Tanju Okan
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Tanju Okan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 27 August 1938 |
| Died | 23 May 1996 (aged 57) İzmir, Turkey |
| Genres | Anatolian rock, türkü |
| Occupations | Singer, musician, actor |
| Years active | 1961–1995 |
Tanju Okan (27 August 1938 – 23 May 1996) was a Turkish singer.
Okan was born in İzmir on 27 August 1938. He received his primary and secondary education in Manisa and Balıkesir.[1] Afterwards, he went to Italy for vocal training. In 1961, he began singing professionally in Ankara and then in Istanbul. He married twice and was the father of a son. During the 1990s, he retired and began living in Urla, a small seaside town of the İzmir Province. He died from cirrhosis on 23 May 1996.
Career
In the early 1960s, he was a solo singer in the Müfit Kiper orchestra. In 1964, he represented Turkey in the Balkan Music Festival, together with Tülay German and Erol Büyükburç.[2] In the same year, he produced his first 45 rpm record. He had a powerful sound and could easily sing three styles of music popular in the 1960s in Turkey: new compositions, covers of Western music and arranged Turkish folklore music (türkü). In the 1970s, he sang two songs which became instant hits; In 1972 Öyle sarhoş olsam ki ("I wish I was so drunk") and in 1974 Kadınım ("My Woman").[3] In 1973, he featured on the multi-singer melody Arkadaş Dur Bekle (Turkish version of Auntie) together with Modern Folk Üçlüsü and Nilüfer.
He also starred in eleven movies.
