LINKS TO RELATED WEB PAGES ABOUT CEM KARACA : APASLAR :
Turkish webpages :
A page with biography in English and lot of pictures you can find at
(with a complete discography and album covers).
Cem Karaca Apaslar (Turkish pages) at
"For millions of Turks the musician Cem Karaca, who has died of a heart attack aged 58, was a phenomenon who, for nearly four decades mirrored the transformations of his homeland, displayed resolute unwillingness to accept the dead hand of authority, and embodied aspirations for peace and social justice.
The rock singer - who had a voice of extraordinary forcefulness - became successively a leader of the left, a fugitive from Turkey's military government in the 1980s, and finally an advocate of coexistence between Turkey's secularists and Islamists. Through his music he reached out to the people of Anatolia and bridged the gap between them and the musical life of Istanbul's western-oriented middle classes.
Karaca was the son of actors and he began life in Istanbul. He was most at ease when among that city's bohemian circles. His parents sent him to Robert Academy, the city's American high school, in the hope that he would become a diplomat, but after Karaca discovered that his singing impressed girls, he turned to music.
His mother encouraged his singing and Karaca was also dabbling with theatre. In 1967 Karaca and his group, the Apaslar, won a song contest and he went professional. He was soon one of the country's most popular singers.
In the west, Karaca would have been a protest singer, but there was no such thing in 1960s Turkey. Yet at a time when youth was polarised between leftists and ultra-nationalists, he soon became identified with the left. One of his best known albums was entitled Poverty Isn't A Destiny.
Political and personal disagreements caused Karaca to break up with his group. During the next decade, in various partnerships, he blended progressive rock with Anatolian musical themes. From these efforts came Safinaz, his finest album.
By the time it appeared, left-right clashes were claiming large numbers of lives and in 1979 Karaca moved to Germany. He became the nearest thing that exiled leftwingers there had for a leader, launching attacks against the Turkish right.
In 1980, the Turkish military seized power and ordered him to return to face a tribunal. Karaca refused and - like other exiles - was stripped of his Turkish nationality and remained in Germany until 1987, four years after the return of a civilian government in his homeland. His return was discreetly brokered by prime minister Turgut Ozal's chief adviser. Karaca flamboyantly showed his gratitude by deferentially kissing Ozal's hand in the Ottoman manner - a gesture which outraged many of his friends who accused him of being a turncoat.
Karaca never abandoned his long hair, but the youthful 1960s singer had given way to an extravagant figure in a felt hat. He explored less controversial themes: Turkish identity, peace and religion. His funeral was shown on pro-Islamic TV stations and, mourners ranged from youths with facial piercings to bearded Islamists.
He is survived by his wife, Ilkin Erkal, and a son from his first marriage.
Cem Karaca, musician, born April 5 1945; died February 8 2004"
