Cem Karaca
Encyclopedia
Muhtar Cem Karaca also called Cem Baba (Daddy Cem or Father Cem), was a prominent Turkish
rock
musician and one of the most important figures in the Anatolian rock
movement.
) of Armenian
origin, a popular opera, theatre and movie actress, and Mehmet İbrahim Karaca of Azerbaijani
origin. His first group was called Dynamites and was a classic rock cover band. Later he joined Jaguars, an Elvis Presley
cover band. In 1967, he started to write his own music, forming the band Apaşlar (The Rowdies), his first Turkish-language
group. In 1969, Karaca and bass-player Serhan Karabay left Apaşlar and started an original Anatolian group called Kardaşlar (The Brothers).
In 1972, Karaca joined the group Moğollar
(The Mongols) and wrote one of his best-known songs, "Namus Belası". However, Cahit Berkay, the leader of Moğollar, wanted an international name for his band, and he left for France
to take the group to another level. Karaca, who wanted to continue his Anatolian beat sound, left Moğollar and started his own band Dervişan (Dervishes) in 1974. Karaca and Dervişan sang poetic and progressive
songs.
In the 1970s, Turkey's image was damaged by political violence between supporters of the left and the right, separatist movements and the rise of Islamism
. As the country fell into chaos, the government suspected Cem Karaca of involvement. At times he was accused of treason for being a separatist thinker and a Marxist-Leninist
. The Turkish government tried to portray Karaca as a man, who was unknowingly writing songs to start a revolution. One politician was quoted as saying, "Karaca is simply calling citizens to a bloody war against the state." Dervişan was ultimately dissolved at the end of 1977. He later founded in 1978 Edirdahan, an acronym for "from Edirne to Ardahan"; the westernmost and the easternmost provinces of Turkey. He recorded one LP with Edirdahan.
In early 1979, he left for West Germany
for business reasons. Turkey continued to spin out of control with military curfews and eventually a military coup on September 12, 1980. General Kenan Evren
took over the government and temporarily closed all the nation's political parties. After the coup, many intellectual people, including writers, artists and journalists, were arrested. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Karaca by the government of Turkey.
The state invited Karaca back to the country several times, but Karaca, not knowing what would happen upon his return, decided not to come back.
While he was in Germany
, his father died, but he could not return to attend the funeral. After some time, the Turkish government decided to strip Cem Karaca of his Turkish citizenship, keeping the arrest warrant active.
Several years later, in 1987, the prime minister
and leader of the Turkish Motherland Party
, Turgut Özal
, issued an amnesty for Karaca. Shortly afterwards, he returned to Turkey. His return also brought a new album by him, Merhaba Gençler ve Her zaman Genç Kalanlar ("Hello, The Young and The Young at Heart"), one of his most powerful works. His return home was greeted happily by his fans, but during his absence, Karaca had lost the youthful audience and acquired few new listeners. He died on February 8, 2004 and was interred at Karacaahmet Cemetery
in Üsküdar
district of Istanbul.
(1) It was released again with different cover, sort of songs and songs in 2003.
(2) It was released again as compact cassette and CD in 1994 and with different cover after Cem Karaca's death)
He has also appeared as a guest artist on several recordings.
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician and one of the most important figures in the Anatolian rock
Anatolian rock
Anatolian rock is a fusion of Turkish folk and rock music. It emerged during the mid-1960s, soon after rock groups such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Status Quo and Omega became popular in Turkey...
movement.
Biography
He was the only child of İrma Felekyan (Toto KaracaToto Karaca
Toto Karaca was a notable Turkish stage and movie actress of Armenian descent.İrma was born on March 18, 1912. Her mother was Mari Hranuş Felegyan. She learnt ballet dancing in her childhood. During her performances in musicals, she preferred the name İrma Toto...
) of Armenian
Armenians in Turkey
Armenians in Turkey have an estimated population of 40,000 to 70,000 . Most are concentrated around Istanbul. The Armenians support their own newspapers and schools...
origin, a popular opera, theatre and movie actress, and Mehmet İbrahim Karaca of Azerbaijani
Azeris in Turkey
It is hard to determine how many ethnic Azeris currently reside in Turkey because ethnicity is a rather fluid concept in this country. According to some sources, there are about 800,000 Twelvers, however this figure may differ substantially from the real one. Up to 300,000 of Azeris who reside in...
origin. His first group was called Dynamites and was a classic rock cover band. Later he joined Jaguars, an Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
cover band. In 1967, he started to write his own music, forming the band Apaşlar (The Rowdies), his first Turkish-language
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
group. In 1969, Karaca and bass-player Serhan Karabay left Apaşlar and started an original Anatolian group called Kardaşlar (The Brothers).
