Contents
Cem Karaca
Combining Anatolian musical traditions with rock and political protest.
Emrah · Tamirci Çırağı
- Born
- 5 April 1945
- Birthplace
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Died
- 8 February 2004
More people
Cem Karaca
Cem Karaca was a Turkish singer whose work with groups such as Apaşlar, Moğollar and Dervişan helped define Anatolian rock. His songs often addressed working lives and social conflict.
Early life
Theatre family
Was the son of actors Mehmet İbrahim Karaca and İrma Felekyan.
Early bands
Began with rock-cover groups before developing Turkish-language material.
Career
- 1967–1973
Anatolian rock
Performed with Apaşlar, Kardaşlar and Moğollar.
- 1974–1978
Progressive groups
Led Dervişan and then Edirdahan, exploring more political music.
- 1979–1987
Germany and return
Lived in West Germany before returning to Turkey in 1987.
Selected work
Emrah
His performance with Apaşlar gained recognition in the Golden Microphone competition.
Tamirci Çırağı
Told a story of class and frustrated love through a mechanic’s apprentice.
Safinaz
A long-form work recorded with Edirdahan.
Beyond work
Citizenship and exile
Was stripped of Turkish citizenship while abroad after the 1980 coup.
Performing family
His son Emrah also became a musician.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Career and contributions ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Northside. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.