Sotiria Bellou
Encyclopedia
Sotiria Bellou (August 22, 1921 – August 27, 1997) 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. On 14 March 2010, Alpha TV
ranked Bellou the 22nd top-certified female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960).
priest at Shimatari. As a little girl, Sotiria would go to church along with her grandfather and she would absorb the religious sounds and Byzantine hymns
. She began singing at the age of three, and was soon making her own guitars out of wire and wood and playing them. Her father, Kyriakos Bellos, had a grocery store in Neapolis in the northern part of Chalkida. The movie "The little emigree" (I prosphygopoula) featuring the popular singer Sofia Vembo
was the catalyst that pushed her to pursue an artistic career. On hearing of her daughter's ambitions, her mother Eleni beat her because, as a conservative woman of that time, she did not want her daughter to pursue an artistic career. However, her father bought her a guitar and paid for private lessons.
. Her arrival in Athens coincided with World War II
(October 28, 1940 – the day Italy declared war on Greece) and a new challenging period started for Bellou. Her family completely lost touch with her. They found her again after seven years, singing with legendary rebetiko composer Vassilis Tsitsanis
. In the meantime, she had worked as a servant at a wealthy lawyer's house, as a hawker selling pasteli (παστέλι), as a luggage carrier and in many other different jobs. One night she was working as a waitress in a rebetiko club in the Exarheia neighborhood of downtown Athens and sang two songs after a bet with a customer. Kimonas Kapetanakis happened to be there and recognised her genuine talent. He introduced her to Tsitsanis, who instantly became fond of her powerful and melodic voice, and with whom she recorded the first of her many 78 rpm gramophone record
s.
In December 1948, after a beating by a group of right-wingers (see Activism below), she moved from the "Tzimis o Hontros" club to the "Panagaki" where she worked with the legendary Markos Vamvakaris
.
She sang in the best music clubs of Athens such as the Rosiniol, Tzimis o Hontros, Hydra, Triana, Falirikon and many more.
As the times changed, and rebetiko was no longer sought after, Sotiria, like many other artists of her generation, found very little work in night clubs.The mid 1960s brought with them a sense of cultural awakening, and a new-found interest in rebetiko among young people, which peaked in the 1980s. Suddenly, people couldn't get enough of the surviving rebetes, and Sotiria, with her deep voice, full of emotion and pride, was heard on many recordings, and helped usher in a new era for rebetiko.
against the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. She was caught by the Nazis, tortured and then put into prison. In 1944 she participated in the Dekemvriana
as a member of the National People's Liberation Army (Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos, or ELAS). During the civil war she supported the leftists and she was caught at least once and kept in detention.
Members of extreme right groups never forgave her political stance and her participation in the Dekemvriana and in one incident they visited the club "Tzimis o hontros" where she was singing on stage with Peristeris, Kasimatis, Keromytis, Stelios, Roukounas and Tourkakis, and demanded that she sing a famous right wing song. After her refusal she was beaten by some six members of the royalist group X, also known as 'Chites' (Χίτες), who threatened to kill her and called her "vulgara" (communist). Years afterwards she still expressed her grievance that not one man from those in the club and none of her colleagues stood up to defend her.
. She appealed and her sentence was reduced to six months. After paying for bail, she returned to her home town where she was treated with hostility and was often beaten by her relatives for the embarrassment that she supposedly brought to her family.
In her personal life, she had two big weaknesses: gambling and alcohol, which eventually led her to poverty and caused her mental problems. She was treated in a psychiatric clinic on at least one occasion. Sotiria was openly
a lesbian
in a time when this was practically unheard of.
on August 27, 1997 and she was buried according to her request in the First Cemetery of Athens
next to Vassilis Tsitsanis
.
who would burst into tears each time he listened to her unique voice. Paradoxically, the government never honoured her during her lifetime, perhaps due to her controversial personality. Only after her death she was acknowledged as one of the most original voices of rebetiko that Greece has ever produced.
Sotiria with her deep voice, full of emotion and pride, her struggle and honesty, even when it came to admitting her passion for gambling and women, ensured herself a place not only in the rebetiko charts, but also in the hearts and minds of those whom she touched during her lifetime, and of those whom she continues to inspire.
Her biography was published in 1998 under the title "Sotiria Bellou - Pote dortia pote exares". The author of the biography also wrote a theatrical play by the title "Sotiria me lene", a production sponsored in 2008 by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and starring Lida Protopsalti.
