Ertegun brothers
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The Ertegun brothers, Ahmet Ertegun (1923) and Nesuhi Ertegun (1917–1989) are co-founders of Atlantic Records.
Born in Istanbul, Turkey, they moved to Washington, DC with their father M. Munir Ertegun, who was then the Turkish Ambassador to the United States.
Ahmet Ertegun, together with his brother Nesuhi, producer Tom Dowd, Jerry Wexler and others created the Atlantic Records in the late 1940s as an independent record company that became a jazz and pop empire in the 1960s.
Their first success came in rhythm and blues, with such artists as Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, The Clovers, The Drifters, and Ray Charles. Regarding Ray Charles, Ahmet Ertegun 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 Ertegun wrote a number of classic blues songs, including "Chains of Love" and "Sweet Sixteen" under the pseudonym A. Nugetre (Ertegun backwards).
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.
Many independent record executives, like the Erteguns, were from immigrant backgrounds, including the Bihari brothers and the Chess brothers.
Their primary musical interest was Jazz. Neshui 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.
They were also co-founders and ex-directors of the New York Cosmos soccer team.
Nesuhi Ertegun was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1991. Ahmet was awarded the Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1993; Nesuhi was awarded the same two years later in 1995.
See also: Turkish music