TOP 20 MUSICIANS to LISTEN from ANATOLIA
1.Dede Efendi - Turkish Classical - 1778 born composer, developer of many Turkish music forms
Russian Red Army Choir and Ottoman Army Choir performing Dede Efendi composition in Moscow.
2.Sezen Aksu - Pop, Psychedelic Pop - Little Sparrow of Turkish Pop and teacher of Tarkan, Sertab Erener, Levent Yüksel and many other Pop singers
Oud intro makes song fascinating for people who like both slow pop music and also oriental instruments.
3.Tanburi Cemil Bey - Turkish Classical, Tanbur Virtuoso - Greatest Tanbur Virtuoso of the history
4.Erkin Koray - Anatolian Rock, Rock'n Roll - First person to ever play Rock'n Roll in Turkey
Listen "

Erkin Koray never sent his daughter to school because of his negative opinions about traditional education systems.
5.Erkan Oğur - Turkish Folk, Guitar Virtuoso - A Pioneer of fretless guitars
Listen "Zeynep" by Erkan Oğur

Multi-Instrumentalist Erkan Oğur got fame in his older times but he is always accepted greatest guitar player of Turkish music history.
6.Münir Nurettin Selçuk - Vocal Turkish Classical - Tenor singer of 1940s
7.Idil Biret - Classical Pianist - Most talented female Classical Pianist of Turkish Music History
8.Müzeyyen Senar - Vocal Turkish Classical - Turkish singer who had great admiration by Ataturk
9.Barış Manço - Anatolian Rock, Pop Rock
His visual image characterised by his long hair, mustache and big rings softened the reaction of otherwise conservative Turkish public opinion regarding the marginal visual appearances. - Wikipedia
Barış Manço is maybe most well-known figure of Turkish Music. He is famous for his peaceful personality and TV programmes which in he did travel the world.
10.Zeki Muren - Vocal Turkish Classical
Sun of classical Turkish music, Pasha. Müren dressed effeminately, wearing large, ornate rings and heavy make up, especially in the later years of his life. In many ways, he had a pioneering role in rendering the Turkish society more accepting about homosexuality. He, with his distinct style, remained a highly respected artist throughout his career, and in a sense, paved the way for many later, more openly gay or transsexual Turkish artists. - Wikipedia
Zeki Muren had always close relations with audience. He is telling elegant words to his spectators in the video.
11.Bülent Ortaçgil - Acoustic Rock - Bülent Ortaçgil famous for his unique style of music. His lyrics are mostly about games and childhood memories.
Erkan Ogur performing his song - Pencere Onu Çiçeği which is criticizing an intellectual, isolated life against a life "outside the window"
12.Fikret Kızılok - Acoustic Rock, Protest
13.Aşık Veysel - Turkish Folk, Sung Poetry - He was blind for the most of his lifetime. His songs have usually sad tunes, often talking about inevitability of death
14.Omar Faruk Tekbilek - World Music, Sufi - Worldwide famous Sufi musician
15.Neşet Ertaş - Turkish Folk - Turkish folk music singer, lyrics writer and a virtuoso of the traditional Turkish instrument bağlama
16.Orhan Gencebay - World Music, Arabesque, Fusion Music
From Crossing the Bridge (Best Documentarical movie about Turkish Music) Orhan Gencebay performing one of his signature songs "Hatasız Kul Olmaz" and Baba Zula talking about his importance in Turkish Music.
17.Cem Karaca - Anatolian Rock
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. - Wikipedia
18.Mercan Dede - World Music, Sufi, Ambient
Listen "

