Barış Manço

Long hair, a thick mustache, huge silver rings and songs about a donkey and about tomatoes. In the 1980s and 1990s, Barış Manço was one of the best-known faces on Turkish television. Children grew up with his show, while their parents sang his rock ballads. When he died suddenly in 1999, tens of thousands of people came to his funeral.

Barış Manço helped invent Anatolian rock, a blend of Turkish folk music and rock and roll. For visitors, his story leads to a red mansion in Moda, a grave above the Bosphorus and a city ferry that carries his name.

Who Was Barış Manço?

Barış Manço was born in Istanbul on January 2, 1943. His older brother, born during World War II, was named Savaş, “war”, while Barış means “peace”. So his parents chose the name to celebrate the end of the war. His mother, Rikkat Uyanık, had been a well-known singer in the early 1940s.

At Galatasaray High School in the 1950s he formed his first band, Kafadarlar. At that time, Elvis Presley was his great model. Then, in 1962 and 1963, his band Harmoniler recorded American twist covers and rock versions of Turkish folk songs. Those records marked the start of the Anatolian rock movement.

The Music of Barış Manço

Belgium and Dağlar Dağlar

After high school, Manço moved to Europe. In 1964 he enrolled at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Liège, Belgium, and he toured with his band Les Mistigris until 1967. That year a serious car accident left a scar, so he grew his famous mustache to hide it. Later, in 1970, his single Dağlar Dağlar became a hit in both Turkey and Belgium.

Kurtalan Ekspres and the 1980s

Then, in 1972, he formed Kurtalan Ekspres, the band that played with him until his death. Their 1981 album brought hits such as Arkadaşım Eşşek, “My Friend the Donkey”, and Gülpembe, a requiem for his grandmother. Arkadaşım Eşşek became so popular with children that he began to write songs for them. In Japan, too, he became known as the man who sings about vegetables, because of Domates, Biber, Patlıcan.

From 7 to 77

In 1988 his show 7’den 77’ye, “From 7 to 77”, began on TRT 1, Turkish state television. It mixed music, talk and travel documentary, and it ran for eight years. For the show he also traveled to almost 150 countries. A section for children, Adam Olacak Çocuk, also made him a hero to a whole generation.

Death and Legacy

A sudden death in Moda

On February 1, 1999, Barış Manço died of a sudden heart attack at his house in Moda. His last album was ready, although it was not yet released. After a ceremony at the Atatürk Cultural Center, he was finally buried in the Mihrimah Sultan Cemetery at Kanlıca, on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus.

A lasting legacy

His long hair and rings also softened the reaction of a conservative public to rock music. Later, in 2013, a Google Doodle marked his 70th birthday, and parks, a city ferry and statues carry his name.

For a later generation of Turkish pop, see our portrait of Tarkan.

Following Barış Manço in Turkey

• Moda, Istanbul: visit his home in the Whittall Mansion in Moda, now a house museum.
• Kanlıca: his grave lies in the Mihrimah Sultan Cemetery on the Asian shore of the Bosphorus.
• By ferry: watch for the city ferry named after him at piers such as Karaköy.
• Ankara: walk through the 7’den 77’ye park that honors his show.
• Events: we plan your evening around what is on in Kadıköy, his neighborhood.

For another Istanbul artist, read about the photographer Ara Güler, or explore Kadıköy on the Asian side.

Moda is still the place to start. Our Istanbul Asian Side tour walks Kadıköy and Moda, so tell us your dates and we build the day around his neighborhood.