Bellou Sotiria

Sotiria Bellou (1921–1997) was a famous Greek singer and performer of the Greek rebetiko type of music

Sotiria Bellou was born in Halia of Euboia. She was the oldest of 5 siblings of a wealthy family. Her father, who was particularly fond of her, was an Orthodox priest. As a little girl Sotiria would go to church along with her father and she would absorb the religious sounds and Byzantine hymns. A movie featuring the popular singer Sophia Vempo was the catalyst that pushed her to pursue an artistic career.

In 1940 she decided to move to Athens. Her arrival in Athens coincided with World War II and a new challenging period started for Bellou. Her family completely lost touch with her. They found her again after 7 years, singing with legendary rebetiko composer Vassilis Tsitsanis. In the meantime, she had worked in many different jobs. One night she was working at a rebetiko club as a waitress and sang two songs after a bet with a client. Kimonas Kapetanakis happened to be there and recognised her genuine talent. He introduced her to Tsitsanis. Tsitsanis instantly became fond of her powerful and melodic. After that, she sang in the best music clubs of Athens such as the Rosiniol, Tzimis o hontros, Hydra, Triana, Falirikon and many more.

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