İLETİŞİM
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Ana Sayfa Biyografi Diskografi Galeri Bir Ömür Haberler İletişim
  BIOGRAPHY BİYOGRAFİ
 

 

My first rendezvous with life was in the afternoon of Saturday, May 2nd, 1942.  I can’t really remember that day, but that first oxygen – that filled me to my very core – was the first miracle of the love and loyalty that I feel toward nature, life and all things – animate and inanimate.

Perhaps the blinding of my eyes by a spring sun, or the warmth of embraces that claimed me, were the initial factors in my becoming a happy person… My childhood passed in music, sports, wit, respect and love.

In my school years, my achievements in literature, music and sports overshadowed my failure in my science classes.  Thus, I sought an opportunity to graduate from various schools…this search, perhaps without my knowing it, spawned for me an opportunity to expand my circle of friends.

My best friend was the soccer ball.  When I began to play for the Galatasaray youth squad in 1955, I was a youth of but 13 years.  From 1957 on, when I was captain of the Galatasaray youth basketball team, the team won championships for five years straight.  Thank God that the injury I sustained in 1961 was to my foot…I’m so thankful that it wasn’t to my head!

In those years, I became the Voice King of Turkey , having entered a voice competition following the playful prodding of a basketball friend of mine, who knew very well that I sang.

My departure in 1963 for university studies in Germany effectively distanced me from my precious involvement in sports.  In my university days, given my height of 1.76m, and my work as a professional singer, I returned to my country and completed my national service, playing soccer and basketball on the Karagücü team (where those doing obligatory military duty were placed in those days) and by singing in the İzmit Officers’ Club.

By 1965, since I could sing in four languages and had a repertoire of 1000 songs, I was ready to surf on the waves of the world’s “Musical Ocean” as a professional singer.  An Ömür Göksel was “born”, who was sought by all the nightclubs of Turkey.

 In 1969, with my song “Mutluluk” , I received my first Gold Record from the hand of Aykut Sporel.  My 1972 work, "Sevemem Artık", followed.  My second Gold Record was enough to make me Singer of the Year, in various magazines, for three years back-to-back.  At night, while I went from work to home, a voice within demanded that I never become spoiled. 

And in 1970, I joined lives with a young woman named Hülyâ Demir who, like me, had played sports for Galatasaray.   The fact that we were from the same soil and had grown up in the same circle of friends – and had learned from the same teachers – meant that our happiness was sealed.  From this union issued my daughter, Serenad, who greeted the world in 1971, and my son, Sonat, in 1973. 

1975 brought me my third Gold Record, for my composition “Yanıyorum".  But in those days, a huge blow was dealt to the recording world by the proliferation of pirated cassettes.  Accordingly, my songs “Ağlıyormuşsun", “Senden Bana Yar Olanda", “Yaşadım mı Öldüm mü Anlayamadım?", "Umurumda mı Dünya?", “İçki sigara", “Eğer Bir Gün Bırakırsan", “Yaş Kalmadı Gözlerimde" , “ Kızım", “Şeytan Diyor ki", “"Ha 3 Gün Önce Ha 5 Gün Sonra" and “Sensiz" brought me no more Gold Records even though they were Number 1 on the charts.

Nevertheless, the people of my country – who loved listening to my songs – gave me the moniker “The Velvet-Voiced Romantic Prince”, the greatest award ever.

The attraction of offers from Hilton Hotels in the USA and Europe, along with the increasing popularity of arabesque music in Turkey , inclined me to continue my music career abroad.  Indeed, I continued my life in music first in Italy , then in America , and later in Germany .

When I returned to my own country in 1997, I encountered a generation of people who were strangers to me, but the mothers and fathers of that generation had met, loved and married to the songs of Ömür Göksel.  With great emotion, they spoke of me to their children.  Now, I had begun to swim in the sea of both love and respect.   

Years passed.  When I was 13, I had joined the Galatasaray Sports Club, today I was member of its Council.  Beginning in September 2000, for three years I commented on sports two days a week in a newspaper, under the heading “Corner”.  My column continued, without interruption, for three full years.  However, because I was unable to set aside any time for myself, I took a break from writing beginning in September 2003.

