The Most Famous
MUSICIANS from Turkey
Top 10
The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Turkish Musicians of all time. This list of famous Turkish Musicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Turkish Musicians.
1. Joe Strummer (1952 - 2002)
With an HPI of 57.65, Joe Strummer is the most famous Turkish Musician. His biography has been translated into 39 different languages on wikipedia.
John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British musician. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist, and lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, formed in 1976. The Clash's second studio album, Give 'Em Enough Rope (1978), reached No. 2 on the UK charts. Soon after, they achieved success in the US, starting with London Calling (1979) and peaking with Combat Rock (1982), which reached No. 7 on the US charts and was certified 2× platinum there. The Clash's explosive political lyrics, musical experimentation, and rebellious attitude greatly influenced rock music in general, especially alternative rock. Their music incorporated reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, and rockabilly. Strummer's other career highlights included stints with the 101ers, the Latino Rockabilly War, the Mescaleros, and the Pogues, as well as solo music. His work as a musician allowed him to explore other interests such as acting, scoring television shows and films, and hosting the BBC Radio show London Calling. Strummer and the Clash were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in January 2003. In his remembrance, Strummer's friends and family established the Joe Strummer Foundation (initially known as Strummerville), a non-profit organisation that gives opportunities to musicians and supports projects around the world that create empowerment through music.
2. Barış Manço (1943 - 1999)
With an HPI of 56.84, Barış Manço is the 2nd most famous Turkish Musician. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Mehmet Barış Manço (born Tosun Yusuf Mehmet Barış Manço; 2 January 1943 – 1 February 1999), better known by his stage name Barış Manço, was a Turkish rock musician, singer, composer, actor, television producer and show host. Beginning his musical career while attending Galatasaray High School, he was a pioneer of rock music in Turkey and one of the founders of the Anatolian rock genre. Manço composed around 200 songs and is among the best-selling Turkish artists to date and the winner of the most awards. Many of his songs were translated into other languages including English, French, Japanese, Greek, Italian, Bulgarian, Romanian, Persian, Hebrew, Urdu, Arabic, and German. Through his TV programme, 7'den 77'ye (From 7 to 77), Manço travelled the world and visited many countries. He remains one of Turkey's most popular public figures long after his death.
3. İdil Biret (1941 - )
With an HPI of 53.73, İdil Biret is the 3rd most famous Turkish Musician. Her biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
İdil Biret (born 21 November 1941) is a Turkish concert pianist.
4. Ahmet Ertegun (1923 - 2006)
With an HPI of 53.28, Ahmet Ertegun is the 4th most famous Turkish Musician. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Ahmet Ertegun ( AH-met AIR-tə-gən; Turkish: Ahmet Zahrettin Sebuhi Ertegün, pronounced [ahˈmet eɾteˈɟyn]; July 31, 1923 – December 14, 2006) was a Turkish-American businessman, songwriter, record executive and philanthropist. Ertegun was the co-founder and president of Atlantic Records. He discovered and championed many leading rhythm and blues and rock musicians. Ertegun also wrote classic blues and pop songs. He served as the chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum, located in Cleveland, Ohio. Ertegun has been described as "one of the most significant figures in the modern recording industry." In 2017 he was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in recognition of his work in the music business. Ertegun helped foster ties between the U.S. and Turkey, his birthplace. He served as the chairman of the American Turkish Society for over 20 years until his death. He also co-founded the New York Cosmos soccer team of the original North American Soccer League.
5. Âşık Veysel (1894 - 1973)
With an HPI of 52.16, Âşık Veysel is the 5th most famous Turkish Musician. His biography has been translated into 19 different languages.
Âşık Veysel (born Veysel Şatıroğlu; 25 October 1894 – 21 March 1973) was a Turkish Alevi ashik and highly regarded poet of the Turkish folk literature. He was born in the Sivrialan village of the Şarkışla district, in the province of Sivas. He was an ashik, poet, songwriter, and a bağlama virtuoso, the prominent representative of the Anatolian ashik tradition in the 20th century. He was blind for most of his lifetime. His songs are usually sad tunes, often dealing with the inevitability of death. However, Veysel used a wide range of themes for his lyrics; based on morals, values, and constant questioning of issues such as love, care, beliefs, and how he perceived the world as a blind man.
