Ahmet Ertegun Jerry Wexler
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The first great wave o f new ln the early days o f rock and roll, a few In 1928, an Orthodox Jewish family independent record labels came men made it possible fo r the voice of named Checz came to Americafrom between the years 1944 and 1947. The change to be heard. Thefo rces that Poland. They moved to Chicago, m aJor labels o fthe tim e—RCA, were then shaping music foreshadowed living at 1425 South Karlov, in the Columbia and Decca (now MCA) - had the end o f separate black and white South Side, where Leonard, the older all the established orchestras, singers societies. In the late Forties, Jackie son, worked with his brother Phil in and vocal groups under contract, so it Robinson started playing fo r the theirfather’s Junkyard. The Chess was up to the independent labels to ■ Brooklyn Dodgers, and Jerry family found a sympathetic I develop and nurture the new talent I W exler, at Billboard, helped change I neighborhood in the black ghetto. I and to discover and promote the new I the name o f the black-music chart trends. Most o f the men responsible forfounding from Race Records to Rhythm and Blues. I Orthodox prayers, sung in elaborate and sustaining the independent record labels of As a boy, Wexler had worked with his father Hebrew cantillation, found echoes in the blues theJ 1940s have since retired, sold out or died. In ias a window washer. A fter college (where he 2scales and gospel harmonies o fthe Chesses’ fact, only one of those pioneers is still active studied Journalism) and the army, he started adopted neighborhood. As the years passed, the with his label: Ahmet Ertegun, chairman o f reporting fo r Billboard. But soon he caught the family made modest investments in liquor stores Atlantic Records. boogie disease. He left Billboard in 1951 to and eventually began running a saloon called Ertegun, the son o f a career diplomat, was workfor a music-publishing company and in the Macamba Lounge, whichfeatured Jazz and born in Istanbul, Turkey. When he was twelve, 1953Joined Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegun at blues performers. hisfather was appointed Turkey’s ambassador Atlantic Records. Before he knew it, he was The Chess brothers started Aristocrat to the United States. Ahmet attended St. John’s drinking champagne at all-night recording Records in 1947, issuing small-group and blues College, in Annapolis, Maryland, and sessions with Mabel Mercer, singing releases, then formed Chess Records two years Georgetown University, in Washington, D.C. background with Ahmet Ertegun on Ray Charles later. Thefirst Chess release was saxophonist He had always been a record collector, with a songs, driving down a dimly lit Alabama Gene Ammons’s version o f ‘ ‘My Foolish strong interest in Jazz and the blues. highway with two gallons o fbootleg booze on Heart, ’ ’ which was a sizable radio, retail and In 1947, Ertegun and Herb Abramson the way to a Rolling Stones session, having a Jukebox hit. The record number was 1425—a founded Atlantic. The label scored its first maJor fin e time. reminder o f the brothers’ origins on South hit in 1949 with Stick McGhee’s “Drinkin’ Wine Clyde McPhatter and the Drifters, LaVern Karlov. The very next record was M uddy Spo-Dee-O-Dee. ’ ’ Within afew short years Baker, Ruth Brown, Joe Turner, Ray Charles, W aters’s legendary I ‘Rollin’ Stone. ’ ’ Atlantic became the premier rhythm and blues Professor Longhair, Ivory Joe Hunter, Chuck The powerful backbeat and literally label. The artist roster o f the time reads like an Willis, the Coasters, Aretha Franklin, Joe Tex, electrifying impact o fMuddy’s amplified guitar honor roll o fstars: Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, Solomon Burke, the Clovers, Wilson Pickett, would become key elements o frock and roll. Ray Charles, LaVern Baker, Clyde McPhatter, Duane Allman, Dr. John, Dusty Springfield, Later, in 1955, Chuck Berry brought his the Drifters, BenE. King, the Coasters, the Delaney and Bonnie, Willie Nelson, Allen distinctive rhythm-guitar patterns to Chess. The Clovers, Ivory Joe Hunter, Chuck Willis and Toussaint, Tony Joe White, Kim Carnes, Mavis backbeat, electric lead guitar and rhythm guitar many, many more. During this period Ertegun Staples and Bob Dylan are Just some o f the remain the defining characteristics o f rock and was producer or coproducer on the vast artists Wexler has produced. His work, as roll to this day. maJority ofrecords made on his label. He was classic as the films o f Howard Hawks or the Over the years, the Chess roster expanded to also active