Roza's contemporaries


Dimitris Semsis



Dimitris was born to Greek parents around 1883 in Stromnitsa. His family moved to Thessaloniki while he was still a child (which directly led to his nickname in later years - 'Salonikios'). Dimitris began to learn violin when he was about 10, and became a virtuoso violinist.

At the turn of the century, he joined the band of a circus which travelled extensively over the balkans. He later joined other touring orchestras and played in Turkey, Syria, Egypt, Soudan and elsewhere. Around 1920, he went to Smyrna and met musicians and composers of the Smyrnaic school.

In September 1922, Dimitris was among the million Greeks expelled from Smyrna and arrived in Greece a refugee. In 1923 he married Dimitra Kanoula, and they had 4 children.

By the end of the 1920s, Dimitris was recording director at HMV and Columbia, a role of great influence that he retained throughout the 1930s - 1940s.

In the 1930s, Dimitris recorded extensively with Roza to great acclaim, and often accompanied her in tavernas along with Tomboulis, Lambros Savaidhis and Lambros Leonaridhis. His compositions were also recorded by the greatest artists of the day including Rita Ambatsi, Dalgas, Stellakis Perpiniadis, and Stratos Payiomtsis. He wrote Rembetic and Demotic songs, as well as Smyrnaika and Amanedes.

As is clear from recordings, Dimitris was, without doubt, the greatest violinist who recorded in the Rembetic/Smyrnaic style. He recorded many hundreds of sides, and we are fortunate that many of them have been re-released in recent years. When interviewed in 1972, Roza said that Dimitris played "the best violin in the World!".

After a short illness, Dimitris Semsi died of cancer in Athens on 13 January 1950. He has surviving descendants in Greece today.

Agapios Tomboulis



There is very little documented information on this outstanding exponent of the Oud.

Tomboulis was born to Armenian parents in Constantinople, circa 1891. Like many of Roza's associates, he came to Greece as a refugee in September 1922 after being expelled from Asia Minor.

Tomboulis was Greece's leading Oud player and he can be heard performing magic on hundreds of sides. He became a close associate of Roza's and she believed him to be the best Oud player and a very good singer too. Apart from performing alongside her throughout the 1930s at TAIYETOS taverna, he travelled extensively with Roza in the Balkans and Near East before World War II; and again to Constantinople in the 1950s where they cut approximately 40 sides.

He died in Athens circa 1965.

Panayiotis Toundas



Toundas was born in Smyrna in 1885/1886. His family were fairly wealthy. From an early age he learned to play the Mandolin, as well as other instruments. Around the turn of the century he joined "The Politakia" - a Smyrna ensemble run by Sideras. He worked alongside the greatest musicians in Asia Minor including Ogdhondakis, Papasoglu and Spiros Peristeris.

Toundas started to compose songs from 1910 approx. Many of his songs were recorded and became hits prior to 1922, and he was instrumental in defining the Smyrnaic sound. He also toured extensively in Egypt, Africa and Europe. He came to Athens in 1923 and lived in the Nea Smyrni area.

At first Toundas worked as a Mandolin player in Taverns but in 1924 he became a director of ODEON record company. His first composition to appear on 78RPM in Greece was "Smyrnia" in 1924 sung by the tenor Misailidi. Toundas' compositions became very popular and were leased to all the foreign record labels.

In 1929 Toundas discovered Roza Eskenazi singing in TSITSIFIES and he arranged for Roza to record some sides, kick starting her recording career. They continued to work together successfully throughout the 1930s.

In 1931, Toundas became director of the Columbia label. His songs continued to be amongst the most popular and he worked with the greatest musicians and singers of the day. From 1934, Toundas began to use bouzouki and baglama in recordings of songs. He continued his illustrious career through to 1941 when the Germans entered Athens.

Toundas died on 23 May 1942 in his house in Nea Smyrni. He was survived by his wife and one daughter, but I don't know if he has surviving descendants today.

Toundas ongoing popularity is shown not only in the ongoing re-releases of his orginal recordings, but also in the esteem in which he is held by Greek musicians today. His songs have been re-recorded by Alexiou, Glykeria, Ntalaras etc.

When interviewed in 1972, Roza said that Toundas was the greatest composer of them all and she acknowledged his part in her story "If it weren't for Tountas, there would be no 'legendary Roza'".

Rita Ambatsi



Rita Ambatsi was born in Halka Bounari, Smyrna in 1903. She came to Greece as a refugee in 1922 with her mother Stella and sister Sophia Karavali (also a singer). Rita's father was lost during the burning of Smyrna in 1922.

Very little is known of Rita's early years. it is stated that in or around 1930/1931, Rita attended a wedding in her neighberhood. The musicians there included Stellakis Perpiniadis and Kostas Nouros. Rita sang a song and stunned the musicians with her excellent interpretation. However, Rita did not begin to record until 1932. She went to record over 300 sides in the 1930s, with all the major composers and musicians of the day. Among the styles of song, she made masterful recordings of Rembetic, Smyrnaic, Amanedhes, Demotic and Nisiotika (island) songs.

