Tanju Okan | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 27, 1938 İzmir, Turkey |
| Died | May 23, 1996 (aged 57) İzmir, Turkey |
| Genres | Anatolian rock, türkü |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, musician, actor |
| Years active | 1961–1995 |
Tanju Okan (August 27, 1938 – May 23, 1996) was a Turkish singer.
He 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 May 23, 1996.
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.
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 1975 | Bütün Şarkılarım |
| 1980 | Yorgunum |
| 1991 | Kadınım / Kime ne |
| 1992 | Yıllar Sonra / Kırlangıç |
| 1995 | Tanju Okan 95 |
| 1999 | Bir zamanlar-Best of Tanju Okan |
| 2001 | Bir zamanlar-Best of Tanju Okan (2) |
| 2006 | Bak bir varmış, bir yokmuş |
He also contributed to several multi singer albums.[4]
