Müslüm Gürses

Müslüm Gürses – born Müslüm Akbaş on May 7, 1953, in the Halfeti district of Şanlıurfa Province, in southeastern Turkey – was an arabesque singer and actor. Growing up in Adana, he began working at a young age, eventually laboring in the cotton fields, and practicing his singing. He won a talent contest in 1967, which lead to him performing Turkish folk songs for Radio Çukurova. In 1968, Müslüm Akbaş released his debut single, "Emmioğlu” which was followed by the hit single “Sevda Yüklü Kervanlar” in 1969. After serving compulsory military service, he returned to the music business again and became a prolific recording artist as well as an actor, appearing in 38 hit films, most of which included musical performances. While remaining one of arabesque music’s most popular artists, he delved into other genres including pop and rock and scored hits with "Olmadı Yar,” "Paramparça," and "İkimizin Yerine.” His success continued for decades, and he was scoring hits well into the 1990s and beyond including “Bir Bilebilsen” (1992) and others. Outside of music and movies, Müslüm Gürses experienced tragedy including the murder of his brother, the murder of his mother (by his father), and a near-fatal car accident. One of the most interesting aspects of his career was that some members of his audience would cut themselves with razor blades during his concerts, leading to research into this strange phenomenon. In November 2012, he underwent heart bypass surgery but suffered complications over the next few months and his health declined. Müslüm Gürses died on March 3, 2013, at the age of 59.

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