Erol Büyükburç - born in Adana, Turkey on August 8, 1936 – was a pop and rock singer, songwriter, and actor best known for his 1961 hit “Little Lucy,” which has become one of Turkish pop music’s defining moments. He began his musical journey at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory, which he attended while studying economics at Istanbul University. It was at this time that he chose to pursue music as a career. His early music career included singing in several local jazz bands and singing in an officer’s club while he was serving his mandatory military service. Once he returned to Istanbul, he began releasing his own compositions – including 1961’s “Little Lucy” – as well as covers of international pop hits like “It’s Now or Never” (1961) and “Oh Carol” (1961). His singles stood out from other Turkish pop hits because they were sung in English. Long considered a pioneer of Turkish pop and rock, he continued to release a series of influential singles including “A Lover’s Wish” (1961), “You Mean Everything to Me” (1962), “Barcelona” (1963), and “Lonesome Stranger” (1965). Because of his popularity, he caught the attention of the film industry and began a second career as an actor, appearing in over 20 movies over the next four decades. Beginning in the mid-1960s, he began singing in Turkish and continued to achieve success with songs like “Gaziantep Yolunda” (1967), “Granada” (1967), “Ali Baba Kirk Haramiler” (1968), “Inleyen Nagmeler” (1968), and many others. Later in his career, he hosted the Turkish talent show, Şarkı Söylemek Lazım (2007), and continued to perform live. Erol Büyükburç died from a heart attack on March 12, 2015, at the age of 78.
