compulsory military service

Description

Αποστολος Νικολαϊδης-Μανα μου με σκοτωσανε ρεμπετικα λαικα τραγουδιστης θεος παναγια καραβια αμερικη οικοδομη φυλακη χασισια φουντες καναβουριες πουλια χελιδονια να χαρω μαγκια σαλονικα αρης παοκ σακιδιο 1999 Apostolos Nikolaidis: Biography Part 1 Apostolos Nikolaidis was born on the day of the Twelve Apostles, June 30, 1938. He was born in Drama, a city in the province of Macedonia in northern Greece. While still a toddler, his parents Giorgos and Maria moved to nearby Thessaloniki, and little Apostolos grew up in the Kato Touba (Sikies) section of the city in relative poverty. Music was always in Apostolos' blood. As a young child, he would sing the popular elafra tragoudia he heard on the radio and whatever songs his mother, a seamstress, taught him. Although his great affinity for singing was obvious from a very young age, upon completing grade school in 1951, he went to work with his father in construction. While doing his part by picking up nails or carrying cement on construction sites, he would sing songs to himself and for anyone who would listen. It was when Apostolos heard songs on the radio sung by Stelios Kazantzidis, a performer he admired greatly, that he realized his calling. Much to his parents' chagrin, he bought a guitar, formed a trio and started to sing around the neighborhood. The youngsters sang the well-known songs of the time, mostly hits performed by popular artists like Kazantzidis and Bithikotsis.After finishing his compulsory military service in 1962, Apostolos took his musical ambitions and set off for Athens and Columbia Records. Columbia was the pre-eminent Greek record company at the time, and most of the country's big performing artists were signed with the label. After introducing himself to the label management, he was able to get an appointment for an audition later in the week at the historic studios in Rizoupoli. Upon his arrival, Apostolos discovered that Kazantzidis himself was in for a recording session. He nervously waited for his idol to finish recording; then, he sang one of Kazantzidis' hits, "Duo portes ehi i zoi," with Kazantzidis still in the studio. Both Kazantzidis and Columbia were impressed and Apostolos was invited to sign a three-year contract with the label. While on the Columbia Records artist roster, Apostolos recorded songs by many of the music industry's top composers at the time, including Manolis Hiotis (a close friend who guided and taught him), Giorgos Lafkas and Apostolos Kaldaras. The first song he recorded, 1962's "Esi me pligoses varia," was written by Lafkas. Other songs Apostolos recorded at the time included Karabesinis' "Maures ipopsies," "Den se thelo gia gineka" by Kaldaras, "Esena eho ki'afto me ftani" by Hiotis, Klouvatos' "Krata to heri mou sfihta" in 1964 and the self-penned "To ematha-to ematha." Concurrently, he performed at now-historic venues such as Anemona alongside Lafkas and Kaldaras, Kouinta, To Hriso Vareli, and at Koulourioti's alongside Kazantzidis and Marinella, where he first became widely-known to the public.