12 Facts About Nesuhi Ertegun

Nesuhi Ertegun was a Turkish-American record producer and executive of Atlantic Records and WEA International.

Nesuhi Ertegun had attended concerts in Europe before his family moved to the United States.

When his father died in 1944, and the rest of his family returned to Turkey, Nesuhi Ertegun moved to California, where he married Jazz Man Record Shop owner Marili Morden and helped run the shop as well as establishing the Crescent Records label.

At Jazz Man, Nesuhi Ertegun produced classic Kid Ory revival recordings in 1944 and 1945, plus other recordings by Pete Daily and Turk Murphy.

Nesuhi Ertegun sold the Jazz Man label in 1952 to Lester Koenig and then went to work for Koenig at Good Time Jazz Records.

Nesuhi Ertegun became vice-president in charge of the jazz and LP department at Atlantic, building up the label's extensive catalog of jazz LPs.

Nesuhi Ertegun was responsible for investing in the album market, improving the quality of recordings and sleeve formats.

In 1971, Nesuhi Ertegun founded WEA International, now Warner Music Group.

Nesuhi Ertegun was incensed by the demand, and set out to introduce the record and the act internationally with the band's given names.

Nesuhi Ertegun remained head of the Warner Records International Division until he retired in 1987.

Nesuhi Ertegun died on July 15,1989, at the age of 71, from complications of cancer surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

Nesuhi Ertegun was posthumously awarded the Grammy Trustees Award for lifetime achievements in 1995.