Fedon

Fedon — Biography

Fedon, whose full name is Fedon Kalyoncu, was born on 19 August 1946 in Istanbul to a Greek father and an Armenian mother; he is the nephew of Yeşilçam film actor Nubar Terziyan and the grandson of Kleanti Kalyoncu, who died at Gallipoli. He left his studies at the Zografeion Greek high school unfinished and worked various jobs in the film industry between 1962 and 1972, before opening the Zorba Taverna in Istanbul in 1987. He turned to singing in 1991, releasing his debut album Senin İçin the same year, and became the first person to sing in Greek on state broadcaster TRT; with a repertoire spanning Greek and Turkish, he is regarded as one of Turkey's pioneers of rebetiko-rooted tavern music. His other albums include Aşığınım, Nerdesin? and Bir Kadın Var - Bi Tanem. He received the Abdi İpekçi Peace and Friendship Award in 2000. He and his wife, Eda Kalyoncu, have a daughter, Natali, and a son, Theo. Still performing in his eighties, he continues opening summer seasons in Bodrum and appearing at his Istanbul taverna.