Nikos Xylouris(1936-1980)
- Music Department
- Soundtrack
Nikos Xylouris (nicknamed "Psaronikos" and the "Archangel of Crete") was a Greek singer, Cretan lyra player, and composer from the island of Crete. In his heyday, Xylouris was one of the most successful Greek folk musicians. He died at a relatively young age, but several of his songs have remained popular into the 21st century.
In 1936, Xylouris was born in the small town of Anogeia, which is perched on the slopes of Mount Ida. Ida is the highest mountain of Crete. In antiquity, Ida was the sacred mountain of the goddess Rhea and the supposed birthplace of Rhea's son, the god Zeus. Xylouris was born into a family of herdsmen and farmers. He was the fourth child and eldest son of Giorgis Xylouris and his wife Eleftheria (her name means "Freedom" in Greek). His younger brothers included the singers Antonis Xylouris (nicknamed "Psarantonis") and Giannis Xylouris (nicknamed "Psarogiannis"). "Psaro" means "Fish" or "Fish-like" in Greek. Xylouris was a grandson of the rebel Antonis Xylouris, who was said to be "slippery as fish" while evading Ottoman authorities. His grandfather was given a fish-like nickname, and the family continued to use the fish as its symbol.
In 1944, Anogeia was razed to the ground by the German occupation forces in Crete. The action was a reprisal for the recent attacks of the Cretan Resistance. Xylouris and his family fled to nearby villages. Following the end of the occupation, the Xylouris family participated in the rebuilding of Anogeia.
In 1948, Xylouris wanted to receive music lessons. He convinced his father to purchase a Cretan lyra for him, a Cretan fiddle analogue. His father agreed but warned him against becoming a professional musician, because professional musicians were held in low esteem in rural Crete. Xylouris became an apprentice of the experienced lyra player Leonidas Klados, and soon started performing in local festivities across Crete. He often performed as a duo with his brother Giannis, who was a trained lute player.
In 1953, Xylouris moved to Heraklion to live on his own. It was the administrative capital of Crete and one of the most populous cities in Greece. The adolescent Xylouris was hired as a music performer by the nightclub Kastron (Greek for "Castle"). He aspired to full financial independence, but soon faced financial hardships. The urban population in Heraklion was not particularly interested in folk music, and Xylouris found himself competing with musicians trained in more fashionable music genres.
In 1958, Xylouris made his first studio recordings. He recorded renditions of the songs "When a woman clad in all black passes by" and "Strong hearts don't cry" for a vinyl single. His wife Ourania provided the supporting vocals for both songs. The recording company had little faith in Xylouris' commercial potential, but the single was a surprise hit. Xylouris started regularly releasing singles, and was eventually able to negotiate for a more lucrative contract.
In 1967, Xylouris became the owner of his own music hall. He named it "Erotokritos", inspired by the title of a famous 17th-century romantic epic poem by the Cretan poet Vitsentzos Kornaros. (1553 - 1613/1614). In 1969, Xylouris gained a wider audience when his song "Weaver" became a country-wide hit. He soon started performing in Athens, where he would eventually move for professional reasons.
While performing in Athens, Xylouris befriended the Cretan film director Errikos Thalassinos. Thalassinos introduced him to the composer Yannis Markopoulos, who had composed several film scores for Thalassinos. The two musicians collaborated on several music projects for the following decade. Xylouris' record company also brought him into contact with the composer Stavros Xarchakos, who was an expatriate in Paris at the time. Xarchakos was also interested in collaborating with Xylouris.
In June 1973, Xylouris was one of the original singers in the satirical theatrical play "Our Great Circus". The play humorously portrayed over a century of events in Greek history, but also criticized the then-dominant Greek junta (1967-1974). Later that year, several of Xylouris' songs were used as protest songs by protesting crowds in Athens. The junta started censoring his songs, and prevented him from performing in public. But the regime collapsed in 1974, and Xylouris' right to perform was restored.
Xylouris continued working on new records until 1978, enjoying commercial success. In May 1979, he was diagnosed as suffering from lung cancer which had metastasized in his brain. Within 1979, Xylouris repeatedly visited New York City for surgical operations and further treatment. His medical expenses were partly covered by the profits of a concert orchestrated on his behalf by Xarchakos. By December 1979, it was realized that the operations had failed to improve his health.
