Yalçın Ateş, born in Istanbul in 1938, enrolled in the Beylerbeyi Naval NCO High School after completing his primary education. He took alto saxophone lessons from Ekrem Güney and, after graduating in 1957, began his career as a naval petty officer. While serving in the navy, he also performed as a musician at various events in Istanbul, mastering wind instruments.

In 1960, he left his position in the navy and joined the İbrahim Solmaz Orchestra, with which he performed in various cities across Europe for eight years. After returning to Türkiye in 1968, he founded the Yalçın Ateş 6 Orchestra with Atilla Aksel on piano, Melih Çetiner on drums, Norayr Demirci on bass guitar, Teoman Erzurumlu on guitar, and Cantekin on vocals. The group performed jazz standards and shared the stage with some of Türkiye’s most prominent artists. He collaborated with renowned names such as Ajda Pekkan, Alpay, Gönül Akkor, and Erkin Koray.

He was among the pioneers of instrumental records in Türkiye. Throughout his career, he released 44 singles and three LPs.

In 1978, he joined the Istanbul Gelişim Orchestra and later became a member of the TRT Light Music and Jazz Orchestra in 1982. He played with the orchestra until 2003 when he retired and moved to Bodrum.