Ahmet Ertegun Opens Boutique A&R Firm In Heaven
Atlantic Records honcho Ahmet Ertegun died yesterday, after suffering a brain injury in October. There are people far more qualified than us to write his obit, but in case you need be reminded: Ertegun co-founded Atlantic in 1947, and was responsible for the careers of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, John Coltrane, Led Zeppelin, CSNY, Charles Mingus…it’s a long list. He probably had the dirt on everybody. Lord knows how many times he had to bail David Crosby out of some sort of customs problem.
Because Ertegun’s career was so far-reaching, It’s hard to pick one track that works as an appropriate send-off for his career, but here’s one of Atlantic’s first big singles:
Ray Charles – I Got A Woman [MP3, link expired]
Ahmet Ertegun, Music Executive, Dies at 83 [NY Times]
