Minos Matsas

Minos Matsas was a Greek Rebetiko composer and recording industry executive. He was born into a Romaniote Jewish family that hailed from Ioannina. In his early years, Minos Matsas wrote lyrics and music to rebetika songs, often under the pseudonym "Tsamas" (reversing the syllables of his name), without great success. His success came later in life as an executive of Odeon-Parlophon where he had much success discovering and signing up new talent.

Being Jewish, Minos Matsas spent the war and German occupation years hiding in the house of fellow rebetika composer Yiannis Papaioannou.

In 1960, he founded his own recording company "Minos Matsas and Son", the "son" being Makis Matsas who followed in his father's footsteps. The new company was also successful.

Matsas has been criticised in recent years for tying up young talent to multi-year contracts at low pay but, without a doubt, with his uncanny instinct of spotting talent, he contributed greatly to Greek music at what most people feel was its peak years.

Minos Matsas is the grandfather of the modern singer with the same name.