Demis Roussos

Demis Roussos in Baku (2013)

Chart positions Explanation of the data

Albums

Forever and Ever   DE 1 06/15/1973 (52 weeks)   AT 2 10/15/1973 (32 weeks)   UK 2  platinum 06/22/1974 (68 weeks) Souvenirs   UK 25th  gold April 19, 1975 (18 weeks) Happy to Be   UK 4th  gold 04/24/1976 (34 weeks) The night and the wine   DE 34 04/15/1976 (16 weeks) My Only Fascination   UK 39  gold 07/03/1976 (6 weeks) The Magic of Demis Roussos   UK 29  silver 04/16/1977 (6 weeks) Kyrila - island of dreams   DE 36 02/15/1977 (12 weeks) Life and Love   UK 29  silver 10/28/1978 (11 weeks) Island of tenderness   DE 2  gold March 24, 1980 (15 weeks)   AT 1 05/01/1980 (26 weeks) His greatest successes   AT 20th 04/26/1992 (12 weeks) Forever and Ever - Definitive Collection   UK 17th 03/16/2002 (4 weeks)

Singles

We Shall Dance   DE 29 11/08/1971 (6 weeks) Goodbye My Love Goodbye   DE 1  gold 04/02/1973 (39 weeks)   AT 2 07/15/1973 (32 weeks)   CH 1 05/29/1973 (22 weeks) Forever and Ever   DE 26th 05/07/1973 (9 weeks)   AT 4th 09/15/1973 (20 weeks) My friend the wind   DE 7th 09/24/1973 (15 weeks)   AT 15th November 15, 1973 (8 weeks) Beautiful girl from Arcadia   DE 6th October 29, 1973 (22 weeks)   AT 7th January 15, 1974 (16 weeks)   CH 2 11/28/1973 (14 weeks) Someday Somewhere   AT 18th 04/15/1974 (4 weeks) Manuela   DE 42 December 9, 1974 (1 week) As beautiful as Mona Lisa   DE 6th March 17, 1975 (26 weeks) Vagabond of love   DE 22nd 09/08/1975 (10 weeks) Happy to Be on an Island in the Sun   UK 5  silver 11/22/1975 (10 weeks) Can't Say How Much I Love You   UK 35 02/28/1976 (5 weeks) The bouzouki, the night and the wine   DE 43 March 22, 1976 (7 weeks) The Roussos Phenomenon   UK 1  silver 06/26/1976 (12 weeks) When Forever Has Gone   UK 2  silver 10/02/1976 (10 weeks) Kyrila   DE 40 January 31, 1977 (5 weeks)   UK 33 06/18/1977 (3 weeks) Because   UK 39 03/19/1977 (4 weeks)

Demis Roussos (bourgeois Artemios Ventouris Roussos , Greek Αρτέμιος Βεντούρης Ρούσσος ; born June 15, 1946 in Alexandria , Egypt ; † January 25, 2015 in Athens , Greece ) was an internationally known Greek singer, who in the 1970s also performed German-language songs had great success.

Life

Demis Roussos came from a Greek family who had lived in Egypt since the 1920s. He was born there and spent his childhood in Alexandria. As a result of the Suez crisis , the family returned to Greece in 1961. Demis received musical training in Athens and was a member of various groups (The Idols, We Five). In 1968 he founded the group Aphrodite's Child with Vangelis, which was successful with its "Greek sound" first in France and then in Germany. One of the highlights of the joint work with Vangelis that has been noticed to this day is the concept album 666 , which is based on biblical revelation . Roussos made his first solo recordings in the early 1970s. While the first solo album Fire and Ice was rather uncommercial - and subsequently largely unknown to this day - he was able to record a number one hit in Germany in 1973 with the hit song Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye, recorded in several languages , and his international breakthrough celebrate as a solo singer. The song is now considered an evergreen of German hits and was later re-recorded by other artists. Further solo albums in English followed at annual intervals, which were recorded in the 1970s together with mainly Greek and French artists - such as Lukas Sideras and friends from the time of Aphrodite's Child - and are based on the successful Greek sound. More demanding recordings (attitudes) with other musician and production teams follow later .

Roussos regularly used songs by Aphrodite's Child (Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall, Rain and Tears) both in his live performances and in new musical productions of earlier hits .

At the same time, Roussos recorded other German-language titles that made him a hit star of the 1970s, to which his characteristic voice, but also his external appearance (long-haired and black-bearded) contributed. This resulted in a close collaboration with Klaus Munro , Ralf Arnie and Leo Leandros (father and producer of Vicky Leandros ).

He became internationally known through his recordings in up to seven different languages. His single Forever and Ever hit the charts in various countries in 1973.

