54 Quotes by Ahmet Ertegun

Soul lyrics, soul music came at about the same time as the civil rights movement, and it's very possible that one influenced the other.

I think it's better to burn out than to fade away... it's better to live out your days being very, very active - even if it destroys you - than to quietly... disappear.

I'd be happy if people said that I did a little bit to raise the dignity and recognition of the greatness of African-American music.

Fifty years from now, people will still be listening to Led Zeppelin. They won't even remember me.

As I grew up, I began to discover a little bit about the situation of black people in America and experienced an immediate empathy with the victims of such senseless discrimination. Because although the Turks were never slaves, they were regarded as enemies within Europe because of their Muslim beliefs.

My father was in Ataturk's closest group. They lived together during the War of Liberation in Turkey.

When I first heard Ray Charles, he was a flop artist on a small label in California. He hadn't sold any records. And I bought his contract for $2,500.

I don't use the computer. But my secretary does. I want to take some computer courses because I'm interested in some of the access to some of the illegal things on the Internet. I'm just kidding.

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.