Erkan Oğur

Erkan Oğur was born in Ankara on April 17, 1954, and grew up as a child of a family from Elazığ. His interest in music started at a very early age; He started playing violin, baglama, flute and cümbüş when he was four or five years old. The primary school music teacher found Oğur's talent so advanced that when he finished school, there was almost no instrument left in the region that he did not play.

The artist, who was introduced to the rich folklore of Eastern Anatolia during these years, was especially fascinated by the folk songs of Aşık Veysel.

Oğur, who graduated from high school in Ankara, started university at Ankara University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics. He went to Munich, Germany, to study physical engineering; However, his passion for music prevailed and he abandoned his academic career and returned to Türkiye. In 1980, he entered Istanbul Technical University Turkish Music State Conservatory and studied music theory.

During this period at the conservatory, he studied classical Turkish music in depth. Oğur, who also studied acting at the Istanbul State Theatre, created his own unique musical style by combining both technical knowledge and stage experience.

He began his musical career in the early 1980s and came to prominence with the invention of the fretless guitar. His instrumental works, which blended folk music melodies with western music, made a splash in the international arena. During this period, he took part in the albums of Bülent Ortaçgil, Sezen Aksu, MFÖ, Cem Karaca, Kayahan and many other artists.

In the mid-1990s, he started to release albums with vocals. He reached large audiences with his albums such as A Lifetime Guest (1996) and There was the Scent of the Rose (1998). In 1996, he received great acclaim with the soundtrack of the movie Eşkıya.

Throughout his career, he gave concerts in many countries such as the USA, England, Germany, France, Iran and Greece. Oğur, who met with audiences from different cultures with these stage experiences, was deemed worthy of prestigious awards such as SİYAD, Golden Orange and Kral Music Award. In 2020, he opened his music school in Bodrum and started to guide future musicians.

Erkan Oğur, who left deep traces in Turkish music history in both traditional and modern fields, is remembered as both an instrumental virtuoso and an inspiring teacher.