:

    We were finishing it up right when Ahmet passed away, they held a screening about a month later and apparently before he died they had already ordered these cookies from those bakeries that do the photo on the frosting, so there was a smiling Ahmet on every cookie. It was kinda morbid, I took a bag home and never managed to eat one.

    Anyway, the doc has a lot of cool stories in it IIRC


    Duderonomy
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