Markos Vamvakaris
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Markos Vamvakaris (May 10, 1905 in Ano Chora in Syros - February 8, 1972) (Greek: Μάρκος Βαμβακάρης), was one of the most important rebetiko musicians of all time.
[edit] Biography
Markos Vamvakaris was born on May 10, 1905 in Ano Chora, Syros, Greece. His family belonged to the sizeable Roman Catholic community of the island, the Frankosyrans, a name deriving from the common Greek reference to West Europeans collectively as "Franks".
At the age of 12, believing he was wanted by the police, Vamvakaris left Syros and went to Piraeus. He worked as a stevedore, employee at a pit-coal mine, polisher, paperman, butcher and other jobs. He heard a bouzouki player called Crazy Nick playing, and swore that if he did not learn to play the instrument in six months he would cut off his hand with a cleaver (he was working in the Athens slaughterhouse at the time). He learned bouzouki, becoming an innovative virtuoso player, and began to compose music, and write songs. At first he often played in hashish smoking establishments known as Tekes, later he and his band, which included Giorgos Batis, Anestis Delias and Stratos Pagioumtzis played in more legitimate clubs. They were extremely popular, and Markos made many recordings.
Vamvakaris recorded his first rebetiko disc, Na 'Rchosouna Re Magka Mou (Να 'ρχόσουνα ρε μάγκα μου) in 1934. Among other songs in that period, he wrote the classic love songs "Frankosyriani"(Franksyran Girl) and "Ta Matoklada Sou Lampoun" (How your eyelashes shine).
After the liberation of Greece from the occupation of Nazi Germany, difficult times arrived, since his kind of music was no longer fashionable. He had to amend many of his songs during the dictatorship of Ioannis Metaxas. He also suffered badly with arthritis in his hands. The slump in his fortunes lasted until the end of the 1950s, when after initiatives by Vassilis Tsitsanis, many of his old songs were revived, sung by famous artists including Grigoris Bithikotsis, and Stratos Dionysiou. That was how he made his comeback on the scene, becoming known as one of the greatest figures of rebetiko. Vamvakaris died on February 8, 1972 at the age of 66.
