Edip Akbayram

About

Edip Akbayram is one of the most underrated Turkish musicians of all time. With his ever smiling face, he tried to spread peace and unity messages around the country but was banned by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television Corporation, which was the only television channel in Turkey until the 1990s), beaten by fanatics, and threatened with murder many times. Apart from his message, he was also a true leader in his own league. Especially with his first two albums, he sang traditional Turkish songs in traditional vocal styles while combining them with complex psychedelic tunes and his pain-filled vocals. He was later celebrated as having created a distinctive combination of East and West. Akbayram was born in Gaziantep (one of the biggest cities of Eastern Turkey) in 1950. He lost his ability to walk when he was only nine months old because of "infantile paralysis," or polio. He had to be carried to school by his family and teacher. His family couldn't afford a prosthesis until after primary school as they were very poor. He formed his first band, Siyah Orumcekler ("Black Spiders") in Gaziantep and recorded his first bunch of singles in his lycee years, but was first introduced to the m…