Zeki Müren
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| Zeki Müren
<tr style="text-align: center;"><td colspan="3">Image:ZekiMurenNazarBoncuguCover.jpg Zeki Müren on the cover of his 1977 album Nazar Boncuğu. </td></tr>
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| Background information
<tr><td>Born</td><td colspan="2">December 6, 1931</td></tr><tr><td>Origin</td><td colspan="2">Turkey</td></tr><tr><td>Died</td><td colspan="2">September 24, 1996</td></tr><tr><td>Genre(s)</td><td colspan="2">Turkish classical music</td></tr><tr><td>Occupation(s)</td><td colspan="2">Singer, Song-writer</td></tr><tr><td>Years active</td><td colspan="2">1950 - 1996</td></tr><tr><td style="padding-right: 1em;">Label(s)</td><td colspan="2">Grafson Plak, Coşkun Plak LP, Kalan Müzik, Türküola LP, Minareci Kaset, Sahibinin Sesi Greece, Balkan Plak, Yavuz Plak, Lider Plak, Elenor LP</td></tr> |
Zeki Müren (1931-1996) was a prominent Turkish singer and composer,for many regarded as even the best ever. He was famous for his compelling voice and precise articulation in his singing of both established Turkish classical music and contemporary songs.
Müren grew up in the provincial capital city of Bursa in western Turkey. From 1950 to 1953 he studied decorative arts in Istanbul at the Fine Arts Academy while launching his musical career. Müren’s first album was issued in 1951, at which time he was a regular singer on Istanbul Radio. In 1955 he produced his first Gold Record.
In his forty-five-year professional career Müren composed more than one hundred songs and made more than two hundred recordings. He was celebrated as the "Sun" of classical Turkish music and was affectionately called "Pasha". For many years he reigned as "Artist of the Year". Many of Müren's records were also published in Greece, the US, Germany and several other countries during the 1960s and 1970s.
Müren was also a gifted poet, publishing Bildircin Yagmuru (The Quail Rain) in 1951. Additionally, he acted in Turkish cinema, starring in eighteen films and writing many of their musical scores.Even though he did not consider himself as a painter, he painted as a hoby.
Müren dressed effeminately, wearing large, ornate rings and heavy make up, especially in the later years of his life. Popular opinion holds that he was homosexual <ref name="r1">Farhad Shidfar (2005). Gay musicians in Turkey. International Forum of Psychoanalysis, vol. 14(3-4) 224-226, Routledge, part of the Taylor & Francis Group</ref>, although he never made a public statement nor denial to this effect. In many ways, he had a pioneering role in rendering the Turkish society more accepting about homosexuality <ref name="r2">Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Rights in Turkey: An Overview. Report by Kaos GL, September 2005. (Kaos GL is the leading civil organization of the country working for the liberation of homosexuals - kaosgl.com)</ref>. He, with his distinct style, remained a highly respected artist throughout his career, and in a sense, paved the way for many later, more openly gay / transsexual Turkish artists like Bülent Ersoy, Fatih Ürek and others.
He died of a heart attack during a live performance on stage in the city of Izmir on September 24, 1996. His death caused the greatest public grief in years and thousands of Turks attended his funeral.