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
singer and performer of the Greek rebetiko
Rebetiko
Rebetiko, plural rebetika, , occasionally transliterated as Rembetiko, is a term used today to designate originally disparate kinds of urban Greek folk music which have come to be grouped together since the so-called rebetika revival, which started in the 1960s and developed further from the early...
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. On 14 March 2010, Alpha TV
Alpha TV
Alpha TV is a Greek terrestrial channel . The station features a mix of Greek and foreign shows with an emphasis on entertainment programs. The studios are located near Athens...
ranked Bellou the 22nd top-certified female artist in the nation's phonographic era (since 1960).
Early years
Bellou was born in Halia (now called Drosia, part of the town of Chalkida) on the island of Euboia. She was the oldest of five siblings of a wealthy family. Her grandfather Sotiris Papasotiriou, after whom she was named and who was particularly fond of her, was an OrthodoxEastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
priest at Shimatari. As a little girl, Sotiria would go to church along with her grandfather and she would absorb the religious sounds and Byzantine hymns
Byzantine music
Byzantine music is the music of the Byzantine Empire composed to Greek texts as ceremonial, festival, or church music. Greek and foreign historians agree that the ecclesiastical tones and in general the whole system of Byzantine music is closely related to the ancient Greek system...
. She began singing at the age of three, and was soon making her own guitars out of wire and wood and playing them. Her father, Kyriakos Bellos, had a grocery store in Neapolis in the northern part of Chalkida. The movie "The little emigree" (I prosphygopoula) featuring the popular singer Sofia Vembo
Sofia Vembo
Sofia Vembo was a leading Greek singer and actress active from the interwar period to the early postwar years and the 50s. She became best known for her performance of patriotic songs during the Greco-Italian War, when she was dubbed the "Songstress of Victory".Her real name was Efi Bebo...
was the catalyst that pushed her to pursue an artistic career. On hearing of her daughter's ambitions, her mother Eleni beat her because, as a conservative woman of that time, she did not want her daughter to pursue an artistic career. However, her father bought her a guitar and paid for private lessons.
Career
In 1940 she decided to move to AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. Her arrival in Athens coincided with World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(October 28, 1940 – the day Italy declared war on Greece) and a new challenging period started for Bellou. Her family completely lost touch with her. They found her again after seven years, singing with legendary rebetiko composer Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetika. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary bouzouki...
. In the meantime, she had worked as a servant at a wealthy lawyer's house, as a hawker selling pasteli (παστέλι), as a luggage carrier and in many other different jobs. One night she was working as a waitress in a rebetiko club in the Exarheia neighborhood of downtown Athens and sang two songs after a bet with a customer. Kimonas Kapetanakis happened to be there and recognised her genuine talent. He introduced her to Tsitsanis, who instantly became fond of her powerful and melodic voice, and with whom she recorded the first of her many 78 rpm gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
s.
In December 1948, after a beating by a group of right-wingers (see Activism below), she moved from the "Tzimis o Hontros" club to the "Panagaki" where she worked with the legendary Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris
Markos Vamvakaris , was a rebetiko musician. He is universally referred to by rebetiko writers and fans simply by his first name, Markos...
.
She sang in the best music clubs of Athens such as the Rosiniol, Tzimis o Hontros, Hydra, Triana, Falirikon and many more.
As the times changed, and rebetiko was no longer sought after, Sotiria, like many other artists of her generation, found very little work in night clubs.The mid 1960s brought with them a sense of cultural awakening, and a new-found interest in rebetiko among young people, which peaked in the 1980s. Suddenly, people couldn't get enough of the surviving rebetes, and Sotiria, with her deep voice, full of emotion and pride, was heard on many recordings, and helped usher in a new era for rebetiko.
Works
During her long career from 1941 to 1976 she collaborated with the best composers of rebetiko. Some of her greatest hits were:- Synefiasmeni Kyriakh (Συννεφιασμένη Κυριακή) (Cloudy Sunday) by Vassilis TsitsanisVassilis TsitsanisVassilis Tsitsanis was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetika. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary bouzouki...
- Kavourakia (Καβουράκια) by Vassilis Tsitsanis
- Otan pineis stihn taverna (Όταν πίνεις στην ταβέρνα) by Vassilis Tsitsanis
- Kane ligaki ypomoni (Κάνε λιγάκι υπομονή) by Vassilis Tsitsanis
- Pos tha perasei i vradia (Πώς θα περάσει η βραδιά) by Yannis Papaioannou
- Kane kourayio kardia mou (Κάνε κουράγιο καρδιά μου) by Yannis Papaioannou
- Anoixe, anoixe (Άνοιξε, άνοιξε) by Yannis Papaioannou
- O naftis (Ο ναύτης) by Giorgos Mitsakis
- To svisto fanari (Το σβηστό φανάρι) by Mitsakis
- Eipa na sviso ta palia (Είπα να σβήσω τα παλιά) by Apostolos Kaldaras
- Laiko Tsigaro (Λαϊκό τσιγάρο) by Apostolos Kaldaras
Activism
Bellou was not only a talented singer, but also a political activist. Having such an opinionated and strong personality, she joined the Greek ResistanceGreek Resistance
The Greek Resistance is the blanket term for a number of armed and unarmed groups from across the political spectrum that resisted the Axis Occupation of Greece in the period 1941–1944, during World War II.-Origins:...
against the Axis occupation of Greece during World War II. She was caught by the Nazis, tortured and then put into prison. In 1944 she participated in the Dekemvriana
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
as a member of the National People's Liberation Army (Ethnikos Laikos Apeleftherotikos Stratos, or ELAS). During the civil war she supported the leftists and she was caught at least once and kept in detention.
Members of extreme right groups never forgave her political stance and her participation in the Dekemvriana and in one incident they visited the club "Tzimis o hontros" where she was singing on stage with Peristeris, Kasimatis, Keromytis, Stelios, Roukounas and Tourkakis, and demanded that she sing a famous right wing song. After her refusal she was beaten by some six members of the royalist group X, also known as 'Chites' (Χίτες), who threatened to kill her and called her "vulgara" (communist). Years afterwards she still expressed her grievance that not one man from those in the club and none of her colleagues stood up to defend her.
Personal life
In 1938, at the age of 17 she met her future husband Vangelis Trimouras, a bus conductor. Her father arranged her marriage despite her objections because he thought that her husband could tame her. Their wedding lasted for only six months as he reportedly abused her, even causing her a miscarriage. Being a hot-blooded woman, during one of their fights she reacted by throwing vitriol, a corrosive acid, in his face. She was sentenced to three years and three months imprisonment. She spent three months in prison at Chalkida before the trial and one month at the Averof prison in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
. She appealed and her sentence was reduced to six months. After paying for bail, she returned to her home town where she was treated with hostility and was often beaten by her relatives for the embarrassment that she supposedly brought to her family.
In her personal life, she had two big weaknesses: gambling and alcohol, which eventually led her to poverty and caused her mental problems. She was treated in a psychiatric clinic on at least one occasion. Sotiria was openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
in a time when this was practically unheard of.
Illness and Death
Although she was particularly admired by artists, critics, and the public, she was alone and ignored towards the end of her life. Only a handful of people supported her in the last stages of her year-long fight with cancer. She died in AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
on August 27, 1997 and she was buried according to her request in the First Cemetery of Athens
First Cemetery of Athens
The First Cemetery of Athens is the official cemetery of the City of Athens and the first to be built. It opened in 1837 and soon became a luxurious cemetery for famous Greek people and foreigners....
next to Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis
Vassilis Tsitsanis was a Greek songwriter and bouzouki player. He became one of the leading Greek composers of his time and is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern Rebetika. Tsitsanis wrote more than 500 songs and is still remembered as an extraordinary bouzouki...
.
Legacy
Her talent has attracted many celebrities and she had many famous fans. Among them was the famous Greek painter Yannis TsarouchisYannis Tsarouchis
-Early life:Born in Piraeus, he studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts . He was also a student of Photios Kontoglou, who introduced him to Byzantine iconography, while he also studied popular architecture and dressing customs...
who would burst into tears each time he listened to her unique voice. Paradoxically, the government never honoured her during her lifetime, perhaps due to her controversial personality. Only after her death she was acknowledged as one of the most original voices of rebetiko that Greece has ever produced.
Sotiria with her deep voice, full of emotion and pride, her struggle and honesty, even when it came to admitting her passion for gambling and women, ensured herself a place not only in the rebetiko charts, but also in the hearts and minds of those whom she touched during her lifetime, and of those whom she continues to inspire.
Her biography was published in 1998 under the title "Sotiria Bellou - Pote dortia pote exares". The author of the biography also wrote a theatrical play by the title "Sotiria me lene", a production sponsored in 2008 by the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation (ERT) and starring Lida Protopsalti.