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I should have gotten the Beatles. But one of my lawyers kind of messed up.

Ahmet Ertegun

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

Hit Magic Multimillion Seller Suddenly Working
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
Laura had an instinctive feel for music and melody, and her delivery was sensational.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Delivery Feel Melody Music People Sensational
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
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
It is a great life, this life of music.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Great Life Music
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
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
Theres two kinds of music: black soul music, and the white imitation thereof.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Black Imitation Music Soul Two White
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
I came close to signing Elvis Presley. I offered $25,000 for his contract and they asked for $45,000 and I just didn’t have the other $20,000.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Celebrity Close Contract Kind Lawyer Offered Singing
My first wife was a theater person.
AHMET ERTEGUN

First Person Theater Wife
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
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
The first time I heard Clyde McPhatter singing with the Dominoes at the Apollo I just fell off my chair
AHMET ERTEGUN

Car First Hear Singing

I should have gotten the Beatles. But one of my lawyers kind of messed up.

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I should have gotten the Beatles. But one of my lawyers kind of messed up.

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