Nikos Xylouris (Νίκος Ξυλούρης)

[kritikoniko]

Nikos Xylouris (Greek: Νίκος Ξυλούρης, 7 July 1936 - 8 February 1980), nicknamed Psaronikos (Greek: Ψαρονίκος, "Grey Nick"), was a Greek composer and singer from the village of Anogeia in Crete and also the older brother of two other great musicians of Cretan music, Antonis Xylouris or Psarantonis (Greek: Ψαραντώνης) and Yiannis Xylouris or (Psaroyiannis) (Greek: Ψαρογιάννης). He was part of the movement that brought down the Greek military Junta of 1967[citation needed]. His songs and music captured and described the Greek psyche and demeanor, gaining himself the title the archangel of Crete.

He acquired his first lyra at the age of twelve and displayed potential to play local folk music. Xylouris was 17 years of age when he started performances at Kastro folk music-restaurant in Heraklion.

A turning point in Nikos Xylouris' career occurred with a recording in 1958. He first performed outside Greece in 1966 and won the first prize in the San Remo folk music festival. In 1967 he established the first Cretan Music Hall, Erotokritos, in Heraklion. The recording of Anyfantou in 1969 was a big success. Xylouris soon started performances in Athens, which became his new permanent residence, at the Konaki folk music hall.

During the early 1970s, Xylouris' voice becomes identified not only with Cretan music but also with the new kind of artistic popular music that emerged as well-known composers such as Giannis Markopoulos, Stavros Xarhakos, Christodoulos Halaris and Christos Leontis wrote music on the verses of famous Greek poets among which stand out Nikos Gatsos, Yannis Ritsos, Giorgos Seferis, Kostas Varnalis and Dionysios Solomos. In 1971, Xylouris is awarded by the Academy Charles Cross of France for his performance in the Cretan Rizitika songs album with G. Markopoulos.

He died in 1980 from a brain tumor
(taken from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikos_Xilouris)

Discography:
http://www.gtc-music1.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=419;sa=xFileManager;path=/~~%20KRHTH%20~~/Nikos+Xylouris/

Video:
Part 1
http://www.gtc-music1.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=419;sa=xFileManager;f_act=download;file=jtqhNOjXc2X1IHsQS0Ab

Paer 2
http://www.gtc-music1.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=419;sa=xFileManager;f_act=download;file=E5QYXF4qNL4LjZQAO3q0

[saleas]

Great job koumbare.

[kokonis]

What's going on here at the GTC are we promoting and selling shoes or is this a bad JOKE ??????? This one is a case for the Moderaters I think

[saleas]

What are you talking about kokoni?

[mrmaqam]

Great post! I am a big fan of Xylouris, his music evokes memories of the rugged and beautiful cretan landscapes, the faragi, lefka ori... need to go again!

[xristos]

Nice Bio Kritikoniko!

[Kalakos]

What are you talking about kokoni?

There were three spam posts about shoes.  I saw the question about the shoes, looked at the posts, and banned the guy and his posts.  Creeps!!!!
It's happened 3 or 4 times now with different "kolotrypes" spamming us over the last year or so!
Kalakos

[Mporlos]

It's happened 3 or 4 times now with different "kolotrypes" spamming us over the last year or so!
Kalakos

...lol .... Kalake --- as the old timer's used to say ... "oloi oi koloi, ta eidia ska$a vgazoun" .... lol ....

[saleas]

Thanks kalako

[kritikoniko]

Thank you Daskale.

[Kalakos]

No problem. I hate those people. It's like a person breaking into your house and forcing you to listen to garbage. I mean how dare they break into our house!

[oneiro]

Nikos Xylouris plays in a Taverna in Heraklion 1961

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd8M16ceDcw

Some comments and explanations from youtube:

This clip contains some actual Nikos Xilouris Songs. Anthony Sooklaris so fortuitously happened to capture some footage of one of Greece's most celebrated musicians, Nikos Xylouris, before he made the "big time". He played for our group at a local Taverna in Heraklion.

In 1961, he was still not widely known, so this is really some very natural footage of this incredibly popular and gigantic figure of Greece. If you happen to be anywhere in Downtown Athens, you'll have to look up his wife who still runs a record shop...
Shot and edited by Anthony Sooklaris (Tsouchlarakis)
#

These were 8 mm movies with no sound, unfortunately. But it is what it is and it's rare indeed.
#

There is another interesting person in this video. The woman in the black dress and white shoes is Ismene Kefalogianni of Pittsburgh. She is the matriarch of Pittsburgh Cretans and still living at 97 years old. She is a past president of Maleme the Cretan woman's syllogos in Pittsburgh, the first president of Arkadi-Maleme (when the men's and woman's chapters joined) and a past Women's Executive Director, a national office of the Pancretan Association of America.
#

Dimitris Foukakis was one of the best laout-ists of the period and he was cooperating with Nikos Xylouris for ages. At the time when the video was taken Xylouris was recording his first songs with Dimitri as pasadoro, as his wife Mrs Ourania told us. The boy who is sitting next to Nikos, at the beginning of the video, seems to be Vasilis Skoulas at very young age!
(The last comment I translated from greek, I hope it makes sense )

[oneiro]

One of my favourite Cretan songs: "To ksirosteriano nero", sung by Nikos Ksilouris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DQc3qe_s1M

[kritikoniko]

Again, many thanks Oneiro.
Great posts.

[xristos]

Nikos Xylouris plays in a Taverna in Heraklion 1961

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd8M16ceDcw

Some comments and explanations from youtube:

This clip contains some actual Nikos Xilouris Songs. Anthony Sooklaris so fortuitously happened to capture some footage of one of Greece's most celebrated musicians, Nikos Xylouris, before he made the "big time". He played for our group at a local Taverna in Heraklion.

In 1961, he was still not widely known, so this is really some very natural footage of this incredibly popular and gigantic figure of Greece. If you happen to be anywhere in Downtown Athens, you'll have to look up his wife who still runs a record shop...
Shot and edited by Anthony Sooklaris (Tsouchlarakis)
#

These were 8 mm movies with no sound, unfortunately. But it is what it is and it's rare indeed.
#

There is another interesting person in this video. The woman in the black dress and white shoes is Ismene Kefalogianni of Pittsburgh. She is the matriarch of Pittsburgh Cretans and still living at 97 years old. She is a past president of Maleme the Cretan woman's syllogos in Pittsburgh, the first president of Arkadi-Maleme (when the men's and woman's chapters joined) and a past Women's Executive Director, a national office of the Pancretan Association of America.
#

Dimitris Foukakis was one of the best laout-ists of the period and he was cooperating with Nikos Xylouris for ages. At the time when the video was taken Xylouris was recording his first songs with Dimitri as pasadoro, as his wife Mrs Ourania told us. The boy who is sitting next to Nikos, at the beginning of the video, seems to be Vasilis Skoulas at very young age!
(The last comment I translated from greek, I hope it makes sense )

Good clip!Thanks oneiro!

[xristos]

One of my favourite Cretan songs: "To ksirosteriano nero", sung by Nikos Ksilouris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DQc3qe_s1M

Very nice cretan song! Thanks for posting.

[Kalakos]

A great piece of history!

[georgearistea1972]

ευχαριστω πολυ...