Greek Music

Nikos Xylouris, nicknamed Psaronikos, who passed away on Feb. 8, 1980, is a symbol of Crete. He was one of its greatest singers whose talent made him internationally known. Xylouris was born in Anogeia, a rugged mountain region in the...

When Vassilis Tsitsanis passed away on January 18, 1984, on his 69th birthday, music historians and experts knew that there will never be another Tsitsanis and all popular Greek music from then on would derive from his legacy alone. Tsitsanis'...

Nikos Tzellos, a young musician from Rhodes, has made it his mission to revive the folk music of his island for the modern era.

Any visitor to Ermou, the main shopping street in Athens, has likely seen Spyros Tarapossos and his laterna, or barrel piano. The laterna is an automatic piano that is operated by turning a crank on the side of the instrument....

Sofia Vembo – The famous Greek singer of the 20th century, became synonymous with the epic Greek victories against the fascist Italian troops in 1940 and 1941 during the Greco-Italian war along the Albanian front. Born in Gallipoli in Asia...

Manolis Chiotis is considered to be one of the greatest bouzouki players of all time. The musician, composer, and singer revolutionized Greek music with his four-course bouzouki and made music from Greece popular across the world, even in the...

As Greece and the world mourn the death of Mikis Theodorakis, Greece's greatest composer, many have reflected on the music icon's last concert held in the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens in 2017. In a tribute to the legendary composer, a...

Mikis Theodorakis, the greatest Greek composer in history, whose music has touched generations, died on Thursday at age 96 in Athens. His death at his home in central Athens followed multiple hospitalizations in recent years, mostly for heart treatment. The composer...

Rebetika, sometimes called the "Greek Blues," is perhaps the most influential genre of Greek music. While the movement as a whole was significant internationally, there were a few Rebetika singers that defined the iconic genre. Rebetika singers, musicians, and...

During the time of the military junta in Greece, from 1967 to 74, Greek composer and activist Mikis Theodorakis' music was banned. By Bill Thomas The road to my afternoon with Zorba began in 1968. I was in the US Navy...