Lavrentis Machairitsas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lavrentis Machairitsas Λαυρέντης Μαχαιρίτσας
Background information
Born	(1956-11-05)5 November 1956
Origin	Nea Ionia, Volos, Thessaly, Greece
Died	9 September 2019(2019-09-09) (aged 62) Volos, Greece
Genres	Rock
Occupation(s)	musician, songwriter
Instruments	guitar, singing
Years active	1982–2019
Associated acts	Termites

Lavrentis Machairitsas (Greek: Λαυρέντης Μαχαιρίτσας) was a well-known Greek rock musician. He was born on November 5, 1956, and passed away on September 9, 2019. Lavrentis came from Volos, a city in Thessaly, Greece.

About Lavrentis Machairitsas

Growing Up

Lavrentis Machairitsas was born in Volos. He started learning to play the piano when he was six years old. These lessons lasted for about a year. When he was nine, he bought his very first music record. It was called Help! by the famous band the Beatles. A few years later, he found another Beatles album called Revolver.

His first job was at a music store. However, he was often late, so he lost that job. Lavrentis did not enjoy school very much. He even got into a fight with one of his teachers. Because of this, he was expelled and could not go to any other high schools. After school, he worked many different jobs and spent 14 months serving in the army.

Starting a Band: Termites

After leaving the army, Lavrentis began singing with a musician named Panos Tzabelas. When he was 20, he formed a band with three friends: Pavlos Kirkilis, Takis Bassalakis, and Antonis Mitzelos. They called their band P.L.J.

They moved to Paris, France, hoping to make a career in music outside of Greece. In 1982, their first album, Armageddon, was released. It had English songs and long musical parts, sounding like art rock or prog rock. This album was not very successful.

For their next album, the band changed their name to Termites. They also started singing in Greek. In 1984, their third album was very popular. This helped them become more well-known. They released their fourth album in 1986. The last album from Termites was "Perimenontas Tin Vrochi" (Waiting For the Rain), released in 1988.

Solo Music Career

Lavrentis Machairitsas started his solo career in 1989. He began writing and performing his own songs. His first solo album was O Magapas Kai I Sagapo. It was not very popular.

However, his next album, Didymoteicho Blues, released in 1991, was a big hit. It even included a famous song with the same name. This album sold so well that it was certified Gold.

In 1993, he released Rixe Kokkino Stin Nichta. Many other artists sang on this album, including Vasilis Papakonstantinou. After this, Lavrentis started working closely with Dionysis Tsaknis. Dionysis is another famous Greek musician. They performed many live concerts together. They even released a live album called H Nyhta Tha To Pei.

In 1995, Lavrentis released Parathyra Pou Kourase I Thea. Many people think this is one of his best albums. He released Pafsilypon in 1996, which also featured many other artists. Three years later, he released Etsi Drapetevo Ap' Tis Parees. This album also had many well-known musicians, especially on the song "Kai Ti Zitao".

Lavrentis also wrote music for the movie Enas Kai Enas. In 2001, he released To Dialeimma Krataei Dyo Zoes. This album included popular songs like "Matia Dihos Logiki" and "Ela Psihoula Mou". In 2002, he wrote music for Giannis Kotsiras' album Xylino Alogaki. His next big release was a two-disc album called Tosa Chronia Mia Anasa in 2007. This album was his first "best of" collection. It included a new song and 34 of his greatest hits.

Lavrentis Machairitsas and Dionysis Tsaknis held many concerts across Greece during the summer. He also performed with other famous Greek singers. These included Eleftheria Arvanitaki, Haris Alexiou, Vasilis Papakonstantinou, Pyx Lax, and Christos Thivaios. Lavrentis continued to create Greek rock music and compose songs throughout his life.

In 2016, Lavrentis performed in New York City. He was part of AKTINA's Greek Music Journey concert series.

His Passing

On September 9, 2019, Lavrentis Machairitsas sadly passed away. He had a heart attack while he was sleeping. He was taken to the hospital in Volos, his hometown. He was pronounced dead at 6:30 AM that day. Lavrentis was 62 years old.

Music Albums