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Composer, lyricist, singer and film actor, one of the leading figures of arabesk music in Turkey, Ferdi Tayfur was born in the Hürriyet Neighbourhood of Adana in 1945. His full name is Ferdi Tayfur Turanbayburt.
He developed an interest in music at an early age. He began singing at wedding halls during his youth, and then took part in a music competition organized by Adana Radio. He came second, made a name for himself and began work at the Lunapark Casino in Istanbul.
He began to be known with the records he brought out in the early 1970s, yet his true breakthrough came in 1975 with the album “Çeşme [Fountain]”. The eponymous film he starred in the following year was watched by 12 million viewers.
With the albums that followed, including “Bırak Şu Gurbeti [Leave the Foreign Land]” and “Derbeder [Vagrant]”, he became one of the leading representatives of arabesk music. He became known with unforgettable songs including “Emmoğlu [My Uncle’s Son]”, “Ben de Özledim [I, Too, Yearn]”, “Huzurum Kalmadı [I Have No Peace Left]”.
His 1992 album, “Prangalar [Shackles]” sold five million copies to become one of the best-selling albums of all time in Turkey.
His concert at Gülhane Park in Istanbul in the year 1993 was attended by a crowd of 200 thousand people.
He starred in many Yeşilçam films, for which he also composed the soundtrack. He published books, among them “The Price of Fame” and “I Once Was a Tree”.
Derya Bengi, writer and editorial director of Roll magazine from 1996 to 2009, wrote the following regarding the origin of Ferdi Tayfur’s name:
“His father named him after Ferdi Tayfur, the acclaimed actor and dubbing artist whom he admired... Little Ferdi loved Raj Kapoor’s films the most, he loved Awara, and the touching voice of Mukesh, who sang in the film.” (TY/NHRD)
