Friday, December 15, 2006

Ahmet Ertegun



I can't remember any time when I didn't love music. Ertegun was responsible for bringing forth a great part of that love. You can almost hear the angels singing, can't you?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Without a doubt, one of coolest people I have ever met -- He genuinely seemed happy that I appreciated the music that he was responsible for.

Trying to understand his impact on the whole of american popular music is nearly impossible -- But the list of artists he discovered or produced tells the story: Ray Charles, The Drifters, Ivory Joe Hunter, The Coasters, Ruth Brown, LaVerne Baker, Big Joe Turner, Otis Redding, The Spinners. Then to have the foresight to be on the cusp of the original Heavy Metal boom by signing Iron Butterfly and then Led Zeppelin. Also Prog - Cream, Yes, Genesis and dont forget AC/DC and The Rolling Stones.

Enough said -- A personal favorite of mine and a huge loss.

Trivia: The 70's --> current atlantic label is Green, Orange and White - the colors of the Turkish flag (Ertegun's Nationality)