George Zambetas
| Giorgos Zampetas Γιώργος Ζαμπέτας |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Born |
25 January 1925 Athens, Greece |
| Origin | Kythnos, Greece |
| Died | 10 March 1992 (aged 67) Athens, Greece |
| Genres | Rebetiko, Laiko |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, artist, composer |
| Instruments | Bouzouki |
| Years active | ~1950 - 1992 |
Giorgos Zampetas (Pronounced 'Zabetas', Greek: Γιώργος Ζαμπέτας, sometimes romanized as George Zambetas / George Zabetas / Giorgos Zabetas; 25 January 1925 in Athens – 10 March 1992 in Athens) was a well-known bouzouki musician. His origins are from the island of Kythnos.
Giorgos Zampetas, Greek music composer, singer and one of the greatest bouzouki artists of all time was born in Metaxourgio area of Athens, on 25 January 1925. His parents were Mihalis Zampetas, a barber, and Marika Moraiti, the niece of a well-known baritone of those years.
From a very young age, Zampetas showed a great interest in music: as he was helping his father in his barber shop, he secretly played his first melodies on a bouzouki. Anything that was producing sound seemed exciting to him and helped him in his compositions, as he said in his biography not long before he died. In 1932, as a seven year old first grader, he won his first prize, playing his first song in a school competition. At the young age of 13, Giorgos met one of the most famous figures in Greek music, and one of his idols, Vassilis Tsitsanis which played a fundamental role in his musical career.
During the German occupation of Greece, in times of poverty and misery, Zampetas founded his first band in 1942, after having moved to the Egaleo neighborhood of Athens, 2 years prior to that.
He was one of the most recognized Greek musicians of all times, working in the Greek cinema of those years with stars such as Aliki Vouyouklaki. He appeared in many Greek film productions, and his compositions used in many, one of the most famous being "Siko Horepse Sirtaki". He also worked with famous Greek composers, such as Manos Hadjidakis in 1959, and there after collaborated with various leading Greek musicians such as Theodorakis, Stavros Xarchakos and many others.
...
Wikipedia