Aris San

Aris San was a Greek-Israeli singer, entertainer and nightclub owner.

San was born Aristotelis Saisanas (Greek Αριστοτέλης Σαϊσάνας) on 19 January 1940 in Kalamata.

Around 1960, he found himself in Israel with nothing but his electric guitar and $10, having followed a girl he was interested in. He drifted to a Greek area of Tel Aviv where he was given work at the "Ariana" tavern/restaurant as a singer. Aris had great success and soon the Ariana became a popular hangout with the younger crowds.

San added Hebrew, Spanish, English and Italian songs to his Greek repertoire and broadened his appeal. Such was his popularity that even government minister and Army General, Moshe Dayan, made his acquaintance. Dayan later granted Aris Israeli citizenship.

San spent part of the Yom Kippur war (1973) at the front entertaining the Israeli troops, many of whom had grown up listening to his music. For his effort, he was nominated for the "Violin of David" prize but did not win it. He left Israel and immigrated to the US where he opened the "Sirocco" nightclub, in midtown Manhattan, which catered mainly to Greeks and Israelis. The Sirocco attracted celebrities such as Telly Savalas, Louis Armstrong, Elizabeth Taylor and Anthony Quinn. For a while, even Stelios Kazantzidis sang there. The latter also became godfather to Aris' child.

San also appeared on Greek American television with success. However, his tour of Greece was unsuccessful and he never became popular in his native land.

Aris died of a heart attack on 25 July 1992, while on tour in Budapest, Hungary.