Ahmet Ertegun Photo by Ashkan Sahibi One of the most influential figures in the history of American popular music was born on this day in 1923 — 100 years ago — in perhaps the unlikeliest of places: Istanbul, Turkey. The son of a high-ranking diplomat, Ahmet Ertegun enjoyed a cosmopolitan upbringing that included stops in Switzerland, Paris and London before his father's appointment as Turkish ambassador to the United States brought him to America.