Barış Manço

Barış Manço - born Tosun Yusuf Mehmet Barış Manço in Üsküdar, Istanbul, Turkey on January 2, 1943 - was a rock singer, songwriter musician, and entertainer. He is one of the best-selling and most awarded artists in Turkey and is now acknowledged as a pioneer of Turkish rock music and a founder of the Anatolian (psychedelic rock) scene. Barış Manço formed his first band, Kafadarlar, while still attending high school. Influenced by rock and roll stars such as Elvis Presley, he formed his next band, Harmoniler, in 1962 and focused on covering revved up Turkish folk songs and twist-inspired songs from the US. Moving to Europe after graduating high school, he played with various bands and recorded several singles in English, French, and Turkish. He settled in Belgium and attended the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège. He was involved in a serious car accident in 1967 and, in order to hide his scar, he grew his signature mustache. In 1970, he formed the band Barış Manço Ve… and released the single “Dağlar Dağlar”, which became his first big hit and one of his most well-known songs. In 1970, he recorded several singles with his band Moğollar before moving back to Turkey. Barış Manço formed the band Kurtalan Ekspres and continued to release a series of singles and albums, creating a body of work that changed the course of Turkish rock. He continued to achieve success throughout the 1980s and released hit albums including Sözüm Meclisten Dişari (1981), Estağfurullah, Ne Haddimize (1983), 24 Ayar Manço (1985), Değmesin Yağlı Boya (1986), Sahibinden İhtiyaçtan (1988) and Darısı Başınıza (1989). In 1988, his career path changed when he began hosting the travel show 7'den 77'ye for the Turkish state television channel. As he became popular as a TV host, his recorded output in the 1990s was as successful, although he remained a musical icon in Turkey. Barış Manço died of a heart attack on February 1, 1999. He left behind a catalog of beloved albums and singles including “Dağlar Dağlar”, “Mahkum”, “Nazar Eyle Nazar Eyle”, “Ride On Miranda”, and “Hal Hal”.