Monday, October 24, 2011

Book Review: Music Man - the Ahmet Ertegun and Atlantic Records story

This is the book I am just now finishing.  It is called Music Man; Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic Records, and the Triumph of Rock 'n' Roll, by Dorothy Wade and Justine Picardie.  It's a fun read and anyone remotely interested in vinyl records will enjoy it.  Ahmet and his brother Nesuhi...came here to America, feel in love with the jazz scene in the forties, and started signing small-time jazz acts to their nascent label.  They grew it - signed acts that became huge hit-makers, added Jerry Wexler, and - well, it's a great story.  I learned that one of my favorite record producers (Allman's, Clapton, etc.) Tom Dowd started at Atlantic producing jazz records.  For instance - Dowd's  recordings for Atlantic (and Stax) exerted a major influence on the history of popular music and he made more hits than George Martin and Phil Spector combined."  (wiki).  In the other book we just finished - Hound Dog - about Leiber & Stoller - we also read here much about Ahmet's brother - Nesuhi.  The boko explains the myriad corporate M&A deals (Stax, Warner 7 Arts, etc.), Ahmet's pursuit of the Stones.   And that takes me to almost the end - am just a chapter or two from finishing it.  Then - my next book is the about the great disco band Chic, by founder Nile Rodgers.





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