Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris,(May 10, 1905 in Ano Chora in Syros - February 8, 1972) (Greek: Μάρκος Βαμβακάρης), one of the Greece’s most popular and respected musicians of rebetika, a genre that came to Greece with the refugees of Asia Minor and represented the underground in a manner similar to that of jazz in the USA.
Biography
Markos Vamvakaris was born on May 10, 1905 in Ano Chora in Syros from a Catholic family.
At the age of 12, Vamvakaris left from Syros to Piraeus. He occupied with professions as a stevedore, employee at a pit-coal mine, polisher, paperman, and two others. He learned bouzouki and begin to write music, he printed at a speed and knew one of the organ and with his capabilities.
In 1934, Vamvakaris sold his first rebetiko disc in history, to Na 'Rchosouna Re Magka Mou (Να 'ρχόσουνα ρε μάγκα ). The period shortly before the Second World War his presentations were straightened. Between others in that period, he wrote "Frangosyriani" (Φραγγοσυριανή)
After the liberation, difficult times arrived, since it was one of his most out-of-dates. This lasted until the end of the 1950s, when later from initiatives from Tsitsanis, old and new songs from Vamvakaris were sold, sang from the famous artists including Grigoris Bithikostis, Stratos Dionysou, etc. That's how he won again and he knew as his great physiognomy in rebetiko. Vamvakaris died on February 8, 1972 at the age of 67.
External links
(in Greek)