After coming to America as the son of the Ambassador of Turkey, Ertegun stayed in the U.S. after his father died — and, in 1947, founded a record label featuring jazz with partner Herb Abramson.
They did well with artists like Ruth Brown and John Coltrane, and with something called “race music,” which was later better known as Rhythm & Blues. With that knockout combination, Atlantic Recording Corp., better known as Atlantic Records, became a powerhouse. Ertegun hired top session players for an unknown singer named Ray Charles — and made him a star not only with Black Americans, but white ones as well.
He also helped develop such artists as Bobby Darin, Aretha Franklin, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Yes, even Sonny & Cher. He sold the label to Warner-Seven Arts in 1967. Ertegun was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, named a “Living Legend” by the Library of Congress in 2000, and given the first Living Legends Grammy in 2005. He died December 14 after suffering a head injury in a fall at a benefit rock concert in October. He was 83.