İbrahim Tatlıses (TR)

About

Also known as: Ibrahim Tatlises

Few Turkish artists have had a career quite like İbrahim Tatlıses, the arabesk and folk music icon who went from singing at weddings and restaurants to becoming one of the most recognisable voices in Turkey. His 1977 album Ayağında Kundura was the record that changed everything, and hit albums kept coming through the 1980s with releases like Mavi Mavi and Allah Allah. Over a career spanning more than four decades he recorded 42 albums, with some of his earlier songs drawing on Kurdish folk material and old Armenian folk songs courtesy of songwriter Garo Mafyan. Beyond music, Tatlıses built a serious presence on screen, appearing in 37 films and television productions, and hosted the wildly popular İbo Show from 1993 to 2011. Known by his fans simply as İbo or İmparator, he survived multiple assassination attempts, most seriously a shooting in 2011 that left him critically wounded. He has also run his own record label, Idobay Music, and expanded into restaurants, tourism and construction.