Zeki Müren

Ahead of everything else, let me just say how happy I am that Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel prize for literature. Such a worthy win!

I've been thinking, since the Rolling Stones countdown is almost over, would you like for me to start a similar one based on Bob Dylan songs? Please sound off in the comments' section.

We've got two more stops in our travels around non-English speaking countries: our penultimate stop is in Turkey. Here's an artist that was openly, flamboyantly gay in an Islamic country, yet he was a megastar, loved by everyone. To say that he was a more honest version of Liberace, or a less complicated version of David Bowie would not tell the whole story, because he was indeed a true original. He was Zeki Müren.

Zeki Müren (born in Bursa, Turkey on 6 December 1931, died in İzmir on 24 September 1996) was a prominent Turkish singer, composer, and actor. He was famous for his compelling voice and precise articulation in his singing of both established Turkish classical music and contemporary songs.

Müren grew up in the provincial capital city of Bursa in western Turkey. From 1950 to 1953 he studied decorative arts in Istanbul at the Fine Arts Academy while launching his musical career. Müren’s first album was issued in 1951, at which time he was a regular singer on Istanbul Radio. In 1955, he had his first gold record. That record was Manolya (Magnolia):

Another big hit for him was Şimdi Uzaklardasın (Now That You're Far Away):

Müren was also a gifted poet, publishing Bıldırcın Yağmuru (The Quail Rain) in 1965. Additionally, he acted in Turkish cinema, starring in eighteen films and writing many of their musical scores. Even though he did not consider himself a painter, he painted as a hobby, Müren dressed in a daring fashion, wearing large, ornate rings and heavy make up, especially in the later years of his life. He was also a prolific designer, designing his own stage costumes - shiny jackets, bejewelled capes and extra skimpy miniskirts. 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.

Another early hit was Bir Demet Yasemen:

In 1972 he released Seni Andım Bu Gece:

Here's a song dedicated to his mother, from 1974, called Anne Annem Anneciğim:

To say that Muren's stage performances were novel and over-the-top extravagant is an understatement. Müren was one of the first artists to use a catwalk stage in order to mingle with his audiences. Zeki was particularly popular with conservative housewives, who flocked to his sold out afternoon shows fashioned particularly for the entertainment of women. In fact, it was this dialogue with his fans, his manner of interacting and his flawless diction and pronunciation of the Turkish language that best explains his wide appeal. Through his recordings, "good Turkish" was brought to the masses, providing them with a free linguistic education alongside their musical entertainment.

Here he is, in one of his later hits, Ah Bu Şarkıların Gözü Kör Olsun:

This is another song called Gözlerin Doğuyor Gecelerime:

The last five years of his life, during which he was afflicted with health issues, were spent in relative seclusion with his male partner. He died of a heart attack during a live TV show that was arranged to give him an award, which was the microphone that he first used on TV, in the city of İzmir on September 24, 1996. His death caused the greatest public grief in years and thousands of people attended his funeral. Zeki Müren Art Museum, established in Bodrum, where Müren used to live, has been visited by more than 200,000 people between its opening on June 8, 2000 and December 2006. All his worldly possessions were donated to the Türk Eğitim Vakfı (Foundation for Turkish Education) and Mehmetçik Vakfı (Foundation for Disabled Veterans and Families of the Martyrs.)

20 years after his death, his "greatest hits" albums still sell by the thousands. The people of Turkey haven't forgotten him.