“The Last Sultan is the definitive biography of
a man who changed popular culture throughout the world. As the founder and head
of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun signed and/or recorded many of the greatest
musical artists of all time, among them Ruth Brown; Big Joe Turner; Ray
Charles; Bobby Darin; Sonny and Cher; Eric Clapton; Buffalo Springfield;
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; Led Zeppelin; the Rolling Stones; Bette
Midler; and Kid Rock. Working alongside his older brother, Nesuhi, one of the
preeminent jazz producers of all time, and the legendary Jerry Wexler, who
produced great soul artists like Wilson Pickett, Solomon Burke, and Aretha
Franklin, Ertegun transformed Atlantic Records from a small independent record
label into a hugely profitable multinational corporation. In successive
generations, he also served as a mentor to record-business tyros like Phil
Spector, David Geffen, and Lyor Cohen. Brilliant, cultured, and irreverent,
Ertegun was as renowned for his incredible sense of personal style and nonstop
A-list social life as his work in the studio. Born into great privilege as the
son of a high-ranking Turkish diplomat during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, Ertegun spent his life bringing the
black-roots music he loved to the world. A larger-than-life figure, always hip,
Ertegun lived in the grand manner but was never happier than when he found
himself in some down-and-out joint listening to music late at night. Blessed
with impeccable taste and brilliant business acumen, he brought rock ’n’ roll
into the mainstream while creating the music that became the sound track for
the lives of multiple generations. With supporting characters like Steve Ross,
Henry Kissinger, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Jann Wenner, and a host of
others, The Last Sultan is the fascinating story of a man who always lived by
his own rules."
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