For reasons unknown, Rita did not record after the war (although she appears to have recorded a couple of sides around 1960). Rita's deep, rich voice and her outstanding variations and slurs were truly unique and she was not forgotton by the public post World War II - as her discs remained in the record catalogues and were re-pressed for many years (and regularly appear on Cds today).

Rita married Yianni Tsipari, but this marriage ended in divorce. She then married a santouri player called Stelio Kritiko, and had two children. She lived in Egaleo, a suburb of Athems.

Rita sadly died of cancer on 11th June 1969. I do not know if she has any surviving descendants.

Roza and Rita were the most popular Greek female singers and dominated Greek music in the 1930s. The record companies released many 78RPMs with Roza and Rita back to back. They also recorded at least one track together - "O Milonas".

Roza remembered Rita very fondly when she was interviewed in 1972, and said they were friends but fought 'like cat and dog' for the best songs in the 1930s. As there is many cases of the same rebetika songs recorded and released by different artists in the 1930s, I assume Roza meant they fought over who would first premiere release of a particular song. Roza also said that she had paid a visit to Rita shortly before she died.

Both Roza and Rita Ambatsi stand today as the best exponents of their particular art.

Vangelis Sofroniou



Vangelis was born in Smyrna in 1890 - the first of seven children. His first profession was as a bookbinder. In 1914 he became a member of an amateur choir.

As a result of his outstanding singing he took up singing professionally in 1917.

From 1917 to 1922 he sang at night in tavernas in Smyrna. In 1922, Vangelis was taken as a political prisoner. He remained in Turkish jails until 1923 when he was released. He went to Athens and started working in tavernas. In 1926 he nade his first recording and continued to record throughout the late 1920s and 1930s.

I do not know what work he undertook after the 1930s but he remained in Athens and died there in 1963 at the age of 73. I do not know if he has any descendants.

Vangelis left behind a wonderful repertoire of recordings, particularly of Smyrnaic songs.

Kostas Roukounas



Kostas Roukounas was born in Neo Karlovasi on the island of Samos (hence his nickname "Samiotaki") in 1904. His father Apostoli left for USA when Kostas was 2 years old, and subsequently divorced his mother Eftihia (she remarried and went on to have three further children).

As the family was very poor, Kostas started work at the age of 8 for a cigerette manufacturer, and worked there for 7 years. Around 1920 Kostas began working as a carpenter/joiner and became known throughout Samos as an expert craftsman. Around 1927 Kostas started singing (primarily Smyrnaic songs) at the best taverna in Nea Karlovasi - PANSAMIAKON. Within a few months of starting his singing career, his stunning vocals had enchanted most of the islanders. In 1928 he left Samos seeking to further hos career by moving to mainland Greece and singing in and around Athens at weddings, baptisms and fetes.

By 1929/1930 news of his exceptional talent reached Panayiotis Tountas who sought Kostas out and arranged for him to make 78RPM recordings. Kostas swiftly recorded many songs excelling at each style - including Rembetika, Dimotika, Kleftika, Amanedes, songs from Smyrna and Constantinople, and Nisiotika (island songs). He worked with many of the founding artists of Rembetika and Smyrnaic schools of music. Roukounas could tackle the most technically difficult songs (particularly Amanedhes) with ease. Additionally, he composed many classic songs himself.

Kostas married Anna Politissa (also a talented singer) in 1934. He also started working at Mitsou tou Mourosis, and stayed there until the Nazi's entered Athens in 1941.

Tragically, his wife Anna died of a heart attack in March 1943.

Kostas continued working after the War and through the 1950s/1960s including stints at TSITSIFIES and FAT JIMMY'S.

In 1948 he married the lyricist Alexandra Kiriasi.

In 1958 he toured USA for a year to great success.

With the rebetic revival in the 1970s, Kostas returned to concerts and appearances at tavernas and recorded a number of LPs of traditional, Smyrniac and Rembetic songs.

Kostas lived with his wife Alexandra at their home in Pallini until his death in March 1984 aged 80.

Roza worked with Roukounas in the 1930s and again at concerts in the 1970s. When interviewed in 1972 she said that Kostas had a good voice and that he was still singing beautifully. Roza and Kostas recorded at least two duets together "O Omorfos Tsopanos" ("The Handsome Shepherd") composed by Roza and recorded in 1933 (available on the PANDORA CD "Roza Eskenazi - Kostas Roukounas" CD-PAN-214); and 'To Tsifteteli" composed by Roukounas and available on Ellinikos Diskos CD 1058 "Hroniko Tou Laikou Tragoudiou 1954 no. 2".

Yianis Dragatsis (or Ogdontakis)



Yianis was born in Smyrna in 1886 into a musical family who were well known in Smyrna as "The Ogdontakides" (hence his nickname). The group consisted of many relatives including Yianis's father George, uncles, cousins and his two brothers.

