Born in 1952 of Turkish Rom (Gypsy) ancestry, in 1974 he founded the group Trakiya, quickly emerging as the unrivaled king of wedding music ("Stambolovo"), the most popular Bulgarian style; Papasov's distinctive sound -- an improvisational, energetic aesthetic heavily influenced by diverse sources including traditional folk, film scores and cartoon music -- found its most fervent following among younger listeners, the attraction undoubtedly the music's similarities to the kinetic spirit of Western rock. Papasov's success did not come without a price, however, and in 1982 he was imprisoned on charges of spreading anti-Communist propaganda; after three weeks of incarceration he was scheduled to be sent to a labor camp, finally earning a last-minute reprieve. In Bulgaria's new democratic society of the '90s, his music thrived, with long-awaited official recordings seeing the light of day not only at home, but also in the U.S. ~ Jason Ankeny