He is one of the most important singers of Greek folk song and was loved by his fans more than any other Greek artist. He has grown up with his songs for generations and he was a symbol for ordinary people, especially from the 50's to the 90's.
With the unique texture of his voice, he managed to express the anxieties, fears, but also the hopes of all those who suffered. The poor, the refugees and the workers, sought in his songs consolation for the difficulties they faced every day.
Stelios Kazantzidis was born on August 29, 1931 in Nea Ionia. His mother was a refugee from Asia Minor. From her he listened as a child to the folk songs brought by the refugees and from his grandmother -as he said- he got the techniques, the breaths and the crying in his voice.
How it started…
Growing up, he worked in a factory in Nea Ionia. His boss, who happened to hear him sing at work, got excited and gave him a guitar as a gift. Kazantzidis, when he was not working, would sit at home and try to learn songs on the guitar. At one point, a passerby who heard him suggested that he sing in his tavern.
In 1950 he appeared for the first time professionally in Kifissia. Two years later, he made his first recording in Columbia, with the song of Apostolos Kaldaras "You go for a bath". It was a song written about the heat that prevailed that summer in the capital. The album did not sell and Stelios Kazantzidis was disappointed.
The one who realized the possibilities of his voice, was the composer Giannis Papaioannou. His song "The Suitcases" becomes a great success and the Kazantzidis phenomenon begins to take shape ο
It continued only with successes but also with appearances in well-known popular centers of the time. Then comes the acquaintance, the engagement, but also the collaboration with Katie Gray that lasted until the summer of 1957.
The next eight years (1957-1965) are perhaps the most creative period for Stelios Kazantzidis. His acquaintance with Marinella in Thessaloniki developed into a brilliant collaboration. Together they made great successes with top composers (Tsitsanis, Papaioannou, Chiotis, Kaldaras, Papagiannopoulou, Virvos, Theodorakis, Hatzidakis, Leontis, Xarchakos, Loizos, Markopoulos etc.) and appeared in the biggest groups.
In May 1966 they decided to unite in life. Their marriage may not have lasted long, but they remained friends forever. Years later, Kazantzidis met and married Mrs. Vasso, whom he described as a "treasure".
In 1965 he decided to leave the nightclubs and the only contact with the public was through his records.
In 1969 he decides to retire from the discography for about two years. Then he makes the effort to create his own company, "STANDAR" but finds many obstacles. Unfortunately, his other business ventures, such as frog breeding and the ouzo "I Exist" that was released a little later, did not succeed either.
At the end of 1975 comes the album "I Exist". Christos Nikolopoulos and Pythagoras sign the departure of Stelios from the discography for twelve years. He returns in 1987 with the album (the last one on MINOS) "The Road of Return".
In 1988 follows the album "Eleftheros" at Polygram. His records go gold and platinum making record sales. The last song he sings, a few months before he was admitted to the Athens Medical Center, is "Hard years are coming".
The singer who was fanatically loved, who entered the hearts and homes of almost all Greeks…
He passed away on September 14, 2001, at the age of 70, after a long battle with cancer.