People

I’ve been thinking about Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, who died December 14 after falling backstage at a Rolling Stones concert. He was known as a music mogul who profited enormously from rhythm and blues stars including Ruth Brown and Ray Charles and rock and roll greats like The Stones and Led Zeppelin.

If there’s something called the collaborative personality, Ertegun undoubtedly had it. The son of the Turkish ambassador to the United States, he was comfortable rubbing elbows with diplomats, royalty and financiers. But he was equally at home drinking bourbon with musicians, hanging out at recording studios and punk rock dives, writing songs, and even performing. According to Wikipedia, Ertegun wrote many classic blues tunes including “Chains of Love” and “Sweet Sixteen” under the pseudonym A. Nugetre (Ertegun backwards).  Also, Ertegun shouted the chorus for Big Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”

As he became increasingly successful, Ertegun could have easily embraced hierarchy and the trappings of position. He could have insulated himself from the trenches. Following his passion for music, however, Ertegun effortlessly crossed boundaries and broke down barriers by moving from one scene to the next. One moment he was cutting a deal with a power broker; the next moment he was heading to a dive so he could mingle with up-and-coming artists.