Little is known of Yianis's early life but he became involved seriously in music in the early part of the century and became well known in Smyrna as a virtuoso violinist. It is believed that he wrote many of the first tranche of Smyrnaic songs that were sang and recorded in Smyrna in the early part of the 20th century.

Yianis was captured during the catastrophe in Asia Minor in 1922. The Turkish soldiers admiration for his playing saved his life, and he was released in 1923 and went to Greece.

Yianis started work in tavernas along with his compatriots Spiro Peristeri, Antonis Dalgas, Kostas Karipis and others. He swiftly became in demand both as a composer and a violinist (indeed, Semsis and Dragatsis were the greatest Greek violinists of the day and have retained that status to date).

Due to his musical expertise, Yianis became a recording director at COLUMBIA, a position he kept throughout the 1930s. He worked with the greatest musicians and singers of the era. He made 100s of recordings many in which he played violin and are now classics -particularly in the Smyrnaic repertiore (e.g. "Manolis Hasiklis"; "Mera Nihta Methismenos" and "Elenitsa").

Yianis was a member of the Musicians Guild "Alilovoithia" and took an active part in the struggle for artist's rights. He was elected as president of the Athens-Pireaus branch several times.

Yianis stopped performing and recording during the war, as did many of the musicians from Asia Minor (in part due to the blanket banning of Amanedhes and other eastern influences in music in 1937 which many artists found intolerable).

After the war Yianis did not return to recording or composing, but played violin at weddings and other soial gatherings, and taught violin to students. He lived with his wife Athena thus until his death in 1958.

When interviewed in 1972, Roza remembered Yianis warmly and said that he was a good person, composer and violinist.

Kostas Karipis



Kostas was born circa 1885 - 1895 in Constantinople. Little is known of his life there. He came to Greece after the catastrophe in Smyrna in 1922. He started working in tavernas along with other Greek refugees, and swiftly developed a reputation as an accomplished composer and guitarist.

From 1923 to the early 1930s Kostas played in a company which included Kostas Tsavenou, Mitso Arapaki, Spiro Peristeri and Dalgas at the best taverns of that era. He recorded songs from 1925, mainly amanedhes and rembetic songs. From 1930 Kostas concentrated on composing, writing lyrics and playing guitar on recordings. He had massive hits throughout the decade with the greatest singers of the day and played guitar on hundreds of sides.

Kostas spent most of the war years in the company of the Piraeus rembetes - Manthos Vamvakaris, Stratos Payiomtsis etc. After the war, he continued performing and played guitar in recordings for Tsitsanis, Mitsaki and Papaioannou.

Little is known about Kostas's last years or how or when he died. It is known that he had no family and he disappeared from the music scene in 1951. It is believed that he died in 1952.

In 1972, Roza recalled that Kostas was a good guitarist with a fine voice. She expressed gratitude for songs he wrote that he gave to her to record, singling out his classic smyrnaic song "Fora Ta mavra, Fora Ta" ("Wear the black clothes").

Stellakis Perpiniadis



Stellakis was born on the island of Tinos in 1899. He was the 11th (and final) child born to the family! Stellakis father was from Tinos and his mother from the island Hios.

In 1900 the family moved to Alexandria, and thence on to Constantinople in 1906.

Stellakis early years were difficult, and the family were poor. His father worked as a baker in Galata. Stellakis received only a little formal schooling before joining his father in the baking trade to help the family make ends meet.

Whilst living in Galata, Stellakis joined psalters in St John's church and he learned ecclesiastical music.

In 1919 he embarked for army service for the Greek army first in Athens and subsequently in Smyrna.

In 1922 he left Smyrna as a refugee and went to the island of Hios and then to Piraeus where he worked in a paint shop. In 1925, he met Manoli Margaroni at a wedding and Manoli helped Stellakis by buying him his first guitar and teaching him how to play it as well as encouraging him to become a singer. Stellakis became a performer at fetes and at tavernas in Pireaus.

In 1929 Stellakis met Panayiotis Toundas and recorded some sides which became hits. Stellakis met and worked with the greatest artists and composers of that era, and also composed many classic songs himself which became classics. He recorded in many musical styles, including Rembetika, Smyrneika, Nisiotika (island songs), Demotika and Laika. He also recorded many popular duets with artists such as Stratos Payiomtsis, Roza, Rita Ambatsi and Anna Politissa.

Stellakis opened his own taverna towards the end of the 1930s. Apart from the period from 1942 - 1945 (when the recording companies in Greece were closed) Stellakis made recordings right up to the 1960s.

In the 1970's Stellakis made many appearances in his taverna, concerts and on TV.

He died at his home in Haidari in September 1977. Stellakis son, Vangellis, went on to became a very successful composer/recording artist in his own right - primarily in the laika field. Vangellis died in 2003.



HOME