Stavros Damianides
Encyclopedia
Stavros Damianides was a musician
(bouzouki soloist
). He was born in Thessaloniki
, Greece
and died in Perth
, Western Australia
.
Stavros, an orphan from the age of five, was forced to work to feed a family of eight. His last memory of his father Kosmas Damianides, he recalls, was walking behind him and placing his own feet in his muddy footprints. Stavros was brought up in a village in Greece (Milea Aridea). He worked incrdibly hard and went through great hardships. At a time that bouzouki
playing was of ill repute, normally restricted to the underground slums, Stavros could not resist learning how to play the bouzouki purely out of interest and love for music. The bouzouki soon became very popular worldwide and was recognised as Greece's national musical instrument.
At the age of 8 Stavros made his first bouzouki out of an old tin can and secretly taught himself how to play. When his hidden talent was revealed, he was very popular amongst his friends and neighbours. He was employed to play bouzouki at their baptisms, weddings and other feasts and festivals. When older, he would afford to buy his very own bouzouki and he would travel to other towns and villages in his community.
After serving in the Hellenic Army
, he embarked on a professional musical career, touring around the Mediterranean Sea
and playing with popular Greek artists such as Stathis Kazantzidis, Trio Bel Canto, Sotiria Bellou
, Spiros Zagoreos, Giota Lidia and many such rising stars.
After touring Greece
, Yugoslavia
, Cyprus
, the Middle East
, Lebanon
, Israel
and Egypt
, Stavros then migrated to Australia
in the late 1960s on the RHMS Patris, due to his wish of establishing himself there, but his obligations to his family led him elsewhere and so Stavros laid his career aside temporarily. However, he was later actively playing in live venues in Tasmania
, Melbourne
, Sydney
, Adelaide
, Darwin
and finally Perth
, the place he called home.
Through this brave move to Australia, the talented Stavros brought a renewed bouzouki-playing culture with him. Considered to be one of the best bouzouki players to set foot in Australia, Stavros quickly made a name for himself. He was offered business and music
contracts with popular Australian record companies including Virgin, EMI
, ABC
but he declined. His choice not to record was centered on the values of traditional artists who feel their work is an experience for people to enjoy. If he talked with his bouzouki then it wasn't a monologue it was a dialogue between him and his audience. When asked why he enjoyed playing, Stavros would respond "My greatest reward is to see people enjoying themselves when I play".
Stavros, like many other great Australian bouzouki players in Australia, never produced any records or albums but preferred to play for enjoyment and good company. He was admired by many musicians and he inspired many Bouzouki players in Western Australia and in other Australian states. The humble Stavros was a mentor to many Greek Bouzouki players who sought to break away from mainstream styles. Stavros enjoyed the family orientated lifestyle, and often refused to play if the atmosphere was not family friendly.
After travelling to Greece and all of Australia, Lucas Lucas offered Stavros a restaurant partnership with the Lucas Brothers in Perth. Stavros moved to Perth, Western Australia and was immediately noticed there for his exceptional skills. He would from that point onward consider Perth his home.
Stavros was also a teacher of bouzouki. He had only a few students who have become very skilled in bouzouki playing. Stavros has written many songs and poems, most of which have yet to be published. Stavros was often called the Jimi Hendrix
of Greek bouzouki due to his brilliant theatrical techniques.
Stavros introduced to Australian music the Greek and Middle Eastern rhythms and scales called dromous. The dromo is a stepped scale pattern that varies in notes according to the rhythm making it possible to have multiple dromous of the same key but distinctly different in sound. This dromo is an ancient Greek view on how music should be played and was one of the things he taught in his classes as well as playing live. Various contemporary songs and bands produced in Australia borrowed and were inspired by his highly active live performance career.
Aside from being a musician he was also responsible for contributing to the formation of a small Greek community group in Perth and for his leading role as one of the original seven members of the Pontian Brotherhood of Saint George Western Australia. The community brought together Anatolian Greeks in general and Pontic Greeks
in particular which served to keep alive various aspects of ancient Greek Culture and Music whilst still preserving the Christian ethos and values of the Greek Orthodox Church
. The Pontian Brotherhood flourished under his presidency (1988–2001) and later grew to include over five hundred members.
Stavros died suddenly of a massive heart-attack in January 2001 at the age of 59. He was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth.
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
(bouzouki soloist
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
). He was born in Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and died in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
.
