Dragatsis Giannis i 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).