In 1972, Karaca joined the group Moğollar
Mogollar
Moğollar is one of the pioneer bands in Turkish rock music for about 40 years and one of the founders of Turkish folk rock...
(The Mongols) and wrote one of his best-known songs, "Namus Belası". However, Cahit Berkay, the leader of Moğollar, wanted an international name for his band, and he left for France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to take the group to another level. Karaca, who wanted to continue his Anatolian beat sound, left Moğollar and started his own band Dervişan (Dervishes) in 1974. Karaca and Dervişan sang poetic and progressive
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
songs.
In the 1970s, Turkey's image was damaged by political violence between supporters of the left and the right, separatist movements and the rise of Islamism
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
. As the country fell into chaos, the government suspected Cem Karaca of involvement. At times he was accused of treason for being a separatist thinker and a Marxist-Leninist
Marxism-Leninism
Marxism–Leninism is a communist ideology, officially based upon the theories of Marxism and Vladimir Lenin, that promotes the development and creation of a international communist society through the leadership of a vanguard party over a revolutionary socialist state that represents a dictatorship...
. The Turkish government tried to portray Karaca as a man, who was unknowingly writing songs to start a revolution. One politician was quoted as saying, "Karaca is simply calling citizens to a bloody war against the state." Dervişan was ultimately dissolved at the end of 1977. He later founded in 1978 Edirdahan, an acronym for "from Edirne to Ardahan"; the westernmost and the easternmost provinces of Turkey. He recorded one LP with Edirdahan.
In early 1979, he left for West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
for business reasons. Turkey continued to spin out of control with military curfews and eventually a military coup on September 12, 1980. General Kenan Evren
Kenan Evren
Ahmet Kenan Evren was the seventh President of Turkey; a post he assumed by leading the 1980 military coup. He was also the last president to be born in the Ottoman Empire.- Biography :...
took over the government and temporarily closed all the nation's political parties. After the coup, many intellectual people, including writers, artists and journalists, were arrested. A warrant was issued for the arrest of Karaca by the government of Turkey.
The state invited Karaca back to the country several times, but Karaca, not knowing what would happen upon his return, decided not to come back.
While he was in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, his father died, but he could not return to attend the funeral. After some time, the Turkish government decided to strip Cem Karaca of his Turkish citizenship, keeping the arrest warrant active.
Several years later, in 1987, the prime minister
Prime Minister of Turkey
The Prime Minister of the Turkey is the head of government in Turkish politics. The prime minister is the leader of a political coalition in the Turkish parliament and the leader of the cabinet....
and leader of the Turkish Motherland Party
Motherland Party (Turkey)
The Motherland Party, was a political party in Turkey. It was founded in 1983 by Turgut Özal. It was merged to Democratic Party in October 2009...
, Turgut Özal
Turgut Özal
Halil Turgut Özal was Prime Minister of Turkey and President of Turkey . As Prime Minister, he transformed the economy of Turkey by paving the way for the privatization of many state enterprises.-Early life and career:...
, issued an amnesty for Karaca. Shortly afterwards, he returned to Turkey. His return also brought a new album by him, Merhaba Gençler ve Her zaman Genç Kalanlar ("Hello, The Young and The Young at Heart"), one of his most powerful works. His return home was greeted happily by his fans, but during his absence, Karaca had lost the youthful audience and acquired few new listeners. He died on February 8, 2004 and was interred at Karacaahmet Cemetery
Karacaahmet Cemetery
The Karacaahmet Cemetery , located in Üsküdar district, is the oldest in Istanbul and, at , the largest burial ground in Turkey.The cemetery was named after a warrior companion of Orhan I, the second Ottoman sultan and is believed to have been founded in the mid-14th century...
in Üsküdar
Üsküdar
Üsküdar is a large and densely populated municipality of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered on the north by Beykoz, on the east by Ümraniye, on the southeast by Ataşehir, on the south by Kadıköy, and on the west by the Bosphorus, with the areas of Beşiktaş,...
district of Istanbul.
