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| Led Zeppelin Will Play Concert in Tribute to Ahmet Ertegun One of the most eagerly awaited concerts of the decade will celebrate the life and work of Ahmet Ertegun, founder of Atlantic Records and much missed mentor to some of the greatest names in music. Profits from this amazing show will go to the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund which provides students with annual scholarships to universities in the UK, USA and Turkey. In addition, a music scholarship open to all will be established at Ravensbourne College in the UK. The incomparable Led Zeppelin will headline the tribute to the man who founded Atlantic Records in 1947. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones will be joined by Jason Bonham, the son of their late drummer John Bonham. In addition, Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings, Foreigner and Paolo Nutini, all touched by Ertegun's guiding hand over the years, will play on the night. Paolo was the final British artist that Ahmet mentored. It will be a tribute from UK artists that Ertegun worked with in a 60 year career. Born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1923, Ertegun was the son of America's Turkish Ambassador. At 9 years old he was attending gigs in Washington DC featuring jazz greats including Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway. Inspired by what he saw, Ertegun and his brother Nesuhi began to stage their own concerts hosting artists such as Lester Young. In 1947, he formed Atlantic Records with friend Herb Abramson in New York, an independent record label for gospel, jazz and R&B music. During the 50's and 60's Atlantic grew, signing the likes of Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin and The Drifters, patenting the blueprint of soul music. After successfully and uniquely combining blues and soul music from around the world, Atlantic became the definitive rhythm and blues label, paying performers fairly and producing high quality records. Ertegun, as always, was hands on in business and in the studio. In 1968, Ahmet Ertegun made the magical move into rock by signing Led Zeppelin guiding them through a phenomenal career. In addition, he signed the monsters of 1970s British rock - from the Rolling Stones, through Cream and Genesis. Ertegun was also the founder and chairman of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, to which he was elected in 1987 for his pioneering contributions to popular music. His most recent signing was UK artist Paolo Nutini whose 2006 debut album These Streets reached number 3 in the UK Album Charts. Ahmet Ertegun sadly died last year aged 83. Led Zeppelin are simply the ultimate rock band. They produced some of the greatest albums in recording history and are constantly considered amongst the greatest popular musicians of all time, both collectively and individually. The band formed in 1968, from the ashes of The Yardbirds. When those R&B crusaders disbanded, guitarist Jimmy Page brought in Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones and toured as The New Yardbirds. In 1969, their self-titled debut was released and is regarded as one of the pivotal records in the creation of heavy rock. Led Zeppelin went on to become the colossal rock icons that we know today, setting new records along the way for fan attendance at their massive gigs, with one of the most memorable at Knebworth in 1979. They have sold over 300 million albums worldwide and, in 1995, the band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame joining their mentor Ahmet Ertegun. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |