Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records dies. What a man, what a man

[Philosoraptor]

http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/14/obit.ertegu...

NEW YORK (AP) -- 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, died Thursday, his spokesman said. He was 83.

Ertegun 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. It 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 and 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.

[dbt]

1. He turned Wilson Pickett loose on an unsuspecting world!

For that alone his name should be revered forever.


dbt
Remember Stax

[Philosoraptor]

3. & ZAPPA!

[B3Nut]

5. and YES!

He had diverse musical interests. A true giant, and a nurturer of artists. Not many like that in the music business...the antithesis of the Crap Channel mindset.

Todd in Beerbratistan

[Squeech]

11. How so?

I know Frank named his third child after him. But Atlantic did not sign the Mothers, and AFAIK there was never any point where Atlantic had anything to do with Zappa's music.

(They did sign the Fugs, who promptly entered the studio and recorded an album, which the label then decided not to release. According to Ed Sanders, this was because Atlantic was then in the process of selling itself to the Warner Bros. corporate umbrella, and they felt that having a Fugs album in the catalog would undermine their bargaining position.)

One of my favorite things about Atlantic was that Ertegun fostered the careers of a bunch of other Turkish jazz aficionados. There was a guy named Ilhan Mimaroglu who did really elaborate musique concrete tape productions and primitive synthesizer music (back before synthesizers were something individual musicians could buy or use). Ertegun hired him as a producer (I think he was responsible for some of the really great Mingus albums) *and* gave him his own vanity label, Finnadar Records, to run however he saw fit provided he didn't lose money on it. Besides Mimaroglu's own music, Finnadar issued recordings of music by John Cage, Jean Dubuffet, Edgard Varese, Anton Webern, etc.

[Chipper Chat]

2. Also the Manhattan Transfer - dynamite group.

And Li'l Kim!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dbt]

6. And Buffalo Springfield!!

On Atlantic subsidiary Atco.

In a while will the smile on my face
Turn to plaster?
Stick around while the clown
Who is sick does the trick of disaster.

("Mr. Soul" in which Neil Young foresees bu$h.)


dbt
Remember Joe Tex

[Chipper Chat]

15. And how can we forget THE COASTERS!!

...also on ATCO. They sure made a lot of money for Mr. E.

[dbt]

16. Been waitin' all DAY for somebody to RECO'NIZE!

Thank you for bringing up the MIGHTY Coasters!

Charlie Brown
Little Egypt
Searchin'
Along Came Jones
Run Red Run

And so on, all the way to the top of the charts!




dbt
Remember Big Joe Turner

[Chipper Chat]

22. My folks never understood the allure of "Searchin'"

They and all of the 'older generation' wondered why us white kids could like that 'nigra music.' But it was just music to us - we didnt care what color the artists were.

Adding to ATCO's hall of fame: Bobby Darin & Mr. Acker Bilk (Stranger On the Shore)

[malaise]

4. A great producer indeed

RIP Ahmet Ertegun. You sure identified great talent.

[KharmaTrain]

7. This Man Transformed A World...

So few will notice this great man's passing...but they sure know those who he recorded. From Wilson Pickett and the Memphis Watts/Stax Group to Aretha Franklin to Cream to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young to Hall & Oates to Otis Redding to Genesis to Yes to Roberta Flack...the list is truly amazing. What makes his life one to celebrate is how he did it as an independent...took a dream and made it happen...and then shared his talents and his fortune with others.

Sleep well, Ahmet...you've left this world a finer place with your sound and vision.

Cheers...

[blondeatlast]

8. A brave, brilliant man. Imagine never hearing the likes of Aretha or Wilson Pickett.

Without him, it's unlikely we white folk ever would have.

Rest in peace, sir.

[Philosoraptor]

9. Talk about a hip dude

[LynneSin]

10. The man is a legend - he brought us Led Zeppelin

This is a sad day indeed

[kwassa]

12. Who are they? Are they, like, Oasis?

Miss Robert Plant Obsession.

[LynneSin]

13. Nothng wrong with a little crush now isn't there

I've been pretty consistant, I mean before Robert Plant the music crush was Shaun Cassidy

[blondeatlast]

14. Kick for a true mover and shaker.

This is a sad, sad day for music.

RIP, sir.

[americanstranger]

17. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Ertegun a few times.

Back when my band was making the showcase rounds in NYC in the late 80s, he came out to check out the band a couple of times.

He was such a nice man. He took us aside at one of the showcases and told us not to lose patience if we didn't get a deal right away. And he was right - we stuck it out, and two years later we finally signed our deal with Warner.

He wrote modern American music history almost single-handedly. Given the marketing majors and corporate greedheads who have infested the music industry nowadays, it's safe to say there will never be another like him.

I'm so sad to hear about the passing of this great man. RIP, Mr. Ertegun.

- as

[dbt]

18. Do you know how BLESSED you are?

I would damn near KILL for that.


dbt
Remember Muscle Shoals

[americanstranger]

19. Yes, I do.

The fact that the man even came to our shows (more than one!!!) was such an encouragement to us.

That he pulled us into a quiet room at the Lone Star Roadhouse to give us a pep talk was beyond my belief.

Our record career didn't turn out well at all - but the fact that Mr. Ertegun saw something in us and went out of his way to encourage us is one of my life's fondest memories.

- as

[Jcrowley]

20. Damn right

K&R

Shit where are all those ATCO 45's that I'd listen to all night? Wish I knew.

Thanks alot for this.

RIP Ahmet Ertegun you brought some meaning to this world.

[Philosoraptor]

21. rock and roll