FATİH ERKOÇ | Müziğin Usta İsmi Fatih Erkoç Kimdir?

FATİH ERKOÇ… When he was born, the calendar showed April 7, 1953… He was born in Fatih, one of Istanbul's oldest districts, to a family of musicians. His father, Hasan Erkoç, read his palm as soon as his son Fatih was born and said, "This child will be a great musician." Fatih Erkoç said the following on the program "Everything's on This Table" with Doğa Rutkay: "My father looked at my hand when I was born and said, 'This child will be a musician.' My mother said, 'Come on, let's go,' but my father was right." Fatih Erkoç was introduced to the instrument when he was just 3 years old. He found himself in the magical world of musical notes with a violin his father, an oud player, bought at auction and gifted him. He spent his childhood in a house where gramophone records were constantly playing. He started working when he was only 12 or 13. Working in a toy workshop in Fatih, Fatih Erkoç cleaned the toys that had been removed from the machines. He wasn't particularly happy with his job; he constantly kept his eyes on the clock. One day, his mother saw an ad in the newspaper for boarding students at the Istanbul Municipal Conservatory, and she took Fatih by the hand to the exams. Fatih Erkoç, who passed the exam, would sneak out of the conservatory at night to perform on stage. He was 16 when he earned his first income. In an interview with Özge Dinç of Esquire magazine, the famous artist recounted those days: “I earned my first money from music at 16. I was a boarding student at the conservatory, and a man from the Suat Ateş Orchestra would give the guard 5 lira and sneak me out at night. My first daily wage was 200 lira, a huge sum for me, and I used it to renovate a bathroom in my grandmother’s house.” Although he would sneak out of the conservatory at night, he was never caught. However, he was so mischievous that his teacher eventually failed him. After failing two consecutive years, he got angry and left the conservatory, but he never gave up on music. Erdoğan Saydam, one of the school's teachers, arranged for Fatih Erkoç, who had dropped out of the conservatory, to join the Istanbul Symphony Orchestra. In 1971, he released an album with this orchestra, "Finally." However, civil service was not a good fit for the 18-year-old Fatih, whose blood ran hot. He resigned from the orchestra after four months. Even during his military service, Fatih Erkoç remained committed to music. While performing his military service in Ankara, he began playing in the orchestra of renowned jazz drummer Erol Pekcan. Erkoç gave numerous concerts with this orchestra and also performed live on numerous radio and television programs. After receiving his 1975 military service, Fatih Erkoç made the radical decision to go to Norway. The renowned artist's Norwegian adventure lasted 11 years. In an interview with Işıl Açıkkar of Star Newspaper, Erkoç explains why he went to Norway: "Emin Fındıkoğlu and the best jazz arrangers in the country, too many to mention, had begun performing abroad. They invited me to join this orchestra... Then that band returned, but I stayed." While everyone else returned to Turkey one by one, Fatih Erkoç remained in Norway because he got married. In an interview with Özge Dinç of Esquire magazine, the master artist recounted his years in Norway as follows: "I lived in Norway for 11 years, but I couldn't have imagined I'd stay that long. I've known ever since then that things don't always add up at home. We played music with Emin Fındıkoğlu's orchestra for a year or two, then everyone returned; I stayed because I got married. It was clear my marriage to my Norwegian wife wouldn't last, but I decided to tell everyone what to say, so I stayed for 10 years and then came back penniless." Fatih Erkoç returned to Turkey permanently in 1986 and participated in the 1st Golden Dove Song Contest in Kuşadası. The master musician, who sang "Yol Verin A Dostlar" (Yol Verin A Dostlar), which he wrote and composed, won first place in the competition. The song quickly spread by word of mouth, becoming popular, and in 1987, he released his first album of the same name. Two years later, he participated in the Golden Pigeon Song Contest with his self-penned song "Sen ve Ben" (You and I), winning the top spot once again. During the same period, he performed at various jazz festivals around the world, including the United States, Italy, France, Finland, and the Netherlands. He participated in the Turkish Eurovision selections with "Keloğlan," a song written and composed by Selçuk Başar, sung alongside Harun Kolçak, Rüya Ersavcı, and Arzu Ece. In 1992, Fatih Erkoç released the album of the same name, which included the song "Ellerim Bomboş," a song that remains popular even today. Fatih Erkoç, who made a huge splash with his album Ellerim Bomboş (My Hands Are Empty), released his albums Penceremden Gökyüzüne the following year, Sana Deliyım (I'm Crazy for You) in 1994, and Kardelen (Snowdrop) in 1996. #F...