Özay Gönlüm

Özay Gönlüm — Biography

Kemal Özay Gönlüm was born on February 5, 1940, in the Tercan district of Erzincan, where his father was stationed for military service. His family roots lay in the Tavas district of Denizli, and he spent his childhood in Denizli, Afyonkarahisar and Kütahya, finishing middle and high school in Denizli. While studying at the Denizli Erkek Sanat Enstitüsü, his musical talent stood out, and meeting the renowned folk-song collector Muzaffer Sarısözen at the age of sixteen proved decisive for his path.

Gönlüm entered the music world through Ankara Radio's Yurttan Sesler program and joined the radio as a trained saz artist in 1966. He carried the folk songs of the Aegean, above all the Denizli region, to wide audiences with his voice and instrument, collecting more than three thousand songs. With the triple-necked instrument he named Yaren, combining cura, bağlama and çöğür on one body, he created a distinct school within Turkish folk music. He was equally loved for his imitations, jokes and stage shows in the Denizli dialect, and his Nineden Mektuplar character became a radio and television favorite.

Associated with songs such as Denizli'nin Horozları and Çöz de Al Mustafa Ali, he also gave concerts abroad and appeared on screen in the 1975 series Bir Öykümüz Var. He died of a lung illness in Ankara on March 1, 2000. His memory is kept alive through the concert hall bearing his name in Denizli and annual commemoration events.