Stelios Kazantzidis

Stelios Kazantzidis ( Greek Στέλιος Καζαντζίδης , born August 29, 1931 , † September 14, 2001 ) was one of the most popular Greek singers of the 20th century. He mainly sang songs in the style of " Rembetiko " and "Laiko Tragoudi". In his songs he mostly sang about the sufferings, worries, fate, but also the joys and loves of people.

His life

Growing up as the son of a Pontic refugee family in the Athens district of "Nea Ionia", at the age of 14, after the death of his father, he was forced to work in construction and in various factories in order to be able to support his family. He did his military service on the island of Makronissos .

One day, enthusiastic about his voice, his boss gave him a guitar. From then on he spent every free minute playing songs on his guitar and singing. By chance, a music producer walking past Stelios Kazantzidi's house overheard him practicing a song. He immediately signed Kazantzidis. This laid the foundation for a long and successful career.

In 1950 Stelios Kazantzidis played for the first time in an Athens nightclub in the Kifissia Bouzouki district . In July 1952 he recorded his first record "Gia mbanio pao", which was not a success. With his second record "Den thelo to kako sou" he was more successful and became known in Greece. In 1965, Stelios Kazantzidis made his last public appearance in a nightclub and vowed never to return to the scene. In his opinion, the nightclub owners repeatedly betrayed and exploited the artists. During his career, Stelios Kazantzidis became a living legend in Greece .

Musical career

In 1957, Stelios Kazantzidis met the young singer Marinella , who would later become one of the most successful Greek singers. The couple released several albums together and fed the Greek tabloids for decades.
Stelios Kazantzidis worked with famous Greek artists such as Marinella, Mikis Theodorakis and Grigoris Bithikotsis . His songs wrote among others z. B. Manos Loizos .

His greatest successes:

• To agriolouloudo
• Tora pou fevgo ap'tin zoi
• Sto trapezi pou ta pino
• Afti i nyxta menei
• Mandoubala
• Gyrizo ap'tin nyxta
• Stis Fabrikes tis Germanias
• Enas mangas sto Botaniko
• Den tha xanagapiso
• Gyalino's cosmos
• To psomi tis xenitias
• I zoi mou oli
• Einai megalos o kaimos
• To sabbatobrado
• Ti theleis ap'ta neiata mou
• To pelago einai bathy
• Ta kabourakia
• Synnefiasmeni kiriaki
• Yparxo
• I kypros einai elliniki
• Ekso dertia kai Kaymoi