Belkıs Akkale

Belkıs Akkale — Biography

Born into a family with roots in Malatya, she came into the world in a working-class Istanbul household on 17 May 1954, the child of two tailors. Her voice showed an early aptitude for folk singing, and after primary school she spent seven years taking private lessons in Turkish folk music from Sadi Yaver Ataman, also working for a time alongside musician Adnan Ataman. She first performed on stage in 1974, then spent close to six years at Ankara Radio after being invited by Mustafa Geceyatmaz, before passing an examination in 1980 that brought her onto the state broadcaster's roster. Her 1982 album Dadey made her name, after which she left the broadcaster to work independently, and in 1990 she took up the title of state soloist under the Ministry of Culture. She has since released close to twenty albums and, in the second half of the 1980s, appeared in films including Tırpan, Sultan and Ana Yüreği. She is widely known by the nickname "Türkü Bacı" (folk-song sister).