Legendary Greek Singer Giannis Poulopoulos Lives On Through a Legacy of Unforgettable Music
StreamLINE Legacy Artist Feature - Giannis Poulopoulos
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The name and dynamic voice of Giannis Poulopoulos are forever etched into the folklore of Greek music.
The celebrated Greek singer, songwriter, poet and actor built a career and popularity that propelled him to be ranked in the upper echelon of some of the biggest selling Greek recording artists of all time.
Today we commemorate the life and legacy of Giannis Poulopoulos almost a year after his passing last August at the age of 79.
As referenced previously, Poulopoulos is best known for the large collection of hit songs that he released over the course of three decades from the 1960’s on into the 1980’s.
His spectacular body of musical works was created through collaboration with such renowned Greek composers as Mimis Plessas, Giannis Spanos, Stavrou Kougioumetzis and Mikis Theodorakis to name a few.
Where it All Began for Giannis Poulopoulos
Poulopoulos was born on June 29, 1941 in the village of Kardamili located in Messinia.
He would go on to spend his formative years growing up in Metaxourgeio, a neighborhood in Athens, which currently stakes claim as one of Greece’s most artistic and cultural locations.
His mother died during his time in Metaxourgeio when he was just five and his father moved him and his younger brother Vasili to Peristeri shortly thereafter when he was around 7 or 8 years old.
Poulopoulos started singing at a rather young age and as he grew older continued honing his musical skills while also working as a builder and playing soccer in Saint Lerotheos and Atromitos.
The young man also began to dabble in the arts as he painted in oils.
A Music Superstar is Born
Poulopoulos first made waves with his singing talents when he auditioned for a group of composers and songwriters which included such icons as Mikis Theodorakis, Vassilis Tsitsanis, Apostolos Kaldaras, and Giannis Papaioannou.
Theodorakis was extremely impressed with Poulopoulos’ performance and coordinated for Poulopoulos to perform lead vocals on a number of songs in a theatrical production titled The Neighborhood of Angels.
The play was written by Lakovos Kambanellis and starred famed actors Nikos Kourkoulos and Tzeni Karezi.
This launched the career of Poulopoulos into high gear as by 1965, he became the first performer of four compositions and songs written by Manos Loizos.
During this period he would also claim a hit of his own titled ‘Mi mou thymonis matia mou’ (Don’t be angry with me, my love) composed by Stavros Kouyioumtzis.
The hit song built a momentum that resulted in a rapid gain in popularity of Poulopoulos’ music.
By 1966, this growing popularity saw Poulopoulos’ music featured in a substantial amount of popular Greek films including; Oi Stigmatismenoi (The Stigmatized), which starred Giorgos Foundas and Maro Kodou; O Tetraperatos (The Clever One) with Kostas Hatzichristos; Piraeus by Giorgos Katsaros, and Tzeni-Tzeni, which he performed a duet with Tzeni Karezi in a song by Giannis Markopoulos.
Besides providing his music talents to these films, Poulopoulous would also appear in them as well.
Poulopoulos also stamped his indelible footprint in the Greek music scene be performing regularly in the famous nightclubs of the time alongside other popular singers such as Tolis Voskopoulos, Marinella, Doukissa and Stratos Dionysiou.
The “Golden Singer”
1966 also was the commencement of his work with Mimis Plessas which was a partnership that created a plethora of unforgettable music that will indefinitely stand the test of time.
The most acclaimed of this successful string of music was ‘O Dromos’ (The Road) by Plessas and Lefteris Papadopoulos in 1969.
To date, it is the most successful selling album in the history of Greek music with over 3,000,000 copies sold, according to the Athens News Agency reported.
As the 1970’s approached, Giannis Poulopoulos was considered the biggest name in Greek music, often referred to as the “golden singer,”.
According to a poll taken that year by a , rating the publicity and public response to contemporary singers, Poulopoulos was ranked first among many other big names.
Poulopoulos also demonstrated his versatility in other aspects of artistry.
He published two collections of poetry, entitled Notebook (1971) and later on he would write Journey to the Center of the Night (1983). These works were viewed as introspective and philosophical in their focus. In addition, he also became more involved in painting and etching
Listen to the Greatest Hits of Giannis Poulopoulos
Take a listen below to a collection of Giannis Poulopoulos’ greatest hits and enjoy the resounding, vivid vocals of a Greek music legend.
Γιάννης Πουλόπουλος – 96 Μεγάλες Επιτυχίες (Full Cd 1)
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Kevin James has over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry in various facets. He has worked as a recording artist, songwriter, producer, on-air radio personality, background actor and film director. Kevin is a Member of the National Writer's Union.