In the 1960s, Atlantic, often in partnerships with local labels like
Stax Records in
Memphis, helped to develop the growth of
soul music, with artists such as
Ben E. King, Solomon Burke, Otis Redding, Percy Sledge, Aretha Franklin and
Wilson Pickett. Ahmet heard
Led Zeppelin's demo and knew they would be a smash hit after hearing the first few songs. He quickly signed them. He also convinced
Crosby, Stills and Nash to allow
Neil Young to join them on one of their tours, thereby founding
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young. Ertegün helped introduce America to
blue-eyed soul when he discovered
the Rascals at a
Westhampton nightclub in
1965 and signed them to Atlantic. They went on to chart 13
top 40 singles in four years and were elected to the
Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame in
1997.
The Ertegün brothers and Wexler sold the Atlantic label to
Warner Brothers-Seven Arts in 1967 for $17 million in stock. Four years later, the brothers took some of the money and co-founded the New York Cosmos soccer team of the North American Soccer League. They were instrumental in bringing in soccer legends like
Pelé, Carlos Alberto and
Franz Beckenbauer to the club. They transformed the Cosmos into a "dream team". Their love for soccer was the reason that the Cosmos were born.
When Atlantic became part of the
Kinney conglomerate in 1969, and later part of
Time Warner, Atlantic Records continued with Ahmet Ertegün at the helm, though less directly involved as a producer. He continued to produce some rock acts, such as
Dr. John and
Dire Straits. He also used his considerable personal skills in negotiations with major stars, such as when
The Rolling Stones were shopping for a record company to distribute their independent
Rolling Stones Records label. Ertegün personally conducted the negotiations with
Mick Jagger, successfully completing the deal between The Stones and Atlantic, when other labels had actually offered the band more money.
In 1987, Ahmet was inducted into the
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, of which he himself was a founder. In the late 1980s with the support of
Bonnie Raitt and others, he provided $1.5 million to help establish The
Rhythm and Blues Foundation to award monies to underpaid blues artists. The Foundation's establishment arose from a lengthy battle by
Ruth Brown and other Atlantic artists to obtain unpaid past royalties from the company; other record companies later also contributed. Among early recipients of payments were
John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Ruth Brown and the
Staple Singers.
Ertegün received an
honorary doctorate in music from the
Berklee College of Music in
Boston in 1991, and was awarded the
Grammy Trustees Award for his lifetime achievements in 1993. At the tenth annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Dinner in 1995, it was announced that the museum's main exhibition hall would be named after Ertegün.
The
United States Library of Congress honored Ahmet as a
Living Legend in 2000. With brother Nesuhi, he was inducted into the
National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, the
National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences presented Ahmet with the first "President's Merit Award Salute To Industry Icons".
Sometimes criticized in Turkey for completely ignoring Turkish music, Ahmet did approve the recording and release of "Music of the Whirling Dervishes" featuring ayin singer Kâni Karaca and ney player Akagündüz Kutbay on his Atlantic label.
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