Zeki Müren (; 6 December 1931 – 24 September 1996) was a Turkish classical music artist, composer, songwriter, actor and poet. Known by the nicknames "The Sun of Art" he was one of the prominent figures of Turkish classical music. Due to his contributions to the art industry, he was named a "State Artist" in 1991. He was the first singer to receive a gold certification in Turkey and throughout his career recorded and released hundreds of songs on cassettes and phonograph records.

Life and career

Childhood and education

Müren was born in the Hisar district of Bursa, at the wooden house number 30 on Ortapazar Road as the only child of Kaya and Hayriye Müren. His father was a timber merchant.

Müren went to the Bursa Osmangazi School (later Tophane School and Alkıncı School). When he was at school, his musical ability was discovered by his teachers and he started to have a prominent role at school musicals. His first ever role was the character of a shepherd in one of these musicals. In 1976, he became the first Turkish artist to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Throughout his career, Müren recorded 600 cassettes and phonograph records. His first song recorded on a phonograph was "Bir Muhabbet Kuşu" by Şükrü Tunar. With his song "Manolyam" in 1955, Müren became the first Turkish artist to receive a gold certification. In 1991, he was chosen as a State Artist.

Other ventures

In 1965, he published a poetry book called Bıldırcın Yağmuru (The Quail Rain), which contains nearly 100 poems. Zeki Müren started acting in the movie Beklenen Şarkı in 1953. After this movie, he acted in 18 more movies. In 1965, he played the leading role in the play Tea and Sempati, staged by Arena Theatre.

Public image

Public reception of Müren's fashion sense, and persona is controversial. In the 1950s, with his special patterns of behavior, dressing and his performance on stage, he managed to keep people constantly interested in himself. In the early years of his career, he chose to wear ordinary clothes and hair styles, but later showed a favor for feminine-styled clothes, and performed with new hair styles and make-up. In 1958 he wore a sequin jacket for the first time in his career. In 1970, he put on a costume featuring a miniskirt as a first for him. He is one of the first representatives of cross-dressing in the public sphere in Turkey.

Personal life

Zeki Müren never married. He never commented on his sexual orientation and occasionally his name appeared alongside that of women. The general opinion was that he was gay. He was known to speak Turkish very clearly. Referred to as the "Pasha of Music", in 1969, after his Aspendos concert, for the first time, he started being favored by the people of Antalya. He explained that although he was delighted because of their support, he still did not know why he was that much favored. He served as an assistant officer in Ankara Infantry School (6 months), Istanbul Harbiye Representative Office (6 months) and Çankırı (3 months) in 1957–1958. On 24 September 1996, during the ceremony held for him at TRT İzmir Television in Kültürpark, he had a heart attack and died. His funeral ceremony was attended by a large number of people. His body was taken to his birth place, Bursa, and buried in Emirsultan Cemetery.

He left all his assets in his will to the Turkish Education Foundation and Mehmetçik Foundation. TEV and Mehmetçik Foundation built Zeki Müren Fine Arts Anatolian High School in Bursa in 2002. In a statement on 24 September 2016, TEV Bursa branch president Mehmet Çalışkan said that the foundation had helped 2,631 students with the Zeki Müren Scholarship Fund over the last 20 years.

After his death, the house in which the artist lived in Bodrum for the last years of his life was transformed into Zeki Müren Art Museum by the order of the Ministry of Culture and was opened to the public on 8 June 2000. It was visited by more than 200 thousand people between its opening on 8 June 2000 and December 2006. enclosed in the nearby glass viewing garage.

Legacy

With Onur Akay's suggestion on TRT Music, Müren's date of birth (6 December) has been celebrated as the Turkish Art Music Day since 2012. On 6 December 2018, a Google Doodle was displayed to celebrate his 87th birthday.

Discography

Studio albums

; Albums published during his lifetime

{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"