From 1976 there was renewed collaboration with Vangelis. He wrote and produced some songs on the Magic album from 1977. This album marked the starting point for singing in languages ​​other than German and English. For example, the song Because was recorded in Spanish (Morir a lado de mi amor) and French (Mourir auprès de mon amour) .

In the late 1970s, Roussos weighed almost 150 kg and began to worry about his weight. After several attempts he succeeded in losing 50 kg within ten months, about which he published a book in 1982 under the title A Question of Weight .

In the 1980s he only appeared under his first name “Demis”. Vangelis also produced, composed and arranged two other albums during this time. Roussos also lent his voice to a title from the film Blade Runner , the soundtrack of which is composed by Vangelis. In 1989 he recorded the single Young Love , a duet with Drafi Deutscher . This title was able to place itself very well in the ZDF hit parade . In France in particular, Roussos had considerable success in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

In 1985, he was on TWA Flight 847 from Athens to Rome when it was kidnapped by members of Hezbollah . Roussos, along with seven other hostages of Greek nationality, was released five days after the Greek government released a member of Hezbollah from prison. Rumors that Roussos should have sung for the kidnappers, he later denied decidedly.

His more recent titles were a mix of folklore and electronic music . In spring 2002 he completed a successful tour in England. In 2008 Roussos celebrated its 40th stage anniversary.

Demis Roussos died on January 25, 2015 at the age of 68 in Athens. He was buried in the First Athens Cemetery.

In June 2016 the International Demis Roussos Museum opened in Nijkerk , Netherlands.

Discography

Albums

• Fire and Ice 1971 (UK:silver)
• On the Greek Side of My Mind 1971
• Forever and Ever 1973
• Goodbye 1974
• My Only Fascination 1974
• Χριστουγεννιάτικα Τραγούδια Με Τους ... (with Nana Mouskouri , The Platters , Elpida , Robert Williams , Βίκυ , Μπέσσυ and Κώστας Τουρνάς) 1974
• Souvenirs 1975
• Happy to Be ... 1976
• The Demis Roussos Magic
• Kyrila - Island of Dreams 1976
• The bouzouki, the night and the wine 1976
• Ainsi soit-il 1977
• La Bible (Family of Love avec Jeane Manson et Demis Roussos) 1977
• Demis Roussos 1978
• We Five Featuring Demis Roussos (We Five feat. Demis Roussos)
• Universe 1979
• Universe - Cantado en español 1979
• Man of the World 1979
• Attitudes 1982
• Demis 1982
• Attitudes 1983
• Reflection 1984
• Senza tempo 1985
• Greater Love 1986
• Roussos Live! Demis Roussos in Concert 1986
• Glory - The Christmas Album 1987
• Time 1988
• Le grec 1988
• Voice and Vision 1989
• The Very Best of Demis Roussos 1991
• Too Many Dreams (including a cover version of Cat Stevens' Morning Has Broken ) 1993
• Immortel 1997
• HitStory 2000
• Les inoubliables de Demis Roussos (with new recordings of Aphrodite's Child hits ) 1995
• Adagio 2000
• On my way 2000
• Mp3 Collection, 192kbps 2002
• Christmas with Demis Roussos 2003
• Live in Brazil 2006
• Morning Has Broken 2008
• Demis 2009

