Manos Loïzos facts for kids

Manos Loïzos (pronounced Mah-nos Loy-zos) was a very important Greek music composer from the 20th century. He created many popular songs that are still loved today.

About Manos Loïzos

Manos Loïzos was born on October 22, 1937, in Alexandria, Egypt. His parents were Greek Cypriot immigrants from a small village in Cyprus. When he was 17, Manos moved to Athens, Greece. He planned to study pharmacology, which is about medicines. However, he soon decided to focus on his real passion: music.

Manos was a self-taught musician. This means he learned music all by himself, without going to a special music school. He started recording his songs in 1963. After 1967, more and more people began to discover his amazing music. By 1975, Manos Loïzos had become one of the most famous artists in Greek music.

He was known for his strong beliefs in social fairness and equality. He often spoke out against the military government that ruled Greece at the time. He was also an active member of the Greek Communist Party. Manos Loïzos passed away on September 17, 1982, in a hospital in Moscow, Soviet Union, after getting very sick. In 2007, Greece honored him by declaring it "Manos Loïzos Year."

His Famous Songs and Collaborations

Manos Loïzos wrote many well-known Greek songs. He worked with many important singers, composers, and lyricists. A lyricist is someone who writes the words for songs. Some of the famous artists he worked with include Mikis Theodorakis, Haris Alexiou, George Dalaras, and Vasilis Papakonstantinou.

His closest friend and most frequent collaborator was Lefteris Papadopoulos. Lefteris wrote the lyrics for many of Manos's biggest hits.

Here are some of Manos Loïzos's most famous songs:

• "Ola se thymizoun" (Everything Reminds Me of You)
• "Jamaica"
• "S' Akoloutho" (I follow you)
• "To Akordeon" (The Accordion)
• "O Dromos" (The Street)
• "Che" (dedicated to Che Guevara)
• "Ah Helidoni mu" (Ah, my swallow)
• "De Tha Ksanagapiso" (I Shall not Love Again)
• "Paporaki tou Burnova" (Little Boat of Burnova)
• "O Koutalianos"
• "Evdokia" (This is an instrumental song, meaning it has no words)
• "Kalimera Ilie" (Goodmorning Sun). This song was used by a political group called PASOK from 1981 to 1989.

In 1985, a huge concert was held to remember Manos Loïzos. More than 50,000 people attended this concert at the Athens Olympic Stadium. Famous singers like George Dalaras and Haris Alexiou performed his songs. Manos Loïzos's music is still very popular in Greece today, enjoyed by people of all ages.

Studio Albums

Manos Loïzos released several studio albums during his career. Here's a look at some of them: