Good cowboys find each other wherever they are

There are some lives that simply cannot be contained in a single word, cannot be contained in musical notes, and certainly cannot be contained in archives…

Yet, we still want them to fit into a book.

"Yalnız Kovboy," written by İzzeddin Çalışlar and detailing the life of Y. Dağhan Baydur, is exactly such a memoir. It doesn't fit into archives, notes, or words, but it is incredibly valuable to have it told in a book. Just like those first discovered musical notes…

For Baydur's life is not just a history of music to be listened to with the heart; it is an epic of struggle written with hard work.

The shadow of the Beatles falls on one side of this book, and the harmony of the Galatasaray stands on the other… On one side are the stories of London studios, and on the other, the traces of the fight for copyright in Turkey…

In the middle of all this adventure is Y. Dağhan Baydur.

He is a musician, an intellectual, a stubborn defender of rights, and a "loner" who knows how to make fun of himself.

In "Yalnız Kovboy," we follow the story not just of one person, but of a generation, a struggle, and a conscience that refuses to be silenced…

It would not be wrong to say, "We are opening a black box left in the memory of music."

"Yalnız Kovboy" has met its readers through Doğan Kitap. This book, which gifts a very valuable memoir to music history, takes its reader on a musical and humorous journey alongside some very special names.

Baydur is connected to music not only with a lonely passion but also with a struggle.

He dedicated half a century of his life to establishing copyright awareness in our country. And he became a source of inspiration not only for artists but also for professional unions and legal experts.

So, who is this "Lone Cowboy"?

When defining Y. Dağhan Baydur, I could choose the words "a unique musical genius, economist, athlete, artist, composer, performer, producer, director, musical actor, former member of the Galatasaray Divan Board, author, and our country's advocate for copyright."

Titles limit a person…

However, when you read the book, you will see that he is all of these and more.

Regarding John Lennon, whom he loved dearly and referred to as the secret brother his mother hid from him, he says, "The first trait I noticed we had in common was that he always took his work very seriously, but never took himself seriously." Choosing Lennon as a brother in those years is proof of his own distinctiveness…

In that case, we need to listen to this special soul carefully…

Lawyer and author Başak Akgün Akil reviewed the book Yalnız Kovboy, written by İzzeddin Çalışlar.

Born in Istanbul in 1949, Baydur's interest in music began with piano lessons he took at the age of 5 and the concerts of the Istanbul City Orchestra (today's IDSO) in Taksim Garden, which he attended with his family on weekends.

He gave concerts with the band "The Young Beatles," which he formed in 1963 at Galatasaray High School, where he studied from primary school onwards.

He did not give up his passion for music while studying economics during his university years.

In 1967, he worked as a DJ and manager at "Club 33," Turkey's first discotheque.

At the same time, he played basketball professionally.

We said he was versatile, didn't we…

After university, he composed advertising music and worked as a director at İstanbul Reklam and Manajans. In 1978, with his first composition "Sevince," for which the lyrics were written by the master of Turkish literature Hulki Aktunç, he won the Turkish Eurovision selection, where 900 professional works competed, and represented Turkey with the group Grup Nazar.

When the date reached 1979, he moved to England and founded Muzikotek, a music publishing company.

The date he crowned his love with marriage was 1980… He married Christine Billington.

He made a name for himself in the international music world with his compositions introducing Turkish music and his arrangements of anonymous works. In fact, his works were used in Hollywood films, and when we think about it today, the value of this achievement is impossible to describe.

Baydur later moved Muzikotek to Istanbul. Muzikotek is the first music publishing company in Turkey.

It is the pioneer of protecting the rights of Turkish composers and licensing original musical works abroad…

In short; it was the first step toward establishing the infrastructure of the music industry in Turkey and settling copyright laws…

Baydur, who served on the Board of Directors of MESAM, subsequently founded MSG, Turkey's second professional union for music work owners, and served as its president until 2003.

In 1999, he released the album "Beatles Alaturka" with the group "D.E.F. Orchestra," which also included Fuat Güner and Erdal Kızılçay, whom we know from MFÖ.

He gave concerts in Istanbul and Liverpool—that is, in the birthplace of the Beatles.

Did you know that a thank-you letter was sent to him by Queen Elizabeth II of England?

Baydur's "firsts" are endless; the unforgettable theme music of Ali Kırca's cult program "Siyaset Meydanı" belongs to him.

He is also the one who signed Galatasaray's first official album and unforgettable official anthem…

Baydur is also the architect of the anthem that still makes stadiums roar with "Re! Ree! Reee! Ra! Raa! Raaa! Gassaraay Gaassaraay Cimbomboom!"…

Our "Lone Cowboy" is also the musical big brother of Galatasaray!

It is not easy to tell the story of a life dedicated to music. However, "Yalnız Kovboy," flowing from the simple, meticulous, and humorous pen of İzzeddin Çalışlar, is a reference book for understanding Baydur…

While reading the book, I always thought: "Baydur, why are you a 'Lone Cowboy'?

No matter how great our struggle and belief may be, there are moments when we all feel lonely on our path from time to time. The point is not to see loneliness as an enemy, but to accept it as part of the struggle, not to turn back from the path, not to become an enemy, and to be able to smile at the past.

Reading this book on a day when I felt exactly like that did me a lot of good.

Y. Dağhan Baydur, one of the most powerful figures in our country in the field of copyright, from whom many in the sector have drawn inspiration, was revealing human loneliness with all his honesty and, as always, with the power of his humor.

It was possible to write this book as a book of heroism, but Çalışlar, just like playing the piano keys with mastery, chose to leave a musical memoir to Turkish music history by conveying the life of his big brother from Galatasaray, Baydur, with all its ups and downs.

Who knows, perhaps this book was the way for the "Cowboy Who Is Never Alone" to say to his reader, "Never give up on your struggle, on what you know to be right. If you feel lonely, I am here."

As he stated in his book:

"Good cowboys find each other wherever they are."

See you there…

News Source: 12punto