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Ahmet Ertegun, Record Producer/Atlantic Records Founder
| by Michael Macomber |
Ahmet Ertegun
July 31, 1923 to
December 14, 2006
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It is not possible to underestimate the importance of Ahmet Ertegun in the early career of Bobby Darin. Ertegun was the man who stood up for Bobby when Atlantic Records co-founder Herb Abramson wanted to release Darin from his contract in 1958. Ertegun secured Darin one more session to prove himself, and personally oversaw that session. The result was Splish Splash, the song that both saved Darin's contract with Atlantic and gave him his first Gold Record. Ertegun clearly saw in Darin what he had always loved about American music, that great rhythm n' blues and jazz spirit.
Born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1923, Ertegun first came to America in 1935, when his father, diplomat Mehmet Munir Ertegun, became the Turkish Ambassador to the United States. |
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Ahmet and his older brother Nesuhi were already great fans of American Jazz when they arrived on these shores, and they were expecting to find smoky clubs and swingin' music on every corner. Unfortunately, the consulate crowd in Washington D.C. wasn't really hep to the jive, so the Ertegun boys were initially cut off from a culture they were longing to experience.
Not the type to give up easily, young teenager Ahmet managed to ditch his parents one night and sneak off to the Plantation Club, where he spent the evening diggin' the scene with legendary trumpet player Oran "Hot Lips" Page. This intense dedication to music would continue throughout Ertegun's life and career, informing every move he made in the business.
The Big Move came in the fall of 1947, when Ertegun convinced his dentist to lend him $10,000 so he could start a record label. Thusly, Atco/Atlantic was born, and a musical legacy began.
Atlantic's roster of jazz and rhythm n' blues artists was second to none, and included such luminaries as Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, The Clovers, The Drifters, John Coltrane, Ben E. King, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, and many, many others.
While simply having the foresight to sign such acts would be enough to secure any record exec a place in history, it wasn't nearly enough for Ertegun. He was a hands on kind of guy, not interested so much in being a record exec, as in making great records. Rolling up his sleeves, he worked side by side with his artists, producing their records and, when needed, writing songs for them.
Bottom line, it is safe to say our American musical heritage would not be as rich as it is, without the contributions of the music-loving son of a Turkish diplomat, Mr. Ahmet Ertegun. |
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Darin LPs Produced by Ahmet Ertegun:
Bobby Darin (Atco 33-102, September 1958)
That's All (Atco 33-104, March 1959)
This is Darin (Atco 33-115, January 1960)
Darin at the Copa (Atco 33-122, August 1960)
For Teenagers Only (Atco SP-1001, September 1960)
The 25th Day of December (Atco 33-125, October 24, 1960)
Bobby Darin & Johnny Mercer: Two of a Kind (Atco 33-126, February 1961)
The Bobby Darin Story (Atco 33-131, 1961)
Love Swings (Atco 33-134, July 1961)
Twist with Bobby Darin (Atco 33-138, December 1961)
Bobby Darin Sings Ray Charles (Atco 33-140, March 1962)
Things and Other Things (Atco 33-146, July 1962)
It's You or No One (Atco 33-124, June 1963)
Winners (Atco 33-167, June 1964)
Clementine (Clarion 603, 1964)
Bobby Darin Sings Doctor Dolittle (Atlantic 8154, August 1967) |
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Other LPs Produced by Ahmet Ertegun (Selected Discography):
Mabel Mercer: Sings Cole Porter (Atlantic 1213, 1955)
Al Hibbler: After the Lights Go Down Low (Atlantic 1251, 1956)
The Great Ray Charles (Atlantic 1259, 1957)
Bobby Short: The Mad Twenties (Atlantic 1302, 1958)
T-Bone Walker: T-Bone Blues (Atlantic 8020, 1959)
A Few Songs Written by Ahmet Ertegun:
Chains of Love (Ahmet Ertegun/Harry Van Walls)
Don't Play That Song (You Lied) (Ahmet Ertegun/Betty Nelson)
Hey, Miss Fannie (Ahmet Ertegun)
Let the Boogie Woogie Roll (Ahmet Ertegun/Jerry Wexler)
Mess Around (Ahmet Ertegun/Jesse Stone)
Ting-A-Ling (Ahmet Ertegun) |
Ahmet Ertegun Links:
Ahmet Ertegun Profile at Allmusic.com
Ahmet Ertegun at the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame
Atlantic Records Official Site |
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