Turkish DJ Arkın Allen aka Mercan Dede is multi-instrumentalist and one of the most famous representers of religious philosophy of Sufism in music
19.Fazıl Say - Classical Pianist
His Classical + Jazz performance of Mozart's Turkish March
20.Okay Temiz - Fusion, Drums
From New Year Celebrations of Turkish Radio Television (TRT)
HONORABLE MENTION
Sertab Erener - Pop, Operatic Pop
Listen "Ask" by Sertab Erener
Burhan Öçal - World Music, Drums
Baba Zula - Psychedelic Folk - Most different folk band of Turkey
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Selda - Anatolian Rock, Folk
Listen "
Şebnem Ferah - Turkish Rock
Listen "
She is highly respected Rock singer in Turkey for last two decades.
Moğollar - Folk Rock
Teoman - Turkish Rock
Short movie, sad story, beautiful song, English subtitles added by me.
Ezginin Günlüğü - Folk-Pop, Psychedelic Pop
Year: 1990, Song: Çocuğun kurguları - Fantasies of Child , Video: BBC Earth Documentary, edited by me.
Replikas - Experimental Rock
Nekropsi - Progressive Rock
Levent Yüksel - Ethno-Pop
Yeni Türkü - Ethno-Folk
Leman Sam - Folk-Pop
Agire Jiyan - Kurdish Folk
Safiye Ayla - Vocal Turkish Classical
Ruhi Su - Folk

