Kazantzidis Stelios

Stelios Kazantzidis is widely considered the most prolific Greek singer of all time. In his musical career, he recorded more than 1,500 songs. He was recognized as the voice of the working class, since many of his songs talked about their problems and complaints.
Kazantzidis was born in Nea Ionia, Athens, on August 29, 1931. He was born in a family of Pontic roots. His father's death forced him into employment to support his family by working all manner of jobs, including baggage carrier, seller of roasted chestnuts, builder, and laborer. Music had surrounded him since his birth and he started to play guitar in his teenage years, when a factory owner gave him one.
He made his first appearance as a singer in a club at Kifissia in 1950. Two years later in 1952 he released his first album, with Apostolos Kaldara's song "Gia Mpanio Pas," which had moderate sales and was considered a failure. But his next song, "Oi Valitses," composed by Giannis Papaioannou, became the first of many hits and he emerged as a first-class singer.