NEŞET ERTAŞ

1938-2012
He was born in Kelismailuşağı,
Akpınar, Kırşehir in 1938.
(its old name is Kırtıllar)
 He was born in Kırtıllar but he
wasn’t from there. In fact, his family
didn’t have a hometown. He and
his people (the Abdals) used to
migrate from one village to another.
They used to sing and dance in the
wedding ceremonies and earn
money by this way.
 When he was a small child, his
mother died. His father remarried.
Neşet Ertaş
He also lost his little sister on the
migrate ways.
His childhood days were very hard.
Most of the time he and his family
didn’t have anything to eat, especially
during winter. Because people used
to marry in summer, in the harvest
time. So he sometimes had to beg for
food and this embrassed him for all
his life time.
Mid 1950s, in İstanbul.
 He started to go to wedding
ceremonies with his father
Muharrem but he knew that he
should do more than this for himself
and his family. So he went to
İstanbul when he was 15 or 16.
 He sometimes sang in the radio. In one of
these visits, he met with someone who will
be his lifelong friend, Orhan Gencebay.
He started to become famous day
by day. His records were coming
running.
He sang in the wedding
ceremonies.
 He sang in small
meetings.

He sang in
cafes.
He sang in concerts.
 He sang whenever people
wanted him to do. But he never
behaved them rudely, he never
boasted about his beautiful voice
or his playing ability.
He used to want permission to take
off his jacket.
 He travelled around Turkey and
Europe to give concerts. In one of
these travels to Germany, he had a
traffic accident. In Bulgaria he
stayed in prison. No one helped or
remembered him except for the
famous writer Yaşar Kemal. He
sent him a book and with a sign for
him “Bozkırın Tezenesi’ne”
This event saddened him very much and he
decided to live in Germany. He lived in
Germany for about 30 years.
He returned Turkey in the last 90s
and made a few new albums.
He refused to become a state artist.
He said: “I can’t be a state artist, I
am a public artist.”
This shows that he was not fond of
money or fame. He just wanted to
sing his songs. He wanted to give
the people his messages.
 He has about 600 songs. Some of them are
compilations and some of them belong to him.
He learnt some songs in the villages and
recorded them.

His songs were mainly about human, love,

family, death.

He used two nicknames in his songs. They

are “Garip” and “Bülbül”.
He died on 25th of September in
2012.
With his father, master and best
friend
In his house, during an interview
His only belonging, his house in
İzmir
Yalan Dünya (Öykü-Berk)
Ahirim Sensin (Özcan Deniz)
Anam Ağlar (Orhan Hakalmaz)
Acem Kızı (Okan Murat Öztürk)
Kendim Ettim Kendim Buldum
(Erkin Koray)
Kesik Çayır (Zara)
Köprüden Geçti Gelin (Replikas)
Zülüf (Nihal Yalçın)
Niye Çattın Kaşlarını (Ayşegül)
Ağla Sazım (Erol Parlak)
Neredesin Sen (Selda Bağcan)
Mühür Gözlüm (Yavuz Bingöl)
Gönül Dağı (Pinhani)
Yolcu (Kıraç)