Barış Manço

Singer, composer, lyricist (B. January 2^nd, 1943, Istanbul- D. February 1^st, 1999, Istanbul) His full name was Mehmet Barış Manço. He was a second child of Mrs. Rikkat, instructor and actress of Turkish classical music in State Conservatory, and Mr. İsmail Hakkı. He was educated in Kadıköy Gazi Mustafa Kemal Primary School, Ankara Maarif College, Galatasary High School and Şişli Terakki High School. He completed his higher education at the Faculty of Fine Arts in Belgium Royal Academy.

Manço was inherently talented in music and initiated to be engaged in musical studies starting as early as his secondary school years. He improved his interest for the guitar as of childhood and his technique and musical knowledge were supported by the piano courses he took from his mother. He formed his first band “Kafadarlar” together with his friend in 1958. He was granted a reward for his first composition “Dream Girl” in Ankara. During his education in Galatasaray High School, he professionally began to be interested in music. In the meantime, he set up his second band “Harmoniler” and gave his first concert in the conference hall of the high school. During his study in Belgium, he worked as waiter and car- maintenance employee. He took part in a band named “Les Mistigris” in Belgium. He gave concerts with this band in France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Germany and Sweden. He released two 45’s records in Paris in 1964.        

When he came back to Istanbul (1967), he formed a band named “Kaygısızlar” together with Fuat Güner and Mazhar Alanson. He expressed his reaction against musical arrangements and started to produce a pop- folk music style fed from Anatolia. He achieved a great debut with his song “Dağlar Dağlar” in spring 1969 and his album sold 700 thousand copies in five months. The same song also brought Golden Plate Award to the singer. He worked with a band named “Moğollar” in 1971. Two years later, he founded a band named “Kurtalan Express”. In the same year, he shot his first video clip for the song named Hey Koca Topçu. He released his first album “2023” in 1975. He was married to Lale Manço in 1978 and his sons Doğukan and Batıkan were born from this marriage.

He gained gold medals for Nick The Copper and a Bulgarian song named Ben Bir Şarkıyım in the Golden Orpheus song contest in 1980. The song named “Dönence” in his album Sözüm Meclisten Dışarı released in 1981 was generally recognized as first “Psychedelic Rock” work in Turkey. He was invited to various foreign television shows and gave concerts in a number of countries. His more than two hundred of songs made him win twelve gold and a platinum records. Some of these songs were interpreted afterwards in Greek, Bulgarian, Arabic, Kurdish, Japanese, Hebrew, English and Flemish languages.

Manço achieved great success his in television career as much as in his music career. Starting as of October 1988, he presented a culture and entertainment television show, “7’den 77’ye ( from 7 to 77)” oriented for children and families which was broadcasted in TRT 1 channel for the 370^th time in June 1998 breaking a record hard to be renewed in Turkish TV broadcasting history. In the TV program called “Ekvator’dan Kutuplar’a”; he travelled to several countries in five continents with his team. He also performed the production of a talk-show named 4 x 21 Doludizgin.

The mansion, in which he lived together with his family until he died, was turned into a museum where personal belongings were exhibited.

SOME OF HIS RECORDS: Twistin USA / The Jet (with Harmoniler, 1962 Çıt Çıt Twist / Dream Girl (with Harmoniler,1963), Jenny Jenny / Un Autre Amour Que Toi (with Jacques Denjean Orchestra 1964), Il Arrivera / Une Fille (Les Mistigris ile 1966), Bien Fait Pour Toi /Aman Avcı Vurma Beni (with Les Mistigris,1966 Karanlıklar İçinde / Trip (with Kaygısızlar 1968), Bogaziçi / Flower Of Love (with Kaygısızlar 1968), Runaway / Unutamıyorum (with Kaygısızlar 1969), Binboğanın Kızı – Kaygısızlar / Ay Osman (with Moğollar 1971), Fil İle Kurbağa – Kaygısızlar / Je Te Retrouverais (Les Mistigris, collected in 1972), Ölum Allah’ın Emri / Gamzedeyim Deva Bulmam (with Kurtalan Ekspres 1972), Nick The Chopper / Lonely Man (George Hayes Orchestra 1977), Hal Hal / Eğri Eğri Doğru Doğru Eğri Büğrü Ama Yine De Doğru (with Kurtalan Ekspres 1981). 

REFERENCE: Metin Solmaz / Türkiye'de Pop Müzik - Dünü ve Bugünü ile Bir İnfilak Masalı (1996), Ali Kırca / Barış Manço’ya Özlem Ali Kırca Siyaset Meydanı (1999), Birgül Yangın / Çağdaş Türk Ozanı Barış Manço (2002), Hulusi Tunca / Uzun Saçlı Dev (2005), Gökhan Akçura / İnsanlar Âlemi: Ivır Zıvır Tarihi (2005), Murat Yatağanbaba / Türk Kültürünün Karbon Kağıdı: Barış Manço, Orhan Kahyaoğlu / Bülent Ortaçgil, Bülent Özükan / Barış Manço Kitabı (2008), Erkin Erkal / Türkiye’de Rock’ın Tarihi (2012), İhsan Işık / Ünlü Sanatçılar (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 5, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).