|+ Album list ve sales

! scope="col" style="width:9em;"| Album

! scope="col" style="width:2em;"| Release date

! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Sales

! scope="col" style="width:10em;" | Record company

! scope="col" style="width:5em;" | Notes

|-

|-

|Zeki Müren

| 1969

|

|

|

|-

|Senede Bir Gün

| 1970

|

|

|

|-

| Pırlanta 1

| 1973

|

| Emre Grafson Plak

|

|-

| Pırlanta 2

| 1973

|

| Emre Grafson

|

|-

| Pırlanta 3

| 1973

|

| Emre Grafson

|

|-

| Pırlanta 4

| 1973

|

| Emre Grafson

|

|-

| Anılarım

| 1974

|

| Emre Grafson

|

|-

| Güneşin Oğlu

| 1976

|

| Odeon Plak

|

|-

| Mücevher

| 1977

|

|

|

|-

| Nazar Boncuğu

| 1978

|

| Elenor Plak

|

|-

| Sükse

| 1979

|

| Elenor Plak

|

|-

| Kahır Mektubu

| 1981

|

| Türküola

|

|-

| Eskimeyen Dost

| 1982

|

|

|

|-

| Hayat Öpücüğü

| 1984

|

| AJS

|

|-

| Aşk Kurbanı

| 1985

|

|

|

|-

| Masal

| 1985

|

|

|

|-

| Helal Olsun

| 1987

|

|

|

|-

| Gözlerin Doğuyor Gecelerime

| 1988

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| Yavuz&Burç

|

|-

| Ayrıldık İşte

| 1989

|

| Yavuz&Burç

|

|-

| Zirvedeki Şarkılar

| 1989

|

| Yavuz&Burç

|

|-

| Dilek Çeşmesi

| 1990

|

| Yavuz&Burç

|

|-

| Sev Beni

| 1989

|

| Türkola

|

|-

| Doruktaki Nağmeler

| 1991

|

| Yavuz&Burç

|

|-

| Sorma

| 1992

|

| Yavuz&Burç

|

|}

Singles

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Single

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Year

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Format

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Notes

|-

! scope="row" | Hem Okudum Hem Yazdım

| 1951

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | Asmalar Kol Uzatmış

| 1951

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|-

! scope="row" | Gönlümün Baharı Bir Gün Açacak

| 1953

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|-

! scope="row" | Zehretme Hayatı

| 1955

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! scope="row" | Ruhumda Yine Aşk Bestesi Var

| 1955

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! scope="row" | Hasret Acısı

| 1957

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! scope="row" | Yiğidin Alnına Yazılan Gelir

| 1957

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|

|-

! scope="row" | Karanlık Geceler Beklerim Yolunu

| 1957

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|

|-

! scope="row" | Bende Hicran Yarasından

| 1958

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | Gözlerinin İçine Başka Hayal Girmesin

| 1958

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|

|-

! scope="row" | Züğürt: Nem Alacak Felek Benim

| 1959

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|-

! scope="row" | Zennobe

| 1960

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | Senden Ayrı Günlerimde

| 1962

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | Renk Almış İpek Saçların

| 1962

|

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|-

! scope="row" | İki Damla Gözyaşı

| 1970

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | Hayat Kumarı / Mahpushane

| 1973

| 45s

|

|-

! scope="row" | Şarkıların Kaderi

| 1974

| 45s

|

|-

! scope="row" | Nasıl İçmem Arkadaşım

| 1977

| 45s

|

|-

! scope="row" | Kandil / Mutluluğun Sırrı

| 1986

| 45s

|

|-

! scope="row" | Madem Derdimi Sordun Dinlemeye Mecbursun

| 1987

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | Aşk Kurbanı

| 1998

| 45s

| Published posthumously

|-

! scope="row" | Yemen Türküsü

| 2016

|

| Published posthumously

|-

! scope="row" | Biz Ayrılamayız

| 2018

|

| Published posthumously

|-

! scope="row" | Günah Defteri / Hasret Ateşi

| 2018

| 45s

| Published posthumously

|-

! scope="row" | Su Akar Şırıl Şırıl

| 2018

|

| Published posthumously

|-

! scope="row" | Sus Kalbim Sus

| 2018

|

| Published posthumously

|-

! scope="row" | Canım Benim Gülüm Benim

| 2018

|

| Published posthumously

|-

| colspan="5" style="font-size:90%" | The phrase "45s" indicates that the singles were published as vinyl records.

|}

Compilation albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Album

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Year

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Format

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Notes

|-

! scope="row" |

| 1992

|

|

|-

! scope="row" | Batmayan Güneş

| 2006

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! scope="row" | Taş Plak Klasikleri

| 2019

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|

|-

|}

Albums released abroad

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Album

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Year

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Records

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Notes

|-

! scope="row" | The Best of Zeki Müren Love Songs Folk Songs Popular Songs of İstanbul

| 1964

| Balkan Records

|

|-

! scope="row" | The Golden Voice of Zeki Müren

| 1964

| Balkan Records

|

|-

! scope="row" | Latest Hits of Zeki Müren

| 1964

| Balkan Records

|

|-

! scope="row" | The Golden Voice Zeki Müren

| 1964

| Balkan Records

|

|-

! scope="row" | Zeki Müren Altın Sesli The Golden Voice

| 1964

| Balkan Records

|

|-

|}

Duo albums

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ Playlist with selected list positions, release year and album name

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Album

! scope="col" rowspan="1" | Year

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Format

! scope="col" colspan="1" | Notes

|-

! scope="row" |

| 1998

|

| He sang with Muazzez Abacı.

|-

|}

Albums released posthumously

  • 2000: Muazzez Abacı ve Zeki Müren Düet
  • 2002: Zeki Müren: 1955-1963 Kayıtları
  • 2005: Selahattin Pınar Şarkıları
  • 2005: Sadettin Kaynak Şarkıları
  • 2006: Batmayan Güneş
  • 2008: Baş Başa Radyo Günleri 1
  • 2008: Baş Başa Radyo Günleri 2
  • 2008: Baş Başa Radyo Günleri 3
  • 2009: Lunapark Konseri
  • 2009: Saklı Kayıtlar 1952-1984

In addition to these, there are 12 other albums attributed to Zeki Müren published during 1968–1974 by Grafson Plak.

