Stavros Kouyioumtzis, also Kougioumtzis, Kouyoumtzis, or Koujioumtzis, (23 July 1932 – 12 March 2005) ( el, Σταύρος Κουγιουμτζής ) is one of the most significant

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

music

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

s of the 20th century. Kouyioumtzis was born in

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area, and the capi ...

in 1932. His family were refugees from

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

.sansimera Σταύρος Κουγιουμτζής
/ref> He wrote his first song in 1960. quickly becoming a prolific writer, whose work was covered by many of the leading Greek singers. In the late 1960s, he began working with the then 19-year-old

George Dalaras George Dalaras ( Γιώργος Νταλάρας, 29 September 1949) is a Greek musician and singer. He is one of the most prominent figures of Greek musical culture. In October 2006, he was selected as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Refugee Ag ...

. He wrote Dalaras' first songs and helped establish Dalaras as one of the most important and successful Greek singers of all time. Kouyioumtzis' songs have been covered by many important Greek singers, inclouding;

Anna Vissi Anna Vissi ( el, Άννα Βίσση, , ; born 20 December 1957), is a Greek Cypriot singer and songwriter. She studied music at conservatories and performed locally before moving to the professional scene in Athens, in 1973, where she signed ...

Haris Alexiou Haris Alexiou ( el, Χάρις Αλεξίου, ; born 27 December 1950 in Thebes, Greece as Hariklia Roupaka, el, Χαρίκλεια Ρουπάκα, ) is a Greek singer. She is considered one of the most popular singers in Greece and has been co ...

Yiannis Parios Yiannis Parios ( el, Γιάννης Πάριος) is a Greek singer, with a career spanning five decades. Biography Yiannis Parios was born Ioannis Varthakouris (Ιωάννης Βαρθακούρης) on the island of Paros. He made his firs ...

Eleftheria Arvanitaki Eleftheria Arvanitaki (Greek: Ελευθερία Αρβανιτάκη) (born 17 October 1957 in Piraeus) is a Greek folk singer. She originates from the island of Icaria. Arvanitaki has worked with important musicians, such as Cesária Évora, Ar ...

and

Giannis Kalatzis Giannis Kalatzis ( el, Γιάννης Καλατζής, 29 April 1943 – 13 July 2017) was a Greeks, Greek singer who was especially popular in Greece in the late 1960s and the first half of the 1970s. Giannis Kalatzis was born in Thessaloniki ...

. Aside from his solo compositions, Kouyioumtzis co-operated frequently with the poet-lyricist

Manos Eleftheriou Manos Eleftheriou ( el, Μάνος Ελευθερίου; 12 March 1938 – 22 July 2018), was a Greek poet, lyricist and prose writer. He had written poetry collections, short stories, a novella, two novels and more than 400 songs. At the same ...

. Kouyioumtzis' songs are regarded as top-quality music in

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

. Both his solo writing as well as his co writes with

. His songs resonated deeply with Greeks in the sixties, exploring themes of; love, poverty and the agonies faced by the poor in living with dignity. According to lyricist

Lefteris Papadopoulos Lefteris (Eleftherios) Papadopoulos ( el, Λευτέρης Παπαδόπουλος) is a Greek lyricist, writer and journalist. Lefteris Papadopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on 14 November 1935. He is the son of Greek refugees, with a fath ...

, Kouyioumtzis "followed the music spirit which was dominant in Greece during the last 25 years (from 1965 to 1990) through the music of

Mikis Theodorakis Michail "Mikis" Theodorakis ( el, Μιχαήλ "Μίκης" Θεοδωράκης ; 29 July 1925 – 2 September 2021) was a Greek composer and lyricist credited with over 1,000 works. He Film score, scored for the films ''Zorba the Greek (film) ...

and

Manos Hadjidakis Manos may refer to: Films * ''The Hands'' (Spanish: ''Las manos''), a 2006 Argentinean-Italian film * '' Manos: The Hands of Fate'', 1966 horror film Music * Manos (band), German Black metal band * ''Manos'' (album), by The Spinanes Other use ...

". Kouyioumtzis is remembered as a character of calm disposition, widely respected and held in the highest esteem by many, both in the field of Greek music as well as Greeks in general. A bashful character, it is characteristic that Kouyioumtzis preferred privacy over celebrity. Media appearances were infrequent, except on special occasions. His last appearance on television was in the entertainment music show of

Spyros Papadopoulos Spiro(s) may refer to: * Spiro, Oklahoma, a town in the U.S. ** Spiro Mounds, an archaeological site * Spiro (band), a British music group * Spiro (name), including a list of people with the name * Špiro, South Slavic masculine given name * ARA ...

on NET TV. During his last few years he left his

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

home and returned to his birthplace, Thessaloniki, where he continued working on music and songs until he died suddenly on 12 March 2005. His funeral took place at the Cathedral in the Municipality of

Kalamaria Kalamariá ( el, Καλαμαριά, ''Port Side'') is among the most densely populated suburbs in Greece, located about southeast of downtown Thessaloniki, with a population of92.238 inhabitat History The area was first settled by humans in pre ...

and he was buried at the cemetery of Kalamaria, in East Thessaloniki. Some of Kouyioumtzis' most famous songs are: * (Where are the years gone by) * (Don't be angry with me, my love) * (One drop is all my joy) * (If it was 1821) * (The red dress) * (Somewhere the night is falling) * (In the times of patience) * (At the highly window s) * (Someone knocked on the door) * (Years like rain) * (Those free and beautiful) * (You kissed someone else) * (Oh thou dear as my eyes) * (Your heart's debts) * (Everything is all right)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kouyioumtzis, Stavros 1932 births 2005 deaths Greek songwriters Greek lyricists Musicians from Thessaloniki