Antonis Katinaris

Antonis Katinaris ( Greek Αντώνης Κατινάρης , * 1931 in Chania on Crete; † October 28, 1999 in Athens ) was a Greek musician. Alongside Akis Panou (Άκης Πάνου), he is one of the more original composers of Greek folk music and songwriting scene.

biography

As a virtuoso bouzouki player , he was already able to make a living from his art at the age of 16 , as the bouzouki was still frowned upon as a “working class instrument” but was no longer criminalized, as was the case with Markos Vamvakaris in his youth .

In the course of his work he met his wife Maria Rippi , who comes from a family of musicians in Athens known at the time. In Greece, then as now, it was common for Athenian artists to earn extra income in the provinces outside of the main season in which they perform in the capital. During these guest appearances, Katinaris came into contact with the top musicians of the time, the singers Rita Sakellariou and Keti Gray , as well as musicians such as Georgios Tsimpidis and Loukas Daralas (the father of Giorgos Dalaras ).

In the sixties of the twentieth century, the talented bouzouki player was lured to Athens. In addition to his appearances in music halls, he quickly had a contract as a studio musician. First with RCA Victor, shortly afterwards with Columbia Records, the then leading music label in Greece . He was also in demand as a bouzouki soloist in Greek films, which were always associated with music .

His breakthrough as a composer came in 1966 with the song "Ti na sou kanei mia Kardia" (Greek Τι να σου κάνει μια καρδιά), which was sung by Grigoris Bithikotsis (Columbia, SCDG-3612). The lyrics come from the "Grande Dame" of the Greek folk song Eftyhia Papajannopoulou , (Greek Ευτυχία Παπαγιαννοπούλου). This song is considered a prime example of the rapprochement between Greek folk music and the songwriting scene and is therefore still played as an evergreen today.

Antonios Katinaris remained loyal to his record label Columbia until 1975, while other artists of his time had already separated from the once leading music publisher. After a brief stint at the Polyphone record label , Katinaris founded his own record label Relans , but was not commercially successful. As a result of the bankruptcy of his record label, Antonios Katinaris lived withdrawn from the music scene in a suburb of Athens. Antonios Katinaris died of cancer on October 28, 1999, the Greek national holiday, in Athens.

He left behind his wife and three daughters, one of whom, Maria Katinari , is a sought-after rebetiko interpreter after an early career as an actress and rock musician . She is considered a worthy successor to her father in the national music scene in Greece.

His songs mainly describe the feelings, needs and fears of ordinary people without going into political issues. They are not to be seen as shallow hits , but rather as a continuation of the Rembetiko .

As an apolitical artist of his time, he was overshadowed by politically motivated composers such as Mikis Theodorakis and Stavros Xarchakos . Nevertheless, his compositions have shaped modern Greek music.

Albums (selection)

12 Fylla tis Kardias, (Greek 12 Φύλλα της Καρδιάς), Columbia, 1971
Palia Merakia, (Greek Παλιά Μεράκια), Columbia, 1973
Baglamades, (Greek Μπαγλαμάδες), Columbia, 1973
Asta na pane, (Greek Αστα Να Πάνε), Columbia, 1974
Neotera ki Anotera, (Greek Νεώτερα κι Ανώτερα), Columbia, 1974
Synanastrofes, (Greek Συναναστροφές), Columbia, 1974
Aytapates, (Greek Αυταπάτες), Columbia, 1975
Bouzozkokelaidismata, (Greek Μπουζουκοκελαϊδίσματα), Polyphone 1978
Akou ti tha po, (Greek Άκου Τι Θα Πω), Relans, 1982
12 Epityxies (Greek 12 Επιτυχίες), Relans, 1982
Laiko Palko (Greek Λαϊκό Πάλκο), Polyphone, 1987
Gia sas ta dialeksa, (Greek Για σας Τα Διάλεξα) WEA, 1994

Web links

personal data
SURNAME	Katinaris, Antonis
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Αντώνης Κατινάρης
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Greek composer and musician
DATE OF BIRTH	1931
PLACE OF BIRTH	Chania
DATE OF DEATH	October 28, 1999
Place of death	Athens