He was born in Minarekaya village of Kangal/Sivas, which was one of the most significant places for Anatolian ozan/aşık tradition. He completed his elementary and secondary education in his village. He discovered the rich history of the geography in which he lived. He participated in cem rituals/ceremonies. He did his military service in Malatya. From 1970s onwards, he lived in Istanbul. He married to Leyla Akarsu in 1972, and he had three daughters named as Pınar, Çınar and Damla. As a consequence of the ongoing political happenings, he started to be interested in leftist movements. During the first years of his career, he was impressed by a number of famous ozans like Davut Sulari, Mahzuni Şerif, Feyzullah Çınar, Daimi. Such a kind of impression was particularly seen while he was singing. Due to his collegiality, he made records with Mahzuni Şerif, Arif Sağ, Ali Ekber Çiçek, Mehmet Erenler, Musa Eroğlu, Yavuz Top, Aşık Gülabi, Ali Kızıltuğ. He also participated in lots of festivals and activities. His folk songs were song by many singers like Cem Karaca and Selda Bağcan. He hosted a program in TRT Ankara Radio as well. He compiled a great many compositions for TRT. He was one of the most prolific names of his period since he had more than three hundred poems and compositions. He founded a recording company called as Pınar Recording Company and made records for many singers. He released the first record of Muhabbet Serileri in 1982. In fact, he participated in the six records of Muhabbet Serileri between 1982 and 1988. During these years, he was really prolific and produced a lot. However, during Pir Sultan Abdal Commemoration Ceremony in 2 July 1993, he and his wife were brutally killed as a result of the events caused by religious reactionary groups.
He released nearly 90 albums ten of which were collectively released. In his poems, he focuses on a great many themes like love, nature and compassion. In his poems, he used Akarsu pseudonym. He was especially interested in left-oriented social opposition movements and reflected his interest in his poems. Therefore, his program in TRT was suspended during these years. His concerts were put under a ban, and he was imprisoned. As an outcome of Muhabbet Serileri, he and his fellows were able to get rid of 1980 coup’s impacts upon Alevi-Bektaşi community. Besides, he contributed to the popularization of short-stemmed baglama by establishing baglama training centers. There are many documentaries, theses, books and commemoration concerts organized on his behalf, and he will continue to live in our struggle!