Ruhi Su with legendary minstrel Aşık Veysel
Ahmet Kaya - Protest, Folk

At 10 February 1999 televised annual music awards ceremony, SHOW TV, at which he was to be named Musician of the Year, he spoke out about his 'Kurdish' background and said that he wanted to produce music in his native Kurdish as naturally as he does in Turkish. He announced that he had recorded a song in Kurdish (Karwan, released on the Hoşçakalın Gözüm album in 2001) and intended to produce a video to accompany it. At this event he was attacked by some Turkish singers like Serdar Ortac, Ebru Gundes and many other singers because of his stance on the use of Kurdish. Kaya went to France in June 1999 escaping various charges arising from his political views. He died of a heart attack in Paris in 2000, at the age of 43.
Honorable Mention (Others) : Edip Akbayram, Hande Yener (Turkish Madonna - innovative early Pop lately Electro singer), Pinhani, Mor ve Ötesi, Aşık Mahsuni Şerif, Fuat Saka, Candan Erçetin, Nilüfer, Ajda Pekkan (Superstar of Turkey), Şivan Perver (Kurdish musician who lives abroad), Kardeş Türküler, Kızılırmak, Grup Yorum, Duman, Athena (Ska band), Seyyan Hanım (Most respected Turkish Tango singer), Sabahat Akkiraz (Folk singer), Özlem Tekin, Tarkan(Worldwide famous Turkish Pop Singer), Leyla Gencer ( La Diva Turca), İbrahim Tatlıses(one of the greatest voices of Turkey), Kudsi Ergüner...
BEST TURKISH ALBUMS by GENRES
- Best folk Album:
Bülent Ortaçgil
Benimle Oynar Mısın (1974)
Best anatolian rock Album:
Erkin Koray
Elektronik Türküler (1974)
Best psychedelic rock Album:
Erkin Koray
Elektronik Türküler (1974)
Best anatolian folk music Album:
Selda
Selda (1976)
Best progressive rock Album:
Nekropsi
Mi Kubbesi (1996)
Best alternative rock Album:
Mor ve Ötesi
Dünya Yalan Söylüyor
Best hip hop Album:
ceza
Rapstar (2004)
Best psychedelic pop Album:
Sezen Aksu
Gülümse (1991)
Best ska punk Album:
Athena
Holigan (1998)
Best new age Album:
can atilla
Ave (1999)
Best electronica Album:
Portecho
Undertone (2006)
Best rap rock Album:
Manga
Manga (2004)
Best beat music Album:
Mavi Işıklar
Mavi Işıklar (1969)
Best ska Album:
Athena
Athena (2005)
Best folk rock Album:
Moğollar
Moğollar (1976)
Best nu metal Album:
Çilekeş
Y.O.K (2005)
Best instrumental Album:
Taksim Trio
Taksim Trio (2007)
Best industrial rock Album:
Hayko Cepkin
Tanışma Bitti (2007)
Best gypsy music Album:
Istanbul Oriental Ensemble
Sultan's Secret Door (1997)
Best hard rock Album:
Dr. Skull
Rools 4 Fools (1992)
Best heavy metal Album:
Mezarkabul
Unspoken (2001)
Best progressive metal Album:
Mezarkabul
Unspoken (2001)
Best krautrock Album:
Replikas
Dadaruhi (2002)
Best progressive metal Album:
mezarkabul
Unspoken (2001)
Best modern classical Album:
Fazıl Say
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (2000)
Best classical Album:
Fazıl Say
Stravinsky: Le Sacre du Printemps (2000)
Best psychedelic folk Album:
3 Hür-El
Hürel Arşivi (1974)
Best acoustic rock Album:
Fikret Kızılok
Zaman Zaman (1983)
Best experimental rock Album:
Replikas
Avaz (2005)
Best rock Album:
Şebnem Ferah
Kadın (1996)
Best jazz Album:
Okay Temiz
Zikir (1981)
Best soft rock Album:
Pinhani
İnandığın Masallar (2006)
Best world music Album:
Mercan Dede
Su (2004)
Best ethnic music Album:
Baba Zula
Üç Oyundan Onyedi Müzik (1999)
Best alternative metal Album:
The Climb
The Climb (1998)
Best sufi music Album:
Omar Faruk Tekbilek
Tree of Patience (2005)
Best hard rock Album:
Hardal
Nasil? Ne Zaman? (1982)
Best heavy psych Album:
Bunalım
Bunalımlar
Best punk rock Album:
Kurban
İnsanlar (2005)
Best blues rock Album:
Yavuz Çetin
Satılık (2001)
Best pop music Album:
Sertab Erener
Sertab Gibi (1997)
Best gothic metal Album:
Catafalque
Dialectique (2007)
Best death metal Album:
Cenotaph
Pseudo Verminal Cadaverium (2003)
Best power metal Album:
Almora
1945 (2006)
Best speed metal Album:
Mezarkabul
Pentagram [as Pentagram] (1990)
Best symphonic metal Album:
Almora
1945 (2006)
Best ambient Album:
Dimness Through Infinity
Nymph (2004)
Best pop rock Album:
MFÖ
Ele Güne Karşı Yapayalnız (1984)
Best jazz fusion Album:
Okay Temiz
Kutlama Celebration (1998)
Best electronic Album:
Ilhan Mimaroğlu
Musiques noires (1983)
Most Famous Turkish Musicians Abroad;
1. Tarkan - 6 million listeners (%62 of his total listeners)
Mostly from; Poland, Russia, Brazil, United Kingdom
2. Omar Faruk Tekbilek - 3,9 million listeners (%77 of his total listeners)
Mostly from; U.S.A, Spain
3. Mor ve Ötesi - 3,2 million listeners (%38 of their total listeners)
Mostly from; Russia, Poland, Finland
4. Mercan Dede - 1,35 million listeners (%52 of his total listeners)
Mostly from; Poland, U.S.A, Germany
5. Sertab Erener - 1,15 million listeners (%32 of her total listeners)
Mostly from; Ukraine, Russia, Germany
6. Mustafa Sandal - 1,15 million listeners (%46 of his total listeners)
Mostly from; Germany, Poland, U.S.A, Russia
7. Athena - 0,9 million listeners (%36 of their total listeners)
Mostly from; Germany, Spain, Poland, Russia
8. Baba Zula - 0,75 million listeners (%29 of their total listeners)
Mostly from; Germany, Poland
9. İbrahim Tatlıses - 0,6 million listeners (%32 of his total listeners)
Mostly from; Germany, Bulgaria
10. Selda - 0,6 million listeners (%90 of her total listeners)
Mostly from; U.S.A