Filmography

International titles are given in parentheses.

{| class="wikitable"

! rowspan="2" width="33"|Year

! rowspan="2" width="200"|Film

! rowspan="2" |Director

! colspan="5"|Task

! rowspan="2" width="150"|Notes

! rowspan="2" width="50"|Source

|-

! width=5 |Actor

! width=5 |Music director

! width=5 |Scriptwriter

! width=5 |Soundtrack

! width=5 |Role

|-

| 1953

| Beklenen Şarkı <br>(Awaited Song)

|Orhon Murat Arıburnu, Sami Ayanoğlu, Cahide Sonku

|

|

|

|

| Zeki

| His only movie with Cahide Sonku.

|

|-

| 1955

| Son Beste <br>(The Last Musical Composition)

| Arşavir Alyanak

|

|

|

|

|Zeki Müren

|

|

|-

| 1957

| Berduş<br> (The Vagabond)

|Osman F. Seden

|

|

|

|

|Bedri

|

|

|-

| 1958

| Altın Kafes<br>(Gilded Cage)

|Osman F. Seden

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|-

|rowspan="2"| 1959

| Kırık Plak<br>(The Broken Disk)

|Osman F. Seden

|

|

|

|

|Zeki Müren

| Work in the Credits: Zeki Müren is mentioned. The screenplay is Bülent Oran.

|

|-

| Gurbet<br> (Foreign Place)

|Osman F. Seden

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|-

| 1962

| Hayat Bazen Tatlıdır<br> (Sometimes Life Is Enjoyable)

|Nejat Saydam

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|-

| 1963

| Aşk Hırsızı<br> (Love Thief)

|Osman F. Seden

|

|

|

|

|Zeki

|

|

|-

| 1963

| Bahçevan<br> (The Gardener)

|Nejat Saydam

|

|

|

|

|Fındık Ali

|

|

|-

| 1964

| İstanbul Kaldırımları<br>(Pavements of Istanbul)

|Metin Erksan

|

|

|

|

|Zeki

|

|

|-

| 1965

| Hep O Şarkı<br> (Always That Song)

|Atıf Yılmaz

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|-

| 1966

| Düğün Gecesi<br> (The Wedding Night)

|Osman F. Seden

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|-

| 1967

| Hindistan Cevizi<br> (The Coconut)

|Osman F. Seden

|

|

|

|

|Zeki

|

|

|-

|1968

|İstanbul'da Cümbüş Var<br>(There is a Revel in Istanbul)

|Sırrı Gültekin

|

|

|

|

|Zeki Müren

|

|

|-

| 1968

| Kâtip (Üsküdara Giderken)<br> (Kâtip)

|Ülkü Erakalın

|

|

|

|

|Katip

|

|

|-

| rowspan="2" | 1969

| İnleyen Nağmeler<br> (Howling Tunes)

|Safa Önal

|

|

|

|

|Zeki Müren

|

|

|-

| Kalbimin Sahibi<br>(Owner of my Heart)

|Safa Önal

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|-

| 1970

| Aşktan da Üstün<br> (Fallen Out Of Love)

|Atıf Yılmaz

|

|

|

|

|Zeki

|

|

|-

| 1971

| Rüya Gibi<br> Like A Dream

|Lütfi Akad

|

|

|

|

|Zeki

|

|

|-

| 1975

| Deli Deli Tepeli<br>(Crazy Crazy Crested)

|Nejat Okçugil

|

|

|

|

|Zeki

|

|

|-

|}

Others

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"

|-

! colspan="5" style="background:LightSteelBlue"| Clips he has appeared in or songs dedicated to him

|-

! Year

! Artist

! Song

! Album

! Notes

|-

| 2002

| Aziza Mustafa Zadeh

| Ayrılık

| Shamans

| In an interview she said she is a fan of Zeki Müren.

|-

| 2006

| Nil Karaibrahimgil

| Bu mudur?

| Tek Taşımı Kendim Aldım

| In his video, she included the scenes with Zeki Müren.

|-

|}

See also

  • Turkish classical music
  • Turkish music

References

  • Türk Sanat Müziğinin Güneşi Zeki Müren Kimdir?
  • Life story video of Zeki Müren
  • Discography of Zeki Müren
  • A sample of Müren's music on YouTube