as a songwriter for many o f the early stories o f John O’Hara, is characterized by include world-class blues artists like Howlin’ Atlantic artists, often using the pseudonym A. conciseness, humor and style. Such Wexler Wolf, Bo Diddley, Sonny Boy Williamson (Rice Nugetre (Ertegun spelled backwards). productions as Ray Charles’s ‘ ‘What’d I Say’ ’ Miller), Little Walter, Willie Mabon, Jimmy Though Ertegun was less directly involved as (coproduced with Ahmet Ertegun) and Aretha Rogers, Otis Sparm and Etta James. Chess not a producer in the Sixties and Seventies, he was Franklin’s ‘ ‘Chain o fFools’ ’ are like surprise only became the true repository o fAmerican on hand at Atlantic to direct the phenomenal parties, serendipitous celebrations. roots blues but also presented black musicfor growth o fthe label into the area o f soul (Otis The lightness o f much early rock and roll can the edification and delectation o f white Redding, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, be misleading. Men like Wexler, the Erteguns, audiences throughout the world. Percy Sledge, Booker T. and the MGs, Sam and Sam Phillips and the Chess brothers succeeded Phil Chess specialized in Jazz recording, Dave, Solomon Burke, King Curtis) and rock because they were strong in their dedication to working with such great artists as Sonny Stitt, (the Rascals, Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge, something they believed in. The future success of Ramsey Lewis and Ahmad Jamal. Leonard, who Cream, Led Zeppelin, Yes, the Bee Gees, Blind rock and roll will depend on such dedication. died in 1969, specialized in the blues, aform of Faith, Crosby, Stills and Nash, King Crimson, tragic poetry in folk music, an eloquent Genesis, Roxy Music, Emerson, Lake and combination o f Joy and lament. And Marshall Palmer, the Rolling Stones). Chess, Leonard’s son, carried on the tradition Atlantic continues to produce hit acts, and Ahmet Ertegun (left) and in his work with the Rolling Stones. No other Ertegun continues to influence and inspire new Jerry Wexler (center) family has given the world a greater generations of artists. with Big Joe Turner contribution o f honest, epic-making music. «K88PH ♦ mam | «K U CttKUlY ■ SWOMflPH t KCORDS I HBltMsat «WIMfiRDWt T I S'* a m a u LEONARD CHESS B om March 12th, 1917 AHMET ERTEGUN JERRY WEXLER Poland Bam July 31st, 1923 Bom January 10th, 1917 D ied October 16th, 1969 Istanbul, Turkey New York, New York Chicago, Illinois BY MARTY OSTROW SEYMOUR STEIN CALLED me one morning last month. six or seven new titles, tell them that they were getting an “ Marty,” he said, “ you were at C ash B o x when the whole rock exclusive and beg for regular play. Then I would drive over to the and roll era began to develop. At the time, C ash B o x captured the record shop in town, tell them this was getting heavy play and sell essence of what was happening in our industry. Coyld you do a them a box right out of the car. feature for our Hall of Fame program on the role C ash B o x played ‘ ‘The rest of the country was blanketed by sending a box or two in the early development of rock and roll?” of the new singles to my indie distribs and then getting on the Seymour was right. C ash B o x did play an important role in the phone and threatening the distrib that he’s gonna lose the line if he growth of rock and roll. To understand how, let’s step back a third doesn’t break all seven singles in his area. ” of a century to the early Fifties and see what the record business Because the hits in each area were sO v a r i e d B o x was like then, in the period when R&B, country and indie-label developed a series Of regional R&B charts known as the Hot pop were all beginning to rub shoulders with one another. Charts, reporting weekly on the Top Ten R&B singles in the At the time, pop stations aimed their programming at a white twelve cities that had the heaviest R&B sales, audience, playing such artists as Perry Como, Dinah Shore, It was this feature that eventually made C ash B o x important. In Rosemary Clooney and Doris Day. But each city with a significant the early years, songs like “ Shake a Hand,” by Faye Adams, and black population had at least one station that featured another type “ Sixty Minute Man” ’ by.Billy Ward and the Dominoes, would of pop music, playing Jimmy Reed, Ruth Brown, Big Joe Turner, rise to the top of these charts - in every city - and never be heard by Fats Domino, Muddy Waters, James Brown and Chuck Berry. any white people other than those music junkies who tuned into B illb o a rd was the leading music trade paper. And since the R&B stations.