Barış Manço

Barış Manço — Biography

Born Mehmet Barış Manço on January 2, 1943 in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul, he died in the city's Kadıköy district on February 1, 1999. He began pursuing music while still a student at Galatasaray High School and went on to become one of the pioneers of Turkish rock, counted among the founders of the Anadolu rock (Anatolian rock) movement. Known as a composer, songwriter, singer, actor, and television producer and host, he wrote more than 200 songs over the course of his career, earning twelve gold records and one platinum award along the way.

A number of his songs were later performed and translated into languages including Arabic, Bulgarian, German, French, Hebrew, English, Japanese and Greek. Through his long-running television programme "7'den 77'ye" ("From 7 to 77"), he traveled to countries around the world, a habit that earned him the nickname "Barış Çelebi." In 1991 he was awarded the title of State Artist of the Republic of Turkey, and he was also made an honorary citizen of the Belgian city of Liège.

Decades after his death, Barış Manço remains one of Turkey's most beloved cultural figures, honored each year through memorial concerts, exhibitions and public spaces named after him.