Dimitris Mitropanos
Encyclopedia
Dimitris Mitropanos (born 2 April 1948) is a Greek singer. He is renowned for his mastery of Laïkó
, a Greek music style.
in northwest Thessaly
until the age of 16, beginning his musical career in 1964.
He has worked with some of the best known Greek
composers, such as Mikis Theodorakis
, Stavros Xarhakos
, Madra Mandicencio, Manos Hadjidakis
, Marios Tokas
and Thanos Mikroutsikos
, and has been one of the top performers of Greek popular music for over four decades.
Mitropanos has been known to be a heavy smoker, which is evident from the way his voice has progressively changed over the course of his career.
, whom he met at a gathering of his uncle's company, where he sang, he visited Columbia. There, Takis Lampropoulos introduced him το Giorgos Zampetas
, with whom will work alongside at "Ksimeromata". Dimitris Mitropanos considers Giorgos Zampetas
as a great teacher and a second father to himself. As stated, the Zambetas is the only man in the song which helped me not to expect anything. With all my other colleagues got something and gave something». During 1966 Mitropanos meets Mikis Theodorakis
and sings the parties "Romiosini "and" Axion Esti "in a series of concerts in Greece
and Cyprus
.
In 1967, Mitropanos records his first album with the song "Thessaloniki". This followed the recording of "Chameni Paschalia", a song that was censored by the Greek military junta thus never released.
In the course mapped out on the street of folk art song, 1972 is a milestone. The composer Dimos Moutsis and the lyricist and poet Manos Eleftheriou release "Agios Fevrouarios" with Mitropanos and Petris Salpeas as the song's performers, marking a milestone in Greek music. In July 1999, Mitropanos and Moutsis will meet again on stage at the "Odeon" with Dimitra Galani and the soprano Julia Souglakou for two nights at the Athens Festival. The concerts were recorded live and released in a double CD two months later. George Katsaros's "The Road to Cythera" and Giorgos Hatzinasios's "Ta Sinaxaria" follow suit, projects of high quality with a high profile in Greek society.
In a long career in the Greek song industry
, Dimitris Mitropanos collaborated with leading artists of the Laïko
and Éntekhno
music. Giorgos Zampetas
, Mikis Theodorakis
, Dimos Moutsis, Apostolos Kaldaras, Takis Mousafiris, Christos Nikolopoulos ("Pare Apofaseis" with lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos
), Yannis Spanos were composers with whom Mitropanos collaborated, building a career intertwined with the Laïko
tradition, until the late 80s.
Following his performance at Radio City, Mitropanos cancelled the remainder of his North American tour. Greek news outlets such as ERT reported that Mitropanos was apparently ill and could not finish his tour.
Laïkó
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
, a Greek music style.
Biography
Mitropanos lived in his native city of TrikalaTrikala
Trikala is a city in northwestern Thessaly, Greece. It is the capital of the Trikala peripheral unit, and is located NW of Athens, NW, of Karditsa, E of Ioannina and Metsovo, S of Grevena, SW of Thessaloniki, and W of Larissa...
in northwest Thessaly
Thessaly
Thessaly is a traditional geographical region and an administrative region of Greece, comprising most of the ancient region of the same name. Before the Greek Dark Ages, Thessaly was known as Aeolia, and appears thus in Homer's Odyssey....
until the age of 16, beginning his musical career in 1964.
He has worked with some of the best known Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
composers, such as Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
, Stavros Xarhakos
Stavros Xarhakos
Stavros Litras is a Greek composer and conductor.Stavros Xarchakos was born in Athens, where he studied at the Athens Conservatoire. He emerged in the Greek music scene around 1963, composing music for the theatre and cinema...
, Madra Mandicencio, Manos Hadjidakis
Manos Hadjidakis
Manos Hatzidakis was a Greek composer and theorist of the Greek music. He was also one of the main prime movers of the "Éntekhno" song ....
, Marios Tokas
Marios Tokas
Marios Tokas Greek composer of traditional music born in Limassol, Cyprus. In the 1974 invasion, he fought as a soldier against the Turkish invadors. In 1975 he went to Athens in order to study in the philosophical school. At the same time, he studied in the Ethniko Odio because he wanted to...
and Thanos Mikroutsikos
Thanos Mikroutsikos
Athanasios Mikroutsikos was born in Patras, Greece and is one of the leading composers of popular and classical music in his home country. He studied music theory and piano at the Patras Philharmonic Society and at the Greek Conservatory and continued under Yiannis A. Papaioannou...
, and has been one of the top performers of Greek popular music for over four decades.
Mitropanos has been known to be a heavy smoker, which is evident from the way his voice has progressively changed over the course of his career.
Early years
From an early age he worked summers to help his family financially. First as a waiter in his uncle's restaurant and later at ribbon cutting wood. After the third grade of junior high, in 1964, he went to Athens to live with his uncle in the Acharnon street. Before finishing high school he began working as a singer.Career
At the same age, after the encouragement of Grigoris BithikotsisGrigoris Bithikotsis
Grigoris Bithikotsis was a popular Greek folk singer/songwriter with a career spanning five decades.-Biography:...
