Ertegun brothers
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-->The Ertegün brothers, Ahmet Ertegün (born July 31,1923) and Nesuhi Ertegün (November 26, 1917–April 15,1989), were executives of Atlantic Records.
They also co-founded the New York Cosmos soccer team of the North American Soccer League. They were instrumental in bringing in soccer legends like Pele, Carlos Alberto and Franz Beckenbauer to the club. They transformed the Cosmos into a dreamteam. Their love for soccer was the reason that the Cosmos were born.
History
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, they moved to Washington, DC with their father M. Münir Ertegün, who was then the Turkish Ambassador to the United States.Ahmet Ertegün, producer Tom Dowd, Herb Abramson and others created Atlantic Records in the late 1940s as an independent record company that became, with the added partnership of Jerry Wexler, a jazz and pop empire in the 1960s. Their first success came in rhythm and blues (R&B), with such artists as Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, The Clovers, The Drifters, and Ray Charles. Regarding Ray Charles, Ahmet Ertegün is quoted as saying "First time I saw Ray I told him, 'You are the fucking end, you know.'"
They brought a jazz sensibility (and many jazz artists) into R&B and participated in turning the genre from a minority interest into a major part of the musical scene. Ahmet Ertegün wrote a number of classic blues songs, including "Chains of Love" and "Sweet Sixteen", under the pseudonym "A. Nugetre" (Ertegün backwards), as well as Ray Charles' first hit "Mess Around".
Nesuhi was persuaded to join Atlantic in 1955 and became vice-president in charge of the jazz and LP department.
During the 1960s, Ahmet heard Led Zeppelin's demo and knew they would be a smash hit after hearing the first few songs. He quickly signed them. He also convinced Crosby, Stills and Nash to allow Neil Young to join them on one of their tours, thereby founding Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Ahmet also used his considerable personal skills in negotiations with major stars, such as when The Rolling Stones were shopping for a record company to distribute their independent Rolling Stones Records label. Ertegun personally conducted the negotiations with Mick Jagger, successfully completing the deal between The Stones and Atlantic, when other labels had actually offered the band more money. Ahmet Ertegun remained at Atlantic Records as Founding Chairman.
The Ertegüns' primary musical interest was jazz. Nesuhi produced records for artists like John Coltrane, Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman and Hank Crawford. Both brothers promoted jazz concerts, founded jazz record companies, and organized jazz bands. Nevertheless, they were also open to more modern popular styles and worked with such famous artists as Sonny and Cher.
In 1971, Nesuhi founded WEA International, now Warner Music International.
Many independent record executives, like the Ertegüns, were from immigrant backgrounds, including the Bihari brothers and the Chess brothers.
In 1987, Ahmet was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, of which he himself was the founder. Nesuhi Ertegün was inducted posthumously four years later, in 1991. Ahmet received an honorary doctorate in music from the Berklee College of Music in Boston in 1991, and was awarded the Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1993; Nesuhi was awarded the same posthumously two years later in 1995. The United States Library of Congress honored Ertegun as a "Living Legend" in 2000. The Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame at Jazz at Lincoln Center was dedicated to Nesuhi in 2004. In 2005, the Recording Academy presented Ahmet with the first "President's Merit Award Salute To Industry Icons". For their contributions to the sport of soccer, both were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003.
In Ray, the biopic of Ray Charles, Ahmet Ertegün is portrayed by Curtis Armstrong. In Beyond the Sea, the biopic about Bobby Darin, Ahmet is played by Tayfun Bademsoy.
Ahmet received awards both as a musician and as a soccer figure; he is still the only one to achieve this.
See also
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