Bülent Ortaçgil

Admittedly one of the best Turkish songwriters, Bülent Ortaçgil is the life jacket for the intellectual music listener. Over the years, getting more and more upset at being thought of as making peaceful songs, he combined his acoustic creations with his deeply thought, multi-layered critical lyrics and recorded with some of the best musicians in the country. Although his albums never come close to selling like the popular artists and he never sells out gigs, his timeless albums continue to be reissued in small numbers and occupy a revered place in every Turkish music lover's collection. Ortaçgil was born in March 1, 1950 in the capital city of Turkey, Ankara. Born in the city, his family later moved to Istanbul, where he would enjoy his education as well as his musical development. Throughout his high-school years he showed a strong interest in the fine arts. He acted in school plays and tried to play the drums, but ended up playing the guitar in concession. He shared the same corridors with Mazhar Alanson -- later a famous member of MFO -- and a group of soon-to-be musician friends. Unlike his peers, however, he didn't want to become a rock star. Known to be a quiet and hard-working student, he kept playing his acoustic guitar. Later, while his friend Ahmet Güvenç was recording with his band Bunalim, he was offered the opportunity to record a single during their session. His first single was recorded in 1971 and consisted of "Anlamsiz" b/w "Yuzunu Dokme Kucuk Kiz." In 1974, while studying chemistry at the university, he recorded his debut album, Benimle Oynar Misin ("Will You Play with Me"). It didn't sell millions or top the charts, but it was later appreciated as one of the best albums ever recorded by a Turkish pop artist. It didn't have any Turkish folk themes like...