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If you're inclined to make the argument that music executives have as much, if not more, influence on the state of the art as the acts that they sign simply by virtue of signing them, you couldn't choose a better figure to prove your case than Ahmet Ertegun, the Atlantic Records founder who died yesterday at the age of 83. Ertegun, the son of a Turkish diplomat, loved music - specifically black music - in the manner of a pure obsessive, and it doesn't overstate his importance to say that the acts he signed, either initially or at critical points in their careers, more or less shaped the sound of the second half of the last century. Any other tribute we could provide would be superfluous, so we'll just give a quick list of some of the more amazing talents in his stable: Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, John Coltrane, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (fuck you, "Teach Your Children" is an amazing song no matter how many car commercials it gets used in), Big Joe Turner... what more is there to say? Rest in peace, Ahmet.

Ahmet Ertegun, Music Executive, Dies at 83 [NYT]*

*WARNING: Contains line "The songs had a good beat, and people danced to them."