AHMET ERTEGUN (1923-2006). A lot of the coverage of Ahmet Ertegun's death emphasized the legendary producer's connection to Ray Charles, but I figure I'll take the opportunity to write a quick note about one of my favorite CDs, which credits Ahmet Ertegun as Executive Producer.

It's Atlantic Rhythm and Blues 1947-1974 Volume 1. The collection is packed with great and varied tunes from Joe Morris, Tiny Grimes, Frank Culley, Stick McGhee, Ruth Brown, Professor Longhair, The Clovers, and Joe Turner, among others. I strongly recommend you give it a listen.

Here's the late, great Ruth Brown singing "Teardrops from My Eyes," which is on the compilation. I'll note here that, after many years of economic hardship, Brown played an important role in getting Ertegun and Atlantic to be reasonable about sharing profits with its artists, who'd signed harsh contracts with the company.



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