Atlantic Records

Atlantic Records is a company of American edition of discs which belongs to the Atlantic Group itself held by the Warner Music Group. It is at the origin of the popular Rhythm and blues of the Années 1950.

History

Atlantic Records was created in September 1947 with New York by Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegün associated with Herb Abramson. The two brothers, then student, are the wire of a Turkish diplomat. Ahmet has just worked one year and half in a store of discs. They assemble the company with the sum of 10000 dollars borrowed from a dentiste.
The company produces initially Jazz (Errol Garner) and Blues. The title Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee of Stick McGhee is one of the first successes of the firm. Jerry Wexler, former journalist with the Billboard Magazine, is engaged as producer, then becomes director in 1953. It is him which are at the origin of the expression “rhythm & blues”.
Abramson takes the direction of the subsidiary company Atco Records created in 1955, where Big Joe Turner and King Curtis records their first discs. It is LaVern Baker and Ray Charles which is then the large high-speed motorboats of the head office. Recruitment in 1956 of the duet of composer-songwriters Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller by Wexler still amplifies this success. Thanks to their talent, close to a title on four is classified in the ten first of classification R&B. They sign many tubes for the Drifters or The Coasters.

In the Years 1960, the company became one of the major actors in the edition of discs of Rhythm & blues, Soul music and Jazz with artists such as Ray Charles, Roberta Flack, Aretha Franklin, Ben E. King, Percy Sledge, Wilson Pickett, Bobby Darin, John Coltrane or Charles Mingus. Moreover, they distribute the discs of the small label of Memphis, Stax Records, where one finds in particular Otis Redding and Sam & Dave. Wexler begins also a collaboration with the studios from Famed of Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

Atlantic also opens with the rock'n'roll and the pop with Sony & Expensive, Buffalo Springfield or Crosby, Stills & Nash (and Young), then Led Zeppelin in 1969, Yes, AC/DC, Foreigner and Dire Straits in the Années 1970. In 1971, the company distributes in the whole world the discs of the Rolling Stones.

May 14th, 1988 takes place in the Madison Square Garden of New York gigantic a twelve hours concert-marathon when the principal artists of the firm occur, with an exceptional reformation of Led Zeppelin like lou of the spectacle. ---- Atlantic Records was repurchased by Warner Communications Inc. in 1967. It will be “has” initials WEA (Warner-Elektra-Atlantic). It is integrated In 2004 into Atlantic Group which is also directed by Ahmet Ertegün.

The founder of the label, Ahmet Ertegün, is deceased on December 15th, 2006, following a coma which has occurred in October after an accident with the concert of Rolling Stones.

Discography

1987 - Atlantic Rhythm “Blues, Jazz & Blues , boxes published for the 40 years of Atlantic

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