Ahmet Ertegun quotes

Ahmet Ertegun was a Turkish-American businessman and co-founder of Atlantic Records, one of the most influential music labels in the world. His work helped launch the careers of countless iconic musicians, shaping the sound of modern music. He played a crucial role in bridging cultures and promoting rhythm and blues, soul, and rock music internationally. Here are 9 of his quotes:

I've been in the studio when you go through a track and you run down a track and you know even before the singer starts singing, you know the track is swinging ... you know you have a multimillion-seller hit - and what you're working on suddenly has magic.

Ahmet Ertegun

My first wife was a theater person.

Ahmet Ertegun

The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame will provide a center where the lives and the artistry of the greatest jazz musicians will be celebrated, and where people will come to learn about jazz, something to which my brother devoted his lifes work.

Ahmet Ertegun

Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

Ahmet Ertegun

Fifty years from now, people will still be listening to Led Zeppelin. They won't even remember me.

Ahmet Ertegun

My father was in Ataturk's closest group. They lived together during the War of Liberation in Turkey.

Ahmet Ertegun

Soul lyrics, soul music came at about the same time as the civil rights movement, and it's very possible that one influenced the other.

Ahmet Ertegun

I think it's better to burn out than to fade away... it's better to live out your days being very, very active - even if it destroys you - than to quietly... disappear.

Ahmet Ertegun