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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

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
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
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
It is a great life, this life of music.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Great Life Music
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
My first wife was a theater person.
AHMET ERTEGUN

First Person Theater Wife
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
Theres two kinds of music: black soul music, and the white imitation thereof.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Black Imitation Music Soul Two White
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
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
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 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 became a jazz fan quite early and never went off the path thereafter.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Fan Jazz Path Quite
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 all-time greatest Atlantic group – The Drifters
AHMET ERTEGUN

All Atlantic Group Time
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
Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Everyone Felt Ray Way
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
Laura had an instinctive feel for music and melody, and her delivery was sensational.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Delivery Feel Melody Music People Sensational
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
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
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
A singer’s biographical film should have their music and their voice.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Biography Film Music Singer Voice
The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame will provide a center where the lives and the artistry of the greatest jazz musicians will be celebrated, and where people will come to learn about jazz, something to which my brother devoted his lifes work.
AHMET ERTEGUN

Brother Center Fame Greatest Musician People Provide
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
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

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.

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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.

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