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Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

Ahmet Ertegun

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
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
My first wife was a theater person.
AHMET ERTEGUN

First Person Theater Wife
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
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 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 father believed very strongly in Ataturk. Ataturk was a very powerful man and a man of great vision.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Believe Father Great Man Powerful Strong Vision
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
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
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
At a time when it was very brave to do because Ataturk was cutting off the heads of the imams. And people thought that that was foolhardy of my father.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Brave Cutting Father Foolhardy Head People Time
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
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
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 did a little bit to raise the dignity and recognition of the greatness of African-American music.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Country Dignity Greatness Little Music Recognition

Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

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Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

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