45s
- Emrah/Karacaoğlan (1967) (with Apaşlar)
- Hudey / Vahşet / Bang Bang / Shakin' All Over (1967) (with Apaşlar)
- Emrah / Hücum / Karacaoğlan / Ayşen (1967) (with Apaşlar)
- Ümit Tarlaları/Anadolu Oyun Havası/Suya Giden Allı Gelin/Nasıl Da Geçtin (1967) (with Apaşlar)
- İstanbul'u Dinliyorum/Oy Bana Bana (1968) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Oy Babo/Hikaye (1968) (with Apaşlar)
- İstanbul/Why (1968) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Emrah 1970/Karanlık Yollar (1968) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Resimdeki Gözyaşları/Emrah (1968) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Resimdeki Gözyaşları/Şans Çocuğu (1968) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Tears/No, No, No (1968) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Ayrılık Günümüz/Gılgamış (1969) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Zeyno/Niksar (1969) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Bu Son Olsun/Felek Beni (1969) (with Apaşlar and Ferdy Klein Band)
- Emmioğlu/O Leyli (1970) (with Ferdy Klein Band)
- Kendim Ettim kendim Buldum/Erenler (1970) (with Ferdy Klein Band)
- Adsız/Unut Beni (1970) (with Ferdy Klein Band)
- Muhtar/Baba (1970) (with Ferdy Klein Band)
- Dadaloğlu/Kalender (1970) (with Kardaşlar)
- Oy Gülüm Oy/Kara Sevda (1971) (with Kardaşlar)
- Tatlı Dillim/Demedim Mi (1971) (with Kardaşlar)
- Kara Yılan/Lümüne (1971) (with Kardaşlar)
- Acı Doktor (Kısım 1)/Acı Doktor (Kısım 2) (1971) (with Kardaşlar)
- Kara Üzüm/Mehmet'e Ağıt (1971) (with Kardaşlar)
- Askaros Deresi/Üryan Geldim (1972) (with Kardaşlar)
- Obur Dünya/El Çek Tabib (1973) (with Moğollar)
- Gel Gel/Üzüm Kaldı (1973) (with Moğollar)
- Namus Belası/Gurbet (1974) (with Moğollar)
- Beyaz Atlı/Yiğitler (1974) (with Dervişan)
- Tamirci Çırağı/Nerdesin ? (1975) (with Dervişan)
- Mutlaka Yavrum/Kavga (1975) (with Dervişan)
- Beni Siz Delirttiniz/Niyazi (1975) (with Dervişan)
- Parka/İhtarname (1976) (with Dervişan)
- Mor Perşembe/Bir Mirasyediye Ağıt (1977) (with Dervişan)
- 1 Mayıs/Durduramayacaklar Halkın Coşkun Akan Selini (1977) (with Dervişan)
LPs
- Apaşlar-Kardaşlar (1972)
- Cem Karaca'nın Apaşlar, Kardaşlar, Moğollar ve Ferdy Klein Orkestrasına Teşekkürleriyle (1974)
- Nem Kaldi (1975)
- Parka (1977)
- Yoksulluk Kader Olamaz (1977) (1)
- Safinaz (1978) (2)
- Hasret (1980) (It was sold as LP and tape)
- Bekle Beni(1982) (It was sold as tape only)
- Die Kanaken (1984)
- Merhaba Gençler ve Her Zaman Genç Kalanlar (1987) (It was sold as compact cassette and CD)
Other albums
- Töre (1988) (It was sold as CD) by Oğuz AbadanOguz AbadanOğuz Abadan is a Turkish musician born in Ankara. His music life began when he started playing the mandolin during his primary school years. At the age of twelve, he started to learn how to play the guitar...
Orchestra - Yiyin Efendiler (1990)
- Nerde Kalmistik (1992)
- Bindik Bir Alamete (1999)
- Kahpe Bizans (2000)
- Hayvan Terli (2004) (Single)
Collection albums
- The Best of Cem Karaca Volume 1 (1996)
- The Best of Cem Karaca Volume 2 (1997)
- The Best of Cem Karaca Volume 3 (2000)
- The Best of Cem Karaca Volume 4 (2001)
- The Best of Cem Karaca Volume 5 (2002)
- Ölümsüzler (Immortals)(2004) (After his death)
- Ölümsüzler 2 (Immortals 2) (2005) (After his death)
- Mutlaka Yavrum (Absolutely, baby) (2006) (After his death)
(1) It was released again with different cover, sort of songs and songs in 2003.
(2) It was released again as compact cassette and CD in 1994 and with different cover after Cem Karaca's death)
He has also appeared as a guest artist on several recordings.