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You know you have a multimillion-seller hit – and what you’re working on suddenly has magic.

Ahmet Ertegun

I first heard Laura Branigan sing live in my brother Nesuhi’s apartment, where we had gone because he had a very good piano. I immediately realized that she had a great pop voice, in the classical sense.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Apartment Brother Career Gone Good Heard Very Voice
Another one is Eric Clapton. Another one is Phil Collins. Eminem, Kanye West I like all those people.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Another Celebrity Like One People
I should have gotten the Beatles. But one of my lawyers kind of messed up.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Celebrity Gotten Kind Lawyer Mess Other
People like Clyde McPhatter who came out of the black churches – like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin – were all church singers who became great pop singers because gospel singing is very close to the blues.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Black Blue Church Like Out People Singing
There are still many great surviving talents: Stevie Winwood. Another great talent is Stevie Wonder.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Another Eric Great People Survive Surviving Talent West
I became a jazz fan quite early and never went off the path thereafter.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Fan Jazz Path Quite
The main thing is that Ataturk saw the desperate condition of the countries that had not had an industrial revolution.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Condition Country Industrial Islamic Man Revolution Thing
If I’d have continued it might have killed me. My doctor said I should stick to wine.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Continue Doctor Killed Stick Wine
My father was a very religious person. And he prayed five times a day. And he did that throughout his relationship with Ataturk.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Cutting Day Father Prayed Relationship Religious Throughout Time
I consider Laura to be one of my best signings, and I am proud to have had such a great singer in my career in the record business. We miss her dearly.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Business Career Consider Dearly Great Miss People Proud Record Singer
I used to drink a bottle of vodka a day, every day, for about 40 years and it never occurred to me it’d kill me.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Bottle Doctor Drink Occur Used Wine Year
Whenever a songwriter writes a big hit, then the next 20 songs they write – no matter how bad they are – get recorded.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Big Matter Next Recorded Song Write Writing
Ataturk saw where history was going. He really did in Turkey what we are all hoping somebody will do in [Islamic] countries where fundamentalists thrive, that they get somebody today that has the vision that Ataturk had in 1915.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Country Defeat Everybody Fundamental History Hoping Right Somebody
The all-time greatest Atlantic group – The Drifters
AHMET ERTEGUN

All Atlantic Group Time
I’ve been in the studio when you go through a track and you run down a track and you know even before the singer starts singing, you know the track is swinging.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Magic Running Singer Start Studio Track
The songwriters whom we think of being the greatest songwriters usually write one hit and six or seven flops.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Flop Greatest Hit Seven Six Think Thinking Write Writing

You know you have a multimillion-seller hit – and what you’re working on suddenly has magic.

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You know you have a multimillion-seller hit – and what you’re working on suddenly has magic.

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