Cem Karaca
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Cem Karaca (March 19, 1945 - February 8, 2004) was a single child of Irma Felekyan and Mehmet Ibrahim Karaca. His first group was called "Dynamites", A classic Rock cover band. Then an Elvis Presley cover band called "Jaguars" came together. In 1967 he started to write his own music and that was the beginning of the Anatolian Rock 'movement. "Apaslar" was his first Turkish Language group that got together at the middle of 1967. In 1969 Karaca and the bass player Serhan Karabay ' left Apaslar and started an original Anotolian sound group called "Kardaslar"{Brothers}. In 1972 Karaca joined "Mogollar"and his masterpiece "Namus Belasi"was created. But Mogollar'group leader Cahit Berkay 'wanted an International name for his band and he left for France to take the group to an another level. At this time Karaca who wanted to continue his Anatolian beat sound left the Mogollar and started his own band "Dervisan"(Dervishkhan). Karaca and Dervisan sang poetic and proggressive songs. In the 70's Turkey 's image was getting destroyed by the untimely civil war. Everyone was blaming everyone for something ..Left were fighting right ..Seperatist movements, Islamic rise ..The country was in total chaos ..And at the same time Cem Karaca ' started to get the attention of the Government of Turkey. At times he was beeing accused of treason, seperatist thinker, Marxist & Leninist, and Turkish Government tried to portrey Karaca as a man who is unknowingly writing songs to start a movement against the state.. One politiciab said "Karaca is simply callin citizens to a bloody war against the State .. At the beginning of the 1979 he left for West Germany for business related issues. At this time Turkey was going through the toughest political struggles in and outside of it's soil. Country was out of control ..Everyday at least five to ten people were getting shot to dead in the streets. Even the twenty four hours military curfew did not help the situation. At September 12 1980 Turkish Military Forces put all to a dramatic end. General Kenan Evren 'took over the government, closed all the political parties down temprerarely. After the army take-over many people including writers, artists ,journalists who had say in this political circus were getting caught one by one. Warrant was issued for his arrest by the Government of Turkey. The state called Karaca back to the country several times but Karaca not knowing the outcome of his return, decided not to come back to Turkey at least until the dust saddles down. While he was in Germany, his father Mehmet Ibrahim Karaca'passed off. But Cem 'could not attend to his funeral. After sometime Turkish Government decided to strip Cem Karaca' s Turkish Citizenship .Warrant stayed . Several years after in 1987 Turkish Mother Land party leader and the time's Prime Minister of the country "Turgut Ozal" issued an amnesty for Karaca .And shortly after he finally returned to his country he loved .His return also brought a new album by him "Merhaba Gencler and Her zaman Genc Kalanlar"this was one of his most powerful works ever. His return home was a very good news for many of his fans. Finally wait was over. But Karaca lost a decade, he lost the young people, new listeners ..He is one of the greatest musicians of Turkey ever produced .His Ian Anderson like looks and incredibly powerful voice combines with his words and beautiful sounds of the Anatolian Rock 'that he created will live forever.
Discography
- Apaslar-Kardaslar (1972)
- ...Teşekkürleriyle (1974)
- Nem Kaldi (1975)
- Parka (LP) (1977)
- Yoksulluk Kader Olamaz (1977)
- Safinaz (1978)
- Hasret (1980)
- Bekle Beni (1982)
- Die Kanaken (1984)
- Merhaba Gençler (1987)
- Töre (1988)
- Yiyin Efendiler (1990)
- Nerde Kalmistik (1992)
- Bindik Bir Alamete (1999)
Excluding his guest appearances and singles.tr:Cem Karaca