Singles

• No Way Out 1971
• Fire and Ice 1971
• We Shall Dance 1971
• No Way Out 1972
• Velvet Mornings 1972
• Forever and Ever 1973
• My Friend the Wind 1973
• Goodbye, My Love, Goodbye 1973
• My Reason 1973
• My Friend the Wind 1973
• Someday, Somewhere 1973
• When I'm a Kid 1973
• Le peintre des étoiles 1973
• Ντρίνκι Ντρίνκι Μάνα Μου 1973
• The way you are in 1973
• Le jeune fabre (Bande Originale du Feuilleton Télévisé) (with Stelios Vlavianos)
• Lovely Lady of Arcadia 1973
• Beautiful girl from Arcadia 1973
• With You 1974
• Мечта
• When Forever Has Gone 1974
• My Only Fascination 1974
• Goodbye 1974
• I will miss your love 1974
• Manuela 1974
• From souvenirs to souvenirs
• Perdoname 1975
• Midnight Is the Time I Need You 1975
• So Dreamy 1975
• White Wings 1975
• Sing an Ode to Love 1975
• As beautiful as Mona Lisa in 1975
• Vagabond of Love 1975
• Happy to be on an Island in the Sun 1975
• Maybe Someday 1976
• Excerpts from "The Roussos Phenomenon" 1976
• Can't Say How Much I Love You 1976
• Never Say Good-Bye Again 1976
• Far Away 1976
• The Nights of Athens 1976
• The bouzouki, the night and the wine 1976
• Come to the Garden of a Thousand Melodies 1976
• When Forever Has Gone 1976
• Kyrila 1976
• Ainsi soit-il 1977
• Because 1977
• Mourir auprès de mon amour (Because) 1977
• Profeta non sarò (Because) 1977
• Você, você e nada mais 1977
• I'm Gonna Fall in Love 1977
• Hot Summer Night 1977
• I should have married you in 1977
• Once in a Lifetime 1978
• Life in the City 1978
• LOVE Got a Hold of Me 1978
• Loin des yeux loin du coeur 1978
• Esta canción 1978
• Children All Over The World 1979
• Chantez enfants du monde 1979
• Longtemps je t'aimerai 1979
• Un mundo de hombres niños (Chantez enfants du monde) 1979
• Il tocco dell'amore 1979
• Dolce veleno 1979
• Lost in Love 1980
• Canción de boda (The Wedding Song) 1980
• I need you 1980
• Credo (I Need You) 1980
• Race to the End 1981
• Demis Roussos 1981 (EP)
• Si j'étais roi de la terre 1981
• Lament 1982
• Follow Me 1982
• Island of Love 1985
• Anytime at All 1985
• Summerwine (Nancy Boyd with Special Guest Demis Roussos) 1986
• Summer in Her Eyes 1986
• Quand je t'aime 1987
• Rain and Tears 1987
• My Friend the Wind (Live) 1987
• Time 1988
• Le grec 1988
• My Song of Love 1988
• Young Love (with Drafi Deutscher ) 1989
• Magdalena 1989
• Dance of Love 1989
• Mamy Blue 1989
• Graffiti 1989
• On écrit sur les murs 1989
• Tous les "Je vous Aime" 1993
• Morning Has Broken 1993
• Mon amour (with Anny Schilder) 1995
• On My Own (with Rob de Nijs) 1995
• Dinata 1997
• Love Is 2009

Awards for music sales

Golden record  Finland 1974: for the album Forever and Ever 1974: for the album My Only Fascination  France 1973: for the single Goodbye My Love, Goodbye 1974: for the album Forever and Ever 1975: for the album My Only Fascination 1976: for the album Souvenirs 1977: for the single Mourir Auprès De Mon Amour 1977: for the album The Magic of Demis Roussos 1977: for the album We Shall Dance 1979: for the album Les Grands Succès 1979: for the album Universum 1980: for the album For Ever 1988: for the single Quand Je T'aime 1988: for the album Le Grec (Best Of) 1990: for the single On Ecrit Sur Les Murs 1990: for the album Voice And Vision 1993: for the album Chante Noel  Netherlands 1988: for the album The Story of  Spain 2000: for the album Los Paraisos Desiertos

Platinum record  France 1982: for the album Ainsi Soit-Il  Spain 1980: for the album Universum

Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.

Country / Region	silver	gold	platinum	Sales	swell
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources)
Germany (BVMI)	-	2 × gold2	-	750,000	musikindustrie.de individual records
Finland (IFPI)	-	2 × gold2	-	30,000	ifpi.fi
France (SNEP)	-	15 × gold15th	platinum1	3,250,000	infodisc.fr snepmusique.com
Netherlands (NVPI)	-	gold1	-	50,000	nvpi.nl
Spain (Promusicae)	-	gold1	platinum1	150,000	Sólo éxitos: año año, 1959-2002
United Kingdom (BPI)	6 × silver6th	3 × gold3	platinum1	1,530,000	bpi.co.uk
All in all	6 × silver6th	24 × gold24	3 × platinum3

Web links

Commons : Demis Roussos  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Demis Roussos at Discogs (English)
• Sound carrier by Demis Roussos in the catalog of the German National Library
• Demis Roussos in the Internet Movie Database (English)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Günter Ehnert: Hit balance sheet - German chart singles 1956-1980 . 1st edition. Verlag popular music-literature, Norderstedt 2000, ISBN 3-922542-24-7 , p. 446 .
2. ↑ Chart sources: DE, AT, CH, UK
3. ↑ ^{a b} Demis Roussos obituary at The Guardian January 26, 2015, accessed January 27, 2015
4. ↑ Demis Roussos, Greek singer of Forever and Ever, dies aged 68 in The Guardian January 26, 2015, accessed January 27, 2015.
5. ↑ Aphrodite's Child: Demis Roussos is dead. Spiegel Online, January 26, 2015.
6. ↑ knerger.de: The grave of Demis Roussos