Vasilis Papakonstantinou

Vasilis Papakonstantinou (Βασίλης Παπακωνσταντίνου) (born 21 June 1950) is a Greek singer known mostly for his work in Greek rock. Most of his songs have gained considerable popularity, mainly in Greece and Cyprus.

Early life

Vasilis Papakonstantinou was born in Vastas, outside of Megalopolis, Arcadia. In 1957 he moved to Athens along with his family. His adolescence was marked by the musical and social trends of the 1960s: Mikis Theodorakis, protest rock, international peace and According liberation movements, while Greece was trying to quickly heal the wounds of the Greek Civil War. Vasilis Papakonstantinou became a follower of the left without ever becoming a member of a leftist party. In 1973, after having served in the Hellenic Army, fulfilling his national service obligations, he moved to West Germany and settled in Munich. There he participated in anti-dictatorship organisations, campaigning against the Greek military junta of 1967–1974 and singing in places with a considerable Greek student and immigrant population.

Career

His first musical encounter was with Mikis Theodorakis in the summer of 1974, in Paris—their collaboration commenced two years later. In 1974, Vasilis returned to Greece following the fall of the dictatorship and embarked on a professional singing career, singing in clubs, and also recorded a 45 rpm gramophone record. That same year he collaborated on the recording of "Ta Tragoudia tou Dromou" (Road Songs) by Manos Loïzos.

In 1975, he recorded "Ta Agrotika" (Rural Songs) by Thomas Bakalako and met with two composers with whom he was going to work closely for many years: Manos Loïzos and Thanos Mikroutsikos, two composers that were bearing a fresh new sound to Greek music. Both of them promoted in new manners the songs of the big city without following faithfully the traces of popular or artistic music of earlier famous composers. Papakonstantinou's interpretation was ideal in expressing their dynamism and expressiveness. In 1976 his much anticipated collaboration with Mikis Theodorakis took place in the recording of "Tis Exorias" (Songs of Exile), and in 1978 the composer included Vassilis in the singers who took part in his international tour of Europe, the Americas and Australia. At home Papakonstantinou actively took part in youth and worker movement rallies, singing at strikes, meetings, anti-racist and anti-fascist concerts.

From that time on, just before the 1980s, Papakonstantinou began demonstrating influences from the international rock movement. He performed songs which had an obviously more thick sound and more acute and intervening lyrics. This trend appeared gradually in the two records that he recorded in the early 1980s; the first one was titled after his name and included songs written by Antonis Vardis and adaptations of songs written by Dionysis Savvopoulos, Mikis Theodorakis and Luis Lach. The second one "Fovame" (I fear) with songs composed by Manos Loïzos, Lakis Papadopoulos, Giannis Zouganelis and Giannis Glezos consolidated his profile from that time up to date. He met Nikolas Asimos

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