Having received an offer in the beginning of 2000, I began to present a program, Bir Ömür, on STV.  Seeing that the show was warmly received after having prepared for 13 weeks, I continued on for 73 weeks total.  I took a break in April 2002 and, if I can find the time,   I’ll continue on with the program Bir Ömür and thus again embrace those who love me.

In the summers of 2002, 2003 and 2004, while performing in the 5-star hotels of my country’s tourism capital, Antalya , I promoted my country by singing to 180,000 tourists in their own languages and in Turkish, forging warm bonds with them.

I was elected Member of Parliament by the 600,000 voter electorate of Kadıköy ( Istanbul ) in the elections of March 28, 2004.  It was in this district that I had been born and raised and, as of April 14, 2004, I had attained the honor of chairmanship of both the Education and Culture and Youth and Sports commissions.

In every respect, I felt it incumbent upon me to serve my country.  For five years back to back, carnivals organized by me – in particular the Kadıköy Carnivals – with their celebrations at the Kalamış Marina and along Bağdat Avenue , captivated the people of Istanbul .  As chairman of the Education and Culture Commission, with the assistance of the Kadıköy Municipality, I organized monthly concerts throughout 2006, collectively called “Winds of Nostalgia”, that featured Turkish artists who had distinguished themselves in the field of Turkish Light Western (Pop) Music; thus I brought together these esteemed artists and our populace.  It was good to see the interest shown by art lovers to these great artists, who – over these last years – are no longer mentioned in the written and visual media.

Two albums of mine produced in 2005 by Seyhan Music, “Bir Ömür" and “Meydan Okuyorum Yıllara", took their places on the shelves of music shops.  In March 2006, I presented my album, “A Touch of Quality” (Doğan Music), to my fans for their listening pleasure.  It was so well received that for months it remained at the very top of the charts for foreign-language albums; soon it achieved “Best Seller” status.

 After an interval of 28 years, I was again Number 1 on the Turkish music charts, and with a completely English-language album.  This was a success that few would attain in life, especially after so many years.  After “A Touch of Quality” broke sales records due to the warm reception by my listeners and fans, Doğan Music Company proposed that I put out a double-CD album, entitled “A Touch of Love”, comprising 24 of the world’s best-loved songs.

In November 2006, as my double-CD "A Touch of Love" was finding its way into the archives of music lovers, another record was being broken on the chart of Best Selling Foreign-Language Albums.  Then on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2007, a 50 love-song collection, entitled “Music For Lovers”  became, in my opinion, my most valuable work; this was a 4-CD set, with booklet, that we thought sweethearts would want to give to one another.  Supplies of this album, which we had released in limited quantities for sale only on Valentine’s Day, were exhausted in an extremely short time.

Thus, I enjoyed the honor of becoming the first artist to release three albums in one year.   Accordingly, and in spite of the many pirated productions out there, I owe a debt of gratitude to all of you dear music lovers who embraced my albums and brought me this joy.

An international pool of singers began to produce an album of songs in Spanish, the world’s second most widely spoken language.  In the summer months of 2007, a CD entitled “A TouchH Of Latin”, comprising a collection of the favorite love songs of the Latin world, began to reach your ears and hearts from your cars and stereos.

At the beginning of 2008, I collected my favorite love songs – of composers and lyricists whom I have often applauded in my own country – under the title “Ömürlük Şarkılar".  My goal was to present these excellent songs to you with a different interpretation and to leave a pleasant, resounding voice in the firmament.

And in 2009, for your listening pleasure, I proffered the album "Aramızda Kalsın" (Let's Keep It Between Us), comprising mainly my own compositions, with the hope that it would indeed remain between lovers of quality music and myself.

I am now careful to be selective with regard to television appearances.  The fact that I am still a much-sought-after name at special events, top-notch private clubs, and occasionally at jazz clubs and 5-star hotels, brings me great pleasure.

At the root of my life philosophy lie three key verbs:  to love, to think, and to laugh.  A person who can think also laughs and loves.   I live my emotions at the summit; even in the ugliest things I seek beauty and, in my opinion, there is no darkness that love cannot illumine.  I believe that the worst decision is better than indecision.  I have never become acquainted with rancor and hatred.  My portfolio of friends bulges.  “It is unknown where or when life will end.  Therefore, without offending anyone, I wish a life full of smiles to all who love.  Forget not that a smile costs nothing!”

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