Xylouris spend the early months of 1980 hospitalized in Piraeus. He died there in early February, at the age of 43. He was interred at the First Cemetery of Athens. Several records with his songs were released posthumously during the 1980s, and a number of these songs have continued to enjoy popularity for decades. Xylouris was survived by his wife Ourania, their son Giorgis, and their daughter Rinio.
In 1936, Xylouris was born in the small town of Anogeia, which is perched on the slopes of Mount Ida. Ida is the highest mountain of Crete. In antiquity, Ida was the sacred mountain of the goddess Rhea and the supposed birthplace of Rhea's son, the god Zeus. Xylouris was born into a family of herdsmen and farmers. He was the fourth child and eldest son of Giorgis Xylouris and his wife Eleftheria (her name means "Freedom" in Greek). His younger brothers included the singers Antonis Xylouris (nicknamed "Psarantonis") and Giannis Xylouris (nicknamed "Psarogiannis"). "Psaro" means "Fish" or "Fish-like" in Greek. Xylouris was a grandson of the rebel Antonis Xylouris, who was said to be "slippery as fish" while evading Ottoman authorities. His grandfather was given a fish-like nickname, and the family continued to use the fish as its symbol.
In 1944, Anogeia was razed to the ground by the German occupation forces in Crete. The action was a reprisal for the recent attacks of the Cretan Resistance. Xylouris and his family fled to nearby villages. Following the end of the occupation, the Xylouris family participated in the rebuilding of Anogeia.
In 1948, Xylouris wanted to receive music lessons. He convinced his father to purchase a Cretan lyra for him, a Cretan fiddle analogue. His father agreed but warned him against becoming a professional musician, because professional musicians were held in low esteem in rural Crete. Xylouris became an apprentice of the experienced lyra player Leonidas Klados, and soon started performing in local festivities across Crete. He often performed as a duo with his brother Giannis, who was a trained lute player.
In 1953, Xylouris moved to Heraklion to live on his own. It was the administrative capital of Crete and one of the most populous cities in Greece. The adolescent Xylouris was hired as a music performer by the nightclub Kastron (Greek for "Castle"). He aspired to full financial independence, but soon faced financial hardships. The urban population in Heraklion was not particularly interested in folk music, and Xylouris found himself competing with musicians trained in more fashionable music genres.
In 1958, Xylouris made his first studio recordings. He recorded renditions of the songs "When a woman clad in all black passes by" and "Strong hearts don't cry" for a vinyl single. His wife Ourania provided the supporting vocals for both songs. The recording company had little faith in Xylouris' commercial potential, but the single was a surprise hit. Xylouris started regularly releasing singles, and was eventually able to negotiate for a more lucrative contract.
In 1967, Xylouris became the owner of his own music hall. He named it "Erotokritos", inspired by the title of a famous 17th-century romantic epic poem by the Cretan poet Vitsentzos Kornaros. (1553 - 1613/1614). In 1969, Xylouris gained a wider audience when his song "Weaver" became a country-wide hit. He soon started performing in Athens, where he would eventually move for professional reasons.
While performing in Athens, Xylouris befriended the Cretan film director Errikos Thalassinos. Thalassinos introduced him to the composer Yannis Markopoulos, who had composed several film scores for Thalassinos. The two musicians collaborated on several music projects for the following decade. Xylouris' record company also brought him into contact with the composer Stavros Xarchakos, who was an expatriate in Paris at the time. Xarchakos was also interested in collaborating with Xylouris.
In June 1973, Xylouris was one of the original singers in the satirical theatrical play "Our Great Circus". The play humorously portrayed over a century of events in Greek history, but also criticized the then-dominant Greek junta (1967-1974). Later that year, several of Xylouris' songs were used as protest songs by protesting crowds in Athens. The junta started censoring his songs, and prevented him from performing in public. But the regime collapsed in 1974, and Xylouris' right to perform was restored.
Xylouris continued working on new records until 1978, enjoying commercial success. In May 1979, he was diagnosed as suffering from lung cancer which had metastasized in his brain. Within 1979, Xylouris repeatedly visited New York City for surgical operations and further treatment. His medical expenses were partly covered by the profits of a concert orchestrated on his behalf by Xarchakos. By December 1979, it was realized that the operations had failed to improve his health.
Xylouris spend the early months of 1980 hospitalized in Piraeus. He died there in early February, at the age of 43. He was interred at the First Cemetery of Athens. Several records with his songs were released posthumously during the 1980s, and a number of these songs have continued to enjoy popularity for decades. Xylouris was survived by his wife Ourania, their son Giorgis, and their daughter Rinio.