One day in 2018, I came across one of Tarkan's Instagram pictures. In the photo, you see Tarkan's bright smiling face as he lovingly embraces an older Black man with the caption: Wayne Heights Gittens (see full caption and translation in the slider below). I wondered who Gittens was - how did he come to hold such a revered place in Tarkan's life? After a bit of digging, I began to realize that Gittens was a titan in his field and, perhaps, an unsung legend.

The Barbados-born Gittens found an early passion for music in 1969 with the Boy Scouts/Gymnasium Musik Project - his first contact with music around the campfire. He had no training in music & no interest in classics. In his own words, he couldn't read notes but he could groove! In 1973, he formed his own band, Aquarius. He found work as a waiter for about 90 days, then traded this job to play with a band for guests. He thought, "Ok, I can make a living from this!" and it was his first time taking interest in music tech.

In 1978, he toured with Rhapsody & made his way to Germany. He worked as a Bassist and Hobby technician. At this time, reggae/soca music were spreading through Europe & he grew increasingly attracted to the technical aspects of music. He was a firm believer in learning by doing. He would go on to live in Germany for over 32 years and in the industry for over 35 years, working with stars such as Scorpions, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Herbert Grönemeyer, Xavier Naidoo, and Söhne Mannheims through his "Heights Ton & Technik" project.

In 2006, Gittens moved to Turkey to work with Tarkan as his music engineer and he continued his work, this time with the nickname "Ali Baba." He would work with legends such as Ajda Pekkan, Yalın, Teoman, maNga, Nil Karaibrahimgil, İlhan Erşahin, Sertab Erener and FOURinthePOCKET. At some point, Gittens left the music industry to began cancer treatment. In January 2018, Sertab Erener, Nil Karaibrahimgil, Yalın, Manga, Moğollar and Teoman participated in a benefit concert for Gittens, which Tarkan watched live with him from the hospital. By then he had worked 10 years in the Turkish music industry. Sadly, Gittens would pass three months later. His funeral was held at Şişli Latin Katolik Mezarlığı and was attended by daughter Yvette Gittens and family, many friends, and Tarkan.