“Ahmet Ertegun was a man who loved his music and wanted others to hear what may otherwise have gone unheard. . . . We first met when the Stones signed up with Atlantic. The stories began to flow, and a lot of them are in these pages. Robert Greenfield has done a masterful job of relating them. . . . I shall miss Ahmet. He was a great man and a great friend!”
—Keith Richards
“Ahmet Ertegun was a man of passion, loyalty, generosity, and fun, both sacred and profane, who could target like a laser what was authentic and worthwhile in the many worlds he bestrode so seamlessly and successfully. Greenfield’s fascinating biography, The Last Sultan, gets it right, and I envy readers their opportunity to experience the life and times of this extraordinary man.”
—Henry Kissinger
“In many ways, this book is the Bible of rock ’n’ roll. A sacred tale rooted in the incredible life journey of my friend Ahmet Ertegun who touched not only me, but also so many other people in so many ways.”
—Kid Rock
“Robert Greenfield has written a loving, vividly detailed, and utterly compelling history of one of the most fascinating lives of the twentieth century. . . . The Last Sultan is the remarkable odyssey of a truly remarkable man.”
—Jann Wenner, Editor, Publisher, and Founder of Rolling Stone
“Ahmet Ertegun is not an easy subject—he was both indelible and opaque—but Greenfield has dug deeper than anyone ever has, to reveal one of the most complex Americans of the last half century.”
—Taylor Hackford, Director/Producer of Ray
“Mesmerizing, entertaining, informative. . . . There are a great many delicious stories in this page-turning work. . . . A vivid portrait of Ertegun but also a colorful panorama of the indie record-business during and after its rough-and-tumble years, when bootleggers sold as many singles as the real labels, gangsters were always angling to squeeze in on the action, and payola was just part of the cost of doing business.”
—Tom Nolan, San Francisco Chronicle
“Greenfield’s book, the first posthumous biography of Ertegun, is also the first to bring Ertegun’s story up to date and put it in perspective. . . . This is not your run-of-the-mill music-biz hagiography.”
—Alex Abramovich, The New York Times Book Review
“Greenfield’s portrait of Ertegun is an incisive and compelling account of the sometimes convoluted story of how Atlantic Records became possibly the most respected label in the business.”
—Steven Daly, Businessweek
“An excellent biography of a titan in the music industry.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“More than anything, The Last Sultan invites yet another round of applause for a man with golden ears, a wicked sense of humor, and a taste for living second to none.”
—Jim Farber, New York Daily News
“Thoroughly researched and revealing, The Last Sultan likely will stand as the definitive work on one of the music industry’s most memorable characters.”
—Rege Behe, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
“Ertegun was more than just management: He was music executive as rock star, a man who lived as large as the musicians, and presided over what could be called rock’s greatest era.”
—Men’s Journal
“Robert Greenfield conjures an era in which music was a progressive cultural and economic force, twining the extraordinary story of Ahmet Ertegun’s life with the evolution of pop. . . . The book bubbles with fashion, fame, money, name dropping—and insight into a man above all loyal to himself.”
—Carlo Wolff, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“A compulsively readable, evenhanded biography of Atlantic Records’ founder. . . . A flavorful, balanced piece of music-biz history.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This enchanting book captures the life and work of a seminal figure without whom the business of making records would not have had its lasting impact.”
—Library Journal