The Last Sultan: The Life and Times of Ahmet Ertegun by Robert Greenfield

A brilliantly written book about the life of Atlantic Records Founder and Cool Cat CEO Ahmet Ertegun. You’ll have a front row seat to the life and times of an amazing man. Ertegun breaks free of his silver spoon young Turk life as a diplomats son and ventures at a tender age into the jazz clubs of Harlem where the sounds of Duke Ellington and the legends of jazz rock his soul to the core. The boy follows his heart into creating the swingingest coolest and hippest record label of all time. Erteguns label becomes the most important jazz, soul and R&B label by it’s founders keen instinct for curating the “cool.” The Clovers, Wilson Pickett, Joe Morris, Dizzy Gillespie, Big Joe Turner, Otis Redding, Sarah Vaughn, Ray Charles-the list goes on and on. Ahmet was even part of the shout chorus on “Shake, Rattle & Roll”-one of the most important songs and pivot points in modern music history. Ertegun then segues into the rock n roll era with equal dexterity as he navigated the jazz/R&B curcuit. Bobby Darin, Leiber & Stoller, The Rascals, Aretha Franklin. There are so many successes and Etegun’s partners Jerry Wexler, brother Neshui and Producer Tom Dowd all contribute mightily to this amazing run. Incredible stories, like the hits he creates just keep on coming in this fantastic and wonderfully written and researched story. Details of the life of this amazing man give the story a richness and depth that makes for an incredibly satisfying read. Then, from Zeppelin and the Stones into the Album Rock era, disco and modern times, the book is a brilliant potrait of a man equally at home with high society, diplomats and the upper crust of society as he was in the ghettos and back alleys of early R&B and the dangerous dirty south where few “respectable folks” dared to tread. And through it all Ahmet always returns with the very crown jewels of Anerican soul. If you want to know the real life true story of the very roots of rock n roll-this it it! Through every twist and turn in this story, no matter what wattage of star power surrounds him-Jaggar, Ray, Jimmy Page, Clapton, Robert Plant, Crosby, Stills, Nash, Kid Rock, Geffen, Phil Spector or corporate titan Steve Ross (Father of the Modern Warner Bros)– Ahmet always remained- “The Coolest Cat Of Them All.”

I’ve always been drawn to businessmen that have come from rather humble beginnings to being the best of the best. How did they get there? What was the tipping point in their careers? The Last Sultan, his real name Ahmet Ertegun, grew up the son of a high-ranking Turkish diplomat, would end up changing the record business forever through his record label Atlantic Records.

When he first moved to the US he used to sneak out and listen to black-roots music in the local clubs when no white record exec would dare do so. He ended up falling in love with this music and would later start a record label to bring it to the masses. Over the next five decades as different genres faded and others took shape, Ahmet was usually the visionary leading the charge. He signed some of the biggest music legends in history including: Big Joe Turner, Ray Charles, Bobby Darin, Sonny and Cher, Nash & Young, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Bette Midler, and Kid Rock.
The most interesting theme of the book were the comments artists had about Ahmet Ertegun. Even early on in his career before he was a legend, artists had a deep respect for Ahmet’s innate ability to hear, modify, and help create #1 records. Because of Ahmet’s active social lifestyle, he found it very easy to connect with artists on multiple levels. Both the The Rolling Stones and Kid Rock were amazed that Ahmet could out drink and out socialize even them, not get any sleep, and be alert, well dressed, and well versed for a business meeting hours later. And Ahmet was always the best-dressed person in the room.

Ahmet Ertegun’s life was one part music visionary, one part businessman, and two parts the show “Mad Men”. And this is exactly why several major tv networks have tried to produce a series around Ahmet’s life. The book is also a rock and roll history lesson that takes you from the late 1940’s through present day. I enjoyed the book and you will to, although I guarantee your life will seem very boring after you read about “The Last Sultan”.

Le livre est sur la vie du fils de l’ambassadeur de Turquie à Washington DC de l’époque qui a fait beaucoup pour le jazz et le rock aux États-Unis … et qui a produit les plus grands y compris les Rolling Stones …

but there has to be more. Of course there is more, but where is it? Good overview of the music industry and it’s doings… Worth the read. Also, you can read the interview in The New Yorker in Profiles: Eclectic, Reminiscent, Amused, Fickle, Perverse by George W. S. Trow. After you read it and you want “more”, get the book, otherwise, good ridance and do get Keith Richards Life.