Remembering Greek bouzouki master, Stelios Vamvakaris

·

Greek composer and bouzouki master, Stelios Vamvakaris, was one of the first musicians to deal with the common roots of rebetiko and blues.

On this day in 2019, Stelios passed away at the age of 72. To mark the day, we take a look back at his inspirational career.

Early Life and Music Career:

Stelios Vamvakaris, the second son of the pioneer of rebetiko Markos Vamvakaris, was born in Piraeus on March 2, 1947. He started playing music at the age of 12, with his father. 

READ MORE: On This Day: Greek rebetiko musician, Markos Vamvakaris, was born.

Stelios Vamvakaris is the second son of the pioneer of rebetiko Markos Vamvakaris.

During the many years of his artistic career, Stelios collaborated with important rebetiko musicians, such as Giannis Papaioannou, Vassilis Tsitsanis, Stratos Pagioumtzis and Stelios Perpiniadis, as well as with big names in folk, art and rock music, such as George Zambetas Gray, Vicky Moscholou, Lefteris Papadopoulos and George Dalaras.

In 1988, he recorded with the American blues player Louisiana Red the album ‘The Blues meets Rebetiko’ with 8 pieces of blues performed with bouzouki and baglama. In 1994, he wrote music for the album ‘Romantic Violators – Fantasy in Power,’ which stood out for its special sound.

During his career, he gave many concerts abroad performing his songs but also songs of his father. 

Stelios passed away on June 17, 2019, at the age of 72.

Legacy and Death:

The artistic value of his particular style of music was also recognised by the international blues community. At a festival in Fallon, Sweden, he co-starred with John Lee Hooker and in 2003, at a London Blues Festival with Taj Mahal and Cesaria Evora. In 2010, he appeared at the Balkan Trafik Festival held in Brussels.

Apart from songs, Stelios also composed music for the cinema, as in the film of George Panousopoulos ‘One day at night,’ but also for plays. Many remarkable songs by him have not found their way into the discography.

Stelios passed away on June 17, 2019, at the age of 72.

Source: San Simera.

Advertisement

Share:

KEEP UP TO DATE WITH TGH

By subscribing you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Advertisement

Latest News

Back to Greece: Four journeys, one shared return

As the Back to Greece series closes, what remains is more than a collection of travel diaries - it’s a mosaic of memory and identity.

Mytilenian Brotherhood of Sydney to hold memorial marking 113 years since Lesvos’ liberation

The Mytilenian Brotherhood of Sydney will honour the 113th anniversary of the Liberation of Lesvos with a series of commemorative events.

Film Review: ‘Athens Midnight Radio’ is Haralambidis’ nocturnal love letter to Athens

The 30th Greek Film Festival opened last week and featured a screening of Renos Haralambidis’ Athens Midnight Radio (2024).

Elena Pappas honoured with the 2025 Stephen Myall Award

At the Law Institute of Victoria’s annual awards ceremony in October 2025, Elena Pappas was recognised with the Stephen Myall Award.

‘Fertility and Filoxenia’: Empowering conversations on fertility and IVF options

The Hellenic Medical Society of Australia and Greek Community of Melbourne invite everyone to attend a free educational event on fertility.

You May Also Like

Hyundai A-League to play remaining matches behind closed doors

Football Federation Australia (FFA) has confirmed that the remainder of the Hyundai A-League 2019/20 regular season will go ahead but no fans will be permitted to attend matches.

Tsitsipas shows all is well after public breakdown from loss against Kyrgios

The audiences during the 2020 ATP Cup got shocked by the meltdown that Stefanos Tsitsipas displayed during his game against Nick Kyrgios, last week. Right...

PAOK and Xanthi threatened with relegation from Super League for breaking ownership rules

The Committee of Professional Sport has recommended for both PAOK and Xanthi to be relegated from the Super League, with the two clubs having...