Nesuhi Ertegun (1917 - 1989)

The Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, named for Nesuhi Ertegun, is a gift of Mica and Ahmet Ertegun.

Nesuhi Ertegun's passionate advocacy of jazz music and nurturing of jazz musicians made an indelible contribution to the awareness and appreciation of jazz throughout the world. The son of the former Turkish Ambassador to the United States, Nesuhi Ertegun was born in Istanbul and subsequently raised in Switzerland, Paris, London, and Washington, D.C. A passionate jazz and blues record collector, in 1944 Ertegun moved to Los Angeles, where he ran the Jazzman Record Shop and started the Jazzman and Crescent labels. Among his first signings was legendary New Orleans trombonist Kid Ory. Ertegun became the editor of Record Changer magazine, made records for the Contemporary label, and taught jazz studies at UCLA – the first accredited course of its kind in the country. Today, the U.S. Library of Congress is home to the Nesuhi Ertegun Collection of Jelly Roll Morton Recordings.

In 1955, Nesuhi joined his brother Ahmet at Atlantic Records in New York, where he developed an album department and was responsible for building the label's exceptional jazz roster – producing John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, the Modern Jazz Quartet, Herbie Mann, and many others. In 1971, Nesuhi's international expertise led to his establishment of WEA International (now known as Warner Music International). A committed and effective foe of record piracy worldwide, he also served as President of International Federation of Phonogram and Videogram Producers (I.F.P.I.). Among his many other interests, Nesuhi, along with his brother, founded the New York Cosmos soccer team. He was also a world-renowned collector of surrealist art.