, whom he met at a gathering of his uncle's company, where he sang, he visited Columbia. There, Takis Lampropoulos introduced him το Giorgos Zampetas
Giorgos Zampetas
Giorgos Zampetas was a well-known bouzouki musician. He was born on January 25, 1925 in Athens but his origins are from Kythnos. He died on March 10, 1992 in Athens.-Early years:...
, with whom will work alongside at "Ksimeromata". Dimitris Mitropanos considers Giorgos Zampetas
Giorgos Zampetas
Giorgos Zampetas was a well-known bouzouki musician. He was born on January 25, 1925 in Athens but his origins are from Kythnos. He died on March 10, 1992 in Athens.-Early years:...
as a great teacher and a second father to himself. As stated, the Zambetas is the only man in the song which helped me not to expect anything. With all my other colleagues got something and gave something». During 1966 Mitropanos meets Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
and sings the parties "Romiosini "and" Axion Esti "in a series of concerts in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
.
In 1967, Mitropanos records his first album with the song "Thessaloniki". This followed the recording of "Chameni Paschalia", a song that was censored by the Greek military junta thus never released.
In the course mapped out on the street of folk art song, 1972 is a milestone. The composer Dimos Moutsis and the lyricist and poet Manos Eleftheriou release "Agios Fevrouarios" with Mitropanos and Petris Salpeas as the song's performers, marking a milestone in Greek music. In July 1999, Mitropanos and Moutsis will meet again on stage at the "Odeon" with Dimitra Galani and the soprano Julia Souglakou for two nights at the Athens Festival. The concerts were recorded live and released in a double CD two months later. George Katsaros's "The Road to Cythera" and Giorgos Hatzinasios's "Ta Sinaxaria" follow suit, projects of high quality with a high profile in Greek society.
In a long career in the Greek song industry
Music of Greece
The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music, with more eastern sounds...
, Dimitris Mitropanos collaborated with leading artists of the Laïko
Laïko
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
and Éntekhno
Music of Greece
The music of Greece is as diverse and celebrated as its history. Greek music separates into two parts: Greek traditional music and Byzantine music, with more eastern sounds...
music. Giorgos Zampetas
Giorgos Zampetas
Giorgos Zampetas was a well-known bouzouki musician. He was born on January 25, 1925 in Athens but his origins are from Kythnos. He died on March 10, 1992 in Athens.-Early years:...
, Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis
Mikis Theodorakis is one of the most renowned Greek songwriters and composers. Internationally, he is probably best known for his songs and for his scores for the films Zorba the Greek , Z , and Serpico .Politically, he identified with the left until the late 1980s; in 1989, he ran as an...
, Dimos Moutsis, Apostolos Kaldaras, Takis Mousafiris, Christos Nikolopoulos ("Pare Apofaseis" with lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos
Lefteris Papadopoulos
Lefteris Papadopoulos is a Greek lyricist, writer and journalist.Lefteris Papadopoulos was born in Athens, Greece on 14 November 1935. He is the son of Greek refugees from the Asia Minor and Russia. He enrolled at the Law School of the University of Athens but he stopped during the third year in...
), Yannis Spanos were composers with whom Mitropanos collaborated, building a career intertwined with the Laïko
Laïko
Laïkó ), is a Greek music genre. Also called folk song or urban folk music , in its plural form is a Greek music genre which has taken many forms over the years...
tradition, until the late 80s.
Recent Performances
In 2010, Mitropanos performed a North American Tour for the first time in over 10 years since his last visit to the United States. During his tour, he performed a concert on July 1, 2010 at Radio City Music Hall in front of a near capacity crowd. He performed many of his famous songs that were written in the earlier stages of his career as well more recent songs that continue to be popular among Greeks, such as "Ρόζα," "Πάντα γελαστοί,"Tα Λαδαδικα," and many more. It was at this concert that he was accompanied by Greek folk singer Margarita Zorbala, whose music is well known in Greece. Mitropanos concluded his concert with a passionate performance of his famous song "Αλίμονο," with all in attendance giving him a standing ovation as he walked off the stage. As is commonplace among Greeks to show appreciation for a singer's performance at the conclusion of a concert, chants of "kialo" followed, meaning "more."Following his performance at Radio City, Mitropanos cancelled the remainder of his North American tour. Greek news outlets such as ERT reported that Mitropanos was apparently ill and could not finish his tour.
Notable songs
- Σ'αναζητώ στη Σαλονίκη (S'anazito sti Saloniki [Searching for you in salonika])
- Η Ρόζα (I Roza [Rose])
- Tα Λαδαδικα (Ta Ladadika [The greasy sites])
- Έρχονται βράδια (Erhonte vradia [Some nights come])
- Πάντα γελαστοί (Panta gelastoi [Always smiling])
- Σβήσε το φεγγάρι (svise to feggari [Switch off the moon])
- Αλίμονο ("Alimono" ["Alas"])