Stavros, an orphan from the age of five, was forced to work to feed a family of eight. His last memory of his father Kosmas Damianides, he recalls, was walking behind him and placing his own feet in his muddy footprints. Stavros was brought up in a village in Greece (Milea Aridea). He worked incrdibly hard and went through great hardships. At a time that bouzouki
Bouzouki
The bouzouki , is a musical instrument with Greek origin in the lute family. A mainstay of modern Greek music, the front of the body is flat and is usually heavily inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The instrument is played with a plectrum and has a sharp metallic sound, reminiscent of a mandolin but...
playing was of ill repute, normally restricted to the underground slums, Stavros could not resist learning how to play the bouzouki purely out of interest and love for music. The bouzouki soon became very popular worldwide and was recognised as Greece's national musical instrument.
At the age of 8 Stavros made his first bouzouki out of an old tin can and secretly taught himself how to play. When his hidden talent was revealed, he was very popular amongst his friends and neighbours. He was employed to play bouzouki at their baptisms, weddings and other feasts and festivals. When older, he would afford to buy his very own bouzouki and he would travel to other towns and villages in his community.
After serving in the Hellenic Army
Hellenic Army
The Hellenic Army , formed in 1828, is the land force of Greece.The motto of the Hellenic Army is , "Freedom Stems from Valor", from Thucydides's History of the Peloponnesian War...
, he embarked on a professional musical career, touring around the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
and playing with popular Greek artists such as Stathis Kazantzidis, Trio Bel Canto, Sotiria Bellou
Sotiria Bellou
Sotiria Bellou was a famous Greek singer and performer of the Greek rebetiko style of music. She was one of the most famous rebetisas of all, mentioned in many music guides, and a contributor to the 1984 British Documentary entitled Music of the Outsiders...
, Spiros Zagoreos, Giota Lidia and many such rising stars.
After touring Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, 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...
, the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Stavros then migrated to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in the late 1960s on the RHMS Patris, due to his wish of establishing himself there, but his obligations to his family led him elsewhere and so Stavros laid his career aside temporarily. However, he was later actively playing in live venues in Tasmania
Tasmania
Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, Darwin
Darwin, Northern Territory
Darwin is the capital city of the Northern Territory, Australia. Situated on the Timor Sea, Darwin has a population of 127,500, making it by far the largest and most populated city in the sparsely populated Northern Territory, but the least populous of all Australia's capital cities...
and finally Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, the place he called home.
Through this brave move to Australia, the talented Stavros brought a renewed bouzouki-playing culture with him. Considered to be one of the best bouzouki players to set foot in Australia, Stavros quickly made a name for himself. He was offered business and music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
contracts with popular Australian record companies including Virgin, EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
, ABC
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
but he declined. His choice not to record was centered on the values of traditional artists who feel their work is an experience for people to enjoy. If he talked with his bouzouki then it wasn't a monologue it was a dialogue between him and his audience. When asked why he enjoyed playing, Stavros would respond "My greatest reward is to see people enjoying themselves when I play".
After travelling to Greece and all of Australia, Lucas Lucas offered Stavros a restaurant partnership with the Lucas Brothers in Perth. Stavros moved to Perth, Western Australia and was immediately noticed there for his exceptional skills. He would from that point onward consider Perth his home.
Stavros was also a teacher of bouzouki. He had only a few students who have become very skilled in bouzouki playing. Stavros has written many songs and poems, most of which have yet to be published. Stavros was often called the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
of Greek bouzouki due to his brilliant theatrical techniques.
Stavros introduced to Australian music the Greek and Middle Eastern rhythms and scales called dromous. The dromo is a stepped scale pattern that varies in notes according to the rhythm making it possible to have multiple dromous of the same key but distinctly different in sound. This dromo is an ancient Greek view on how music should be played and was one of the things he taught in his classes as well as playing live. Various contemporary songs and bands produced in Australia borrowed and were inspired by his highly active live performance career.
Aside from being a musician he was also responsible for contributing to the formation of a small Greek community group in Perth and for his leading role as one of the original seven members of the Pontian Brotherhood of Saint George Western Australia. The community brought together Anatolian Greeks in general and Pontic Greeks
Pontic Greeks
The Pontians are an ethnic group traditionally living in the Pontus region, the shores of Turkey's Black Sea...
in particular which served to keep alive various aspects of ancient Greek Culture and Music whilst still preserving the Christian ethos and values of the Greek Orthodox Church
Church of Greece
The Church of Greece , part of the wider Greek Orthodox Church, is one of the autocephalous churches which make up the communion of Orthodox Christianity...
. The Pontian Brotherhood flourished under his presidency (1988–2001) and later grew to include over five hundred members.
Stavros died suddenly of a massive heart-attack in January 2001 at the age of 59. He was buried in Karrakatta Cemetery in Perth.