İlham Gencer

Turkish musician (1925–2023)

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Bozkurt İlham Gencer
Gencer in 2012
Born	İlham Osman Gencer (1921-08-30)30 August 1921 Istanbul, Turkey
Died	24 May 2023(2023-05-24) (aged 101) Bodrum, Muğla, Turkey
Occupation	Musician

Bozkurt İlham Osman Gencer (30 August 1921 – 24 May 2023) was a Turkish jazz pianist, singer and composer.

Life and career

A child prodigy, İlham started playing piano as a child under the guidance of his mother, and never received any formal musical training.^[1] He held his first concert and made his first composition İlham Vals when he was 5 years old.^[1] He started his professional career in 1944, and between 1949 and 1963 he hosted several musical programs on Radio Istanbul [tr].^[1]

In 1960 İlham opened a popular night club in the Istanbul district of Şişli, the Çatı Club, where he contributed to launch the careers of several singers and musicians.^[1]^[2] His 1961 song "Bak Bir Varmış Bir Yokmuş", a cover of Bob Azzam's "C'est écrit dans le Ciel", is regarded as the first pop song recorded in Turkish language.^[1]

In 2018, he was the subject of a biography, Bozkurt İlhami Gencer'le Sanat ve Siyaset Bir Bir Birada ("Art and politics at the same time with Bozkurt İlhami Gencer") written by Sami Coşkun.^[1]

Personal life

Between 1953 and 1960 İlham was married to singer Ayten Alpman, with whom he had two children.^[1] He later remarried to a woman named Necla, with whom he had a son, Bora, who is also a musician.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h "İlham Gencer kimdir?". Gazete Duvar (in Turkish). 24 May 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2023.
^ Hacıoğlu, Uğur Hakan (27 May 2023). "Müzikal Tarihin Tanığının Buruk Vedası - İlham Gencer". CNN Türk (in Turkish). Retrieved 18 June 2023.