The great Greek composer and bouzouki player, Stelios Vamvakaris passed away on Monday, aged 72.
The son of rebetiko legend Markos Vamvakaris was born in Piraeus on 2 March, 1947.
For Stelios his father was a huge influence in his life. He started learning to play the bouzouki at just seven years old, and would accompany Markos when performing. At 17 he joined his father on stage and started writing his own material, before going on to make his recording debut in 1977.
The musician went on to have an illustrious career, collaborating with great musicians the likes of Yiannis Papaioannou, Vassilis Tsitsanis and Stratos Payioumtzis, along with a host of others.
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Stelios was also one of the first to explore the common roots between Greek and American blues, leading him to collaborate with John Lee Hooker and Louisiana Red.
He branched out beyond rebetika, writing material for local rock pioneer Pavlos Sidiropoulos, Cretan music legend Nikos Xylouris and George Dalaras, as well as for laiko artists the likes of Giorgos Zabetas, Keti Grey, and Vicky Moscholiou.
Stelios is also known for his work on films such as Oi toihoi pou tragoudoun (1999), Mia mera ti nyhta (2001) and Hail Proud and Immortal Labour (2002).
Watch Stelios Vamvakaris perform below:
Stelios performing a tribute to his great late father Markos.
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