Greek Music Express

- I choose my favorite book of yours! - And? - And you write a poem for me! Would you like to? - Yes, we would! And that's how it all started. Tatiana Zografou, November 11, 2022. Selected authors of children's literature were inspired by this invitation and wrote poems. The lyrics...

The series of children's songs The Lazy Dragon by Giorgos Hatzipieris counts two decades of presence, five records, over two hundred million views on YouTube and huge acceptance by the public, children and adults alike. Many of the songs in the series have become classics, are included in official teaching...

Today, we will be celebrating a fantastic voice that has marked the evolution of Greek song and has her birthday on October 18, i.e. today. Our track list today includes foreign songs performed live by Alkistis Protopsalti that are found in three albums: First, the 1992 Live Recording from Zoom Club....

Today, we will be revisiting the live recordings of a globally renowned Greek singer while exploring the repertoire of another, lesser known but highly talented vocalist. Both have their birthday today, October 17. “Whenever I see Greek people abroad, there is emotion, a thirst for Greek music. And n...

Fotini Velesiotou is a Greek singer who started with rebetiko singing but has now established herself as a versatile performer of art song as well. She was born in Karditsa on October 4, 1958, and in 1976 she moved to Thessaloniki to study. There, she discovered the world of rebetiko. She received her...

Born on October 9, 1976, Andriana Babali is a renowned Greek singer and songwriter. Her smooth, warm voice tone along with the ability to mix pop, rock and jazzy melodies with her Greek heritage is what makes her unique. Andriana occupies a special place in Greek pop, as she has released 6 studio albums...

Born on October 13, 1934, Nana Mouskouri is probably the most famous, internationally, Greek singer. UNICEF notes: “Globally acclaimed with a career spanning over 60 years, Nana Mouskouri has sold over 300 million records. Born Ioanna Mouskouri in 1934, in Chania, Crete, she was a child of war who f...

O Dromos – The Street was released in 1969 by LYRA and is considered the best-selling album ever in Greek discography. Music by Mimis Plessas, lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos, performances by Yiannis Poulopoulos, Rena Koumioti and Popi Asteriadi, and twelve superb songs. The bouzouki was played by S...

Today’s track list includes instrumental creations of Mimis Plessas that honour Greece’s national instrument: the bouzouki. The melodies come from three primary sources: a 1968 Folk Suite titled “My Neighborhood”. A 1973 album titled “Classics Go Bouzouki High”, with famous classical creations by Brahms, ...

Today, we will be enjoying one of Plessas most fascinating and popular aspects: his work for films. The small selection that fits into a 1-hour broadcast barely conveys the richness of Plessas creativity, or his flair for rhythm and melody, or the tremendous breadth of his sounds and atmospheres. The...

Today, we will be shedding light on one of the lesser-known albums of Mimis Plessas, titled: Lucian’s Dialogues. The lyrics are written by Costas Virvos. Our track list will also include some of the less popular songs of Plessas that I consider interesting and unjustifiably hidden. Lyricist Costas V...

This first part of our tribute to Mimis Plessas somehow had to contain live recordings, in an effort to convey the vibrant soul of these creations. We will be focusing on two albums – two live recordings of concerts of Mimis Plessas with two distinguished colleagues of his: Giorgos Katsaros and Giorgos H...

Vasilis Papakonstantinou, born June 21, 1950, is a Greek singer known mostly for his work in rock. Most of his songs have gained considerable popularity, mainly in Greece and Cyprus. Vasilis Papakonstantinou was born in Vasta, Arcadia. In 1957 he moved to Athens along with his family. His adolescence...

Creators like Giorgos Mitsakis, Giorgos Hatzinasios, Christos Nikolopoulos, Vasilis Tsitsanis and Giorgos Zambetas. Vocalists such as Dimitris Mitropanos, Haroula Alexiou, Stelios Kazantzidis and Giannis Poulopoulos. Songs that contain clear, distinctive melodies, solid popular rhythms, and lyrics that...

Dionysis Savvopoulos, Mariza Koch, Thanasis Gaifyllias - Today, we are listening to three rock artists who made their own small and personal revolutions in post-1974 Greece. Their weapon? An electrified sound, a very sharp and dynamic musical approach, elements of psychedelia mixed with a traditional...

Three composers who marked the evolution of political song in Greece: Manos Loizos – Thanos Mikroutsikos - Christos Leontis. The latter remarks: “I took many things from the struggle of the people and I tried to express this through my songs, which spoke of both the beauty and the difficulty of lif...

TThis year, Greece is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the fall of the 7-year military dictatorship in 1974 and the establishment of a functioning democratic regime. This is a great occasion for GME to return to some of the greatest songs that marked the mid-1970s and, also, to some texts that analyse...

The week that ends here at GME was dedicated to a music genre that is somehow overlooked nowadays, even though it encompasses huge amounts of talent, improvisation and vision: Greek jazz. Tonight’s destination: pianist Giorgos Kontrafouris and saxophonist Takis Paterelis. The jazz virus attacked Paterelis a...