6. Orhan Gencebay (1944 - )
With an HPI of 50.42, Orhan Gencebay is the 6th most famous Turkish Musician. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Orhan Gencebay (born 4 August 1944) is a Turkish musician, bağlama virtuoso, composer, singer, arranger, music producer, music director, and actor. Gencebay was born in the coastal town of Samsun on 4 August 1944. He is of Crimean Tatar descent. In 1998, he was named a State Artist of Turkey.
7. Arif Mardin (1932 - 2006)
With an HPI of 49.49, Arif Mardin is the 7th most famous Turkish Musician. Her biography has been translated into 18 different languages.
Arif Mardin (March 15, 1932 – June 25, 2006) was a Turkish-American music producer, who worked with hundreds of artists across many different styles of music, including jazz, rock, soul, disco and country. He worked at Atlantic Records for over 30 years, as producer, arranger, studio manager, and vice president, before moving to EMI and serving as vice president and general manager of Manhattan Records. Mardin worked with artists including The Rascals, Queen, Melissa Manchester, John Prine, the Bee Gees, Hall & Oates, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack, Bette Midler, Michael Crawford, Chaka Khan,Howard Jones, Laura Nyro, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, Phil Collins, Daniel Rodriguez, and Norah Jones. Mardin was awarded eleven Grammy Awards and has eighteen nominations.
8. Selda Bağcan (1948 - )
With an HPI of 49.09, Selda Bağcan is the 8th most famous Turkish Musician. Her biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Selda Bağcan (IPA: [ˈselda ˈbaːdʒan]; born December 14, 1948) is a Turkish folk singer-songwriter, guitarist, and music producer.
9. Fazıl Say (1970 - )
With an HPI of 46.39, Fazıl Say is the 9th most famous Turkish Musician. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.
Fazıl Say (Turkish: [faːˈzɯɫ saj]; born 14 January 1970 in Ankara) is a Turkish pianist and composer.
10. Arto Tunçboyacıyan (1957 - )
With an HPI of 44.83, Arto Tunçboyacıyan is the 10th most famous Turkish Musician. His biography has been translated into 15 different languages.
Arto Tunchboyachyan (Armenian: Արտո Թունջբոյաջյան; Western Armenian: Արթօ Թունճպոյաճեան, romanized: Art'ō T'unjpoyajean; born August 4, 1957) is an Armenian American avant-garde folk and jazz multi-instrumentalist and singer of Armenian descent. He fronts his own group called the Armenian Navy Band, and is also a member of the instrumental quartet Night Ark. Tunchboyachyan had appeared on more than 200 records in Europe before arriving in the United States, where he went on to work with numerous jazz musicians including Chet Baker, Marc Johnson, Al Di Meola, and Joe Zawinul, as well as performing semi-regularly with Paul Winter and the Earth Band. He has worked with Turkish singer Sezen Aksu and the Greek singer Eleftheria Arvanitaki. Tunchboyachyan's elder brother Onno Tunchboyanchyan was also a musician, and they have collaborated on several occasions.
Pantheon has 12 people classified as musicians born between 1894 and 1972. Of these 12, 7 (58.33%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living musicians include İdil Biret, Orhan Gencebay, and Selda Bağcan. The most famous deceased musicians include Joe Strummer, Barış Manço, and Ahmet Ertegun. As of April 2022, 2 new musicians have been added to Pantheon including Orhan Gencebay and Arto Tunçboyacıyan.
Living Musicians
Go to all Rankings
İdil Biret
1941 - Present
HPI: 53.73
Orhan Gencebay
1944 - Present
HPI: 50.42
Selda Bağcan
1948 - Present
HPI: 49.09
Fazıl Say
1970 - Present
HPI: 46.39
Arto Tunçboyacıyan
1957 - Present
HPI: 44.83
Şehrazat
1952 - Present
HPI: 43.42
Şebnem Ferah
1972 - Present
HPI: 36.23
Deceased Musicians
Go to all RankingsJoe Strummer
1952 - 2002
HPI: 57.65
Barış Manço
1943 - 1999
HPI: 56.84
Ahmet Ertegun
1923 - 2006
HPI: 53.28
Âşık Veysel
1894 - 1973
HPI: 52.16
Arif Mardin
1932 - 2006
HPI: 49.49
Newly Added Musicians (2022)
Go to all RankingsWhich Musicians were alive at the same time? This visualization shows the lifespans of the 5 most globally memorable Musicians since 1700.
