Nikos Xilouris
Nikos Xylouris (Greek Νίκος Ξυλούρης, * July 7, 1936 at Anoghia in Crete, † February 8, 1980 in Piraeus ) was a Greek singer and composer. He was a representative of the democratic movement, in 1974 the government of the colonels in 1967 to power geputschte junta Giorgios Papadopoulos, crashed.
Xylouris acquired his first lyra at the age of twelve years, showed great talent and came soon to local festivals and weddings. Xylouris was 17 years old when he began playing music in a restaurant in Heraklion, the " Kastro ". As he had, however, prescribed against the prevailing trend of European music of traditional folk music, his successes were initially low and the revenue ranged hardly to life. On 21 May 1958 he married Urania Melambianaki, daughter of a wealthy family of Heraklion. In 1960, a son, a daughter in 1966.
In 1958 he succeeded his first album ( " Μια μαυροφόρα που περνά " ) to publish, and he gradually became known. In 1966 he represented Greece at the San Remo festival with a play on the lyre Syrtaki, where she won the first prize in the folk music. The following year he opened his own music tavern " Κέντρο Ερωτόκριτος " in Iraklion. His record recording of " Anyfantou " in 1969 a great success. Xylouris was soon after concerts at the Konaki Folk Music Hall in Athens, which became his new residence. There he met the poet and songwriter Errikos Thalassinos and a native of Ierapetra composer and singer Giannis Markopoulos know. With the plates " Chroniko " and " Risitika " a successful collaboration that made him all over Greece and beyond known began.
On November 17, 1973, he joined during the revolt of the students at the Polytechnic of Athens. The university was surrounded by tanks of the junta, as Xylouris took his lyre and ancient Cretan freedom song " Pote tha kani Xasteria " sang the already sang his ancestors as the anthem of the Cretan liberation struggle against the Ottomans. Since then, the People's Artist Xylouris surrounding the aura of a folk hero. Along with other events was the student revolt in 1973 one of the starting points for the decline of the Greek military dictatorship in 1974.
In 1975, he set to music together with other artists poems of the famous Greek poet Yiannis Ritsos and communists.
Xylouris died in 1980 in Piraeus with cancer. He is held to commemorate every year in the first week of July, a big folk music festival in his native place.
His brothers Andonis, called Psarandonis, and Yannis are also famous Cretan folk musician.
Discography ( a selection)
- To Chroniko tou Nikou Xylouri 1962-1965
- Syllogi (1974)
- Ta pou thymoume tragoudo (1975 )
- Ta Erotika (1977 )
- 14 Chrisses Epitichies (1978 )
- Ta Xyloureika (1978)
- Nikos Xylouris (1982 )
- Afieroma stin Kriti (1987 )
- I Kriti kai ta Tragoudia tis (1995 )
- Palikari ap'ta palia (2000)
- 23 Megales Epitichies (2003)
- Itane mia fora (2004)
- Chrissi Diskotiki I (2007 )
- Chrissi Diskotiki II ( 2008)
- Giannis Markopoulos / Nikos Xylouris (1971 ): Rizitika
- Giannis Markopoulos: Chroniko (1971). N. Xylouris, Maria Dimitriadi
- Giannis Markopoulos: Ithagenia (1972). N. Xylouris, Memi Spyratou
- Giannis Markopoulos Giorgos Seferis (1973). N.Xylouris, M. Spitatou, L. Khalkias
- Christos Leontis: Kapnismeno Tsoukali (1975). Giannis Ritsos, N. Xylouris, Tania Tsanaklidou, Vassilis Barnis
- Christos Leontis: Para Stasis (1975). Manolis Mitsias, Tania Tsanaklidou, Giorgos Meratzas, Nikos Xylouris
- Giannis Markopoulos: Anexartita (1975). N. Xylouris, L. Khalkias, Lizetta Nikolaou, Vicky Moschouliou
- Giannis Markopoulos: Dionysios Solomos. Eleftheri Poliorkimeni (1977). Irene Papas, N. Xylouris, L. Khalkias, I. Klonaridis
- Christodoulos Chalaris: Erotokritos (1976). Nikos Xylouris, Tania Tsanaklidou