Ertegun brothers

The Ertegun brothers, Ahmet Ertegun (1923) and Nesuhi Ertegun (1917-1989) are co-founders of Atlantic Records. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, they moved to Washington, D.C. with their fathers M. Munir Ertegun, who was then the Turkish Ambassador to the United States. Ahmet Ertegun, together with his brother Nesuhi, producer Tom Dowd, Jerry Wexler and others created the Atlantic Records jazz and pop empire in the ‘50s. Although their primary musical interest was jazz (both brothers promoted jazz concerts, founded jazz record companies and organized jazz bands), they were also open to more modern styles and worked with such famous artists as Charles Mingus, Ornette Coleman, Hank Crawford, Sonny and Cher. They were also co-founders and ex-directors of soccer team New York Cosmos.