İzzet Altınmeşe

İzzet Altınmeşe was born on October 26, 1945 in Diyarbakır to a family of Zaza origin. Before he was five months old, his family migrated from Diyarbakır to Adana due to financial difficulties; After working as a barber here for a while, he decided to focus on music. In 1963, he started taking Turkish folk music, note and singing lessons at Adana Public Education Center and started stage work in the same year; Two years later, in 1965, he recorded his first record.

After completing his military service between 1966 and 1968, he worked on folk music in Adana for two more years.

Altınmeşe, who settled in Ankara in 1970, became known throughout the country in 1972 with the folk song he wrote and composed, "Biraz da Bana Gül Kader". He gained momentum in his music career by passing the Ankara Radio Artist Examination in 1976, and during this period he carried out joint projects with leading names of folk music such as Nida Tüfekçi, Muhlis Akarsu, Coşkun Güla, İhsan Öztürk and Musa Eroğlu.

The work he compiled in 1977, titled "Maden Dağı", was the turning point in his reaching a wide audience; A year later, the folk song "Esmerim" became a big hit.

Altınmeşe created a wide repertoire with approximately one hundred works composed and composed by himself. He took an active part in the music market with various albums and singles since the 1970s; Especially between 1975 and 1978, albums such as "İzzet Altınmeşe", "Maden Dağı" and "Esmer" attracted great attention.

He also stepped into the world of cinema and starred in seven films; One of his best-known characters was Alemdar Ağa, whom he played in the TV series "Eşref Saati". In 2021, he appeared on the screen as a guest actor in the 40th episode of the TV series "Gönül Dağı".

The artist, who married Müzeyyen Altunmeşe in 1971, has three children from this marriage: Fatoş, AliMurat (1979‑2021) and Fırat. Family life continues in parallel with his musical adventure and shapes the artist's personal side.

When İzzet Altınmeşe was only 5 months old, his family migrated from Diyarbakır to Adana for economic reasons. He worked as a barber here for a while. Later, he left barbering and turned to folk songs. In 1963, he started taking Turkish folk music, note and singing lessons at Adana Public Education Center and doing stage work. He made his first record in 1965.

He did his military service between 1966-1968. After his military service, he continued his folk music studies in Adana for 2 years. He settled in Ankara in 1970. In 1972, he became known throughout Türkiye with his composition "Biraz Da Bana Gül Kader", whose lyrics and music belonged to him. He passed the Ankara Radio Artist Exam in 1976.

During this period, he continued his studies with masters of Turkish folk music such as Nida Tüfekçi, Muhlis Akarsu, Coşkun Güla, İhsan Öztürk and Musa Eroğlu. The folk song he compiled himself in 1977, "Maden Dağı", was the beginning of his current fame. In 1978, the folk song "Esmerim" became the hit song of the year.

İzzet Altınmeşe has around 100 compilations, songs whose lyrics and music belong to him. He has appeared in seven movies. He played the character of Alemdar Ağa in the TV series Eşref Saati.

Productions in which he took part

• Mount Heart (2020)
• Kral Türkiye Music Awards (1995) — Nominee
• I Fell into a Dead End (1986)
• Eşref Saati (2007) — Alemdar Ağa
• I Am Prisoner of My Love (1988)
• Friends, I Send You Greetings (1986) — İzzet
• Friendly Wound (1984) — İzzet
• Dertli Pınar (1979) — Kemal
• Nazey (1979) — Ali
• Maden Mountain (1979) — İzzet

Production and imprint information was taken from TMDB.