Vassilis Tsitsanis (1915-1984) only learned to play bouzouki when his father died, when he was eleven years old. He went to Athens to study law, but the music appealed to him more. After military service, he settled in Thessaloniki where he performed in various cafes, including his own. After the Second World War, between 1945 and 1955, he reached the peak of his career. During that time he also
… started working with two singers: Sotiria Bellou, and Marika Ninou, who was originally from Armenian. Thanks to them, Tsitsanis managed to grow into a composer of legendary format. When he died in 1984, the streets of Athens were filled with hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom, as a final tribute, carried bouzouki with them. On this CD you can hear what moved them. (GO)more
