Atlantic Records is a classic American label, but it was founded by an immigrant! As promised today’s poem is a response to yesterday’s.
The date is July 31th, Wednesday, and today I’m still traveling to Boston, Massachusetts. (Due to some plane drama, audio for today’s episode will be available tomorrow.)
Today is the birthday of Ahmet Ertegun, Turkish-American founder of Atlantic Records.
Ahmet was born in Istanbul, Turkey in 1923. His father was a successful lawyer and his mother a skilled musician. She played the piano and a number of stringed instruments and indulged in records. Ahmet and his brother Nesuhi were admittedly spoiled by their unimpeded access to the music from the top musicians and bands of the day.
Ahmet proclaimed he truly fell in love with music at age 9. While in London with his family, Ahmet’s brother Nesuhi dragged him to a concert to see Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, and their respective bands play at the Palladium Theater. Ahmet was in awe of the performers and their sound.
In 1935, Ahmet’s father became the Turkish Ambassador to the United States and the family moved to Washington, D.C.. Ertegun joked that despite attending an affluent private high school and then Georgetown, he “got [his] real education at Howard.” (Meaning Howard University, the historically black University in Washington, D.C.). Although he didn’t share the exact same ethnic heritage, Ertegun felt a kinship with the African American community. When traveling in Europe his family often met with discrimination due to their Muslim background.
While in college at Georgetown he worked at a record shop while taking in the music scene. Finally, he moved to New York, not knowing exactly what he would do, but determined to be entrenched in the music scene.
In 1947, with $10000 borrowed from his family dentist, Ertegun and partner Herb Abramson started Atlantic Records. Atlantic was to be the premiere independent label for jazz, gospel, and R&B.
It was a rocky start to say the least: Ertegun was still honing his skills as a talent scout and producer and missed out on stars that would be big. It took 22 records before their independent label finally found commercial success.
Ertegun did a bit of everything at Atlantic Records in the beginning. He scouted new talent, wrote songs, produced the music, and sometimes hopped on a track as a back-up singer.
Atlantic Records would sign the likes of Ray Charles and Coltrane and was one of the first labels to record in stereo sound.
From humble beginnings in an office in a old crumbling hotel, Ertegun helped to grow Atlantic Records into a premiere independent music label. Atlantic stock was ultimately sold to Warner Bro.s in the 1970s, though Ertegun remained active in the company for another 20 years. And of course, he would frequent jazz clubs and concerts until his dying day.
The Nymph’s Reply to the Shepherd
Sir Walter Raleigh
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy love.
Time drives the flocks from field to fold
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold,
And Philomel becometh dumb;
The rest complains of cares to come.
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
To wayward winter reckoning yields;
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies
Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten–
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
Thy belt of straw and ivy buds,
Thy coral clasps and amber studs,
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy love.
But could youth last and love still breed,
Had joys no date nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee and be thy love.