Erkin Koray has been in the Turkish rock music scene since the early 1960s. By the late 1960s, he was already a major figure in Turkish psychedelic music, beginning with his first psychedelic single Anma Arkadaş in 1967. In the early 1970s, he formed the group Ter with the former members of Grup Bunalim. Although they only recorded one single before breaking up, Hor Görme Garibi (a cover of the major arabesk hit by Orhan Gencebay) was a smash hit, furthering Koray's career.

In 1974, Erkin Koray released what is probably his best-known and best-selling single, Şaşkın. Set to a traditional Egyptian tune, the single proved Koray to be an ingenious musician and arranger.

Other major hits by Koray include Fesuphanallah and Istemem.

See also:

• List of Turkish pop music performers and genres
• Turkish music