Stelios Kazantzidis' family home (Alaias 33, Nea Ionia)

33 Alaias street, Nea Ionia, Greece.





That's where the family home of one of the greatest voices that existed in this world (the best ever in my opinion) is located. The family home of Stelios Kazantzidis.

The street is named after the city of Alanya, based on its former name Alaiye. Stelios' parents left Asia Minor and came to Greece, following the Ponitc genocide and the Catastrophe of Smyrna in 1922. Nea Ionia itself is named after Ionia, the Asia Minor's region which Greeks left after the genocide.

The video at the top of this article takes you to his home and his neighborhood, where he lived several years of his life. Two songs are used as a background music for the video: A rehearsal of the song "Nea Ionia" (Lyrics: Pythagoras / Music: Christos Nikolopoulos), which is a tribute to his birthplace and "I became a fugitive", an unreleased song, based on the music of his song "Stop making questions" ("Papse na rotas"), a composition of Stelios himself and Giannis Vasilopoulos. Don't forget to enable the subtitles, so you can see the translation and the transliteration of the lyrics, synchronized with Stelios' performance. I also quote the lyrics' translation and transliteration, along with the original Greek text here, for the readers' convenience:

Nea Ionia / Νέα Ιωνία

Lyrics / Στίχοι: Pythagoras / Πυθαγόρας
Music / Μουσική: Christos Nikolopoulos / Χρήστος Νικολόπουλος

Ftochia mou Nea Ionia
Φτωχιά μου Νέα Ιωνία
My poor Nea Ionia

sta matia sou eida to fos
στα μάτια σου είδα το φως
I saw the light into your eyes

stous dromous kai sta kafeneia
στους δρόμους και στα καφενεία
in the streets and in the coffeehouses

o kathe filos aderfos
ο κάθε φίλος αδερφός
every friend [is] a brother

(Refrain / Ρεφρέν)
Kai mou kanane sekonto
Και μου κάνανε σεκόντο
And they were singing backing vocals for me

sti ftochi mou tin avli
στη φτωχή μου την αυλή
in my poor yard

dyo gerontoi ap' ton Ponto
δυο γερόντοι απ' τον Πόντο
two old men from Pontus

mia grioula ap' t ' Aïvali
μια γριούλα απ' τ ' Αϊβαλί
an old lady from Ayvalık

---

Egina Fygas (I Became a Fugitive) / Έγινα φυγάς

Egina fygas - egina fygas
Έγινα φυγάς - έγινα φυγάς
I became a fugitive - I became a fugitive

pira tis siopis ti strata kai tis monaxias
πήρα της σιωπής τη στράτα και της μοναξιάς
I took the path of silence and loneliness

M' echoun katatrexei filoi kai gnostoi
Μ' έχουν κατατρέξει φίλοι και γνωστοί
Friends and acquaintances have come after me

ki opou eicha pistepsei echo gelastei
κι όπου είχα πιστέψει έχω γελαστεί
and I've gotten cheated from whatever I've believed

T' adiko den pavei na me kyniga
Τ' άδικο δεν παύει να με κυνηγά
Injustice doesn't stop chasing me

moira ki anthropoi m' ekanan fyga
μοίρα και ανθρώποι μ' έκαναν φυγά
fate and people made me a fugitive

Egina fygas - egina fygas
Έγινα φυγάς - έγινα φυγάς
I became a fugitive - I became a fugitive

exaitias tis kakias kai tis aponias
εξαιτίας της κακίας και της απονιάς
because of the wickedness and heartlessness

Egina fygas - egina fygas
Έγινα φυγάς - έγινα φυγάς
I became a fugitive - I became a fugitive

ki echo to Stavro stous omous tis apelpisias
κι έχω το Σταυρό στους ώμους της απελπισιάς
and I'm carrying the Cross of despair on my shoulders

Kathe gnorimia mia lavomatia
Κάθε γνωριμία μια λαβωματιά
Each acquaintance [is] a wound

erotas, filia plani kai pseftia
έρωτας, φιλία πλάνη και ψευτιά
love, friendship [are] fallacy and falsehood

Edosa agapi mou 'dosan orgi
Έδωσα αγάπη μου 'δωσαν οργή
I gave love and they gave me rage

ki allo den mou menei para i fygi
κι άλλο δεν μου μένει παρά η φυγή
and nothing else remains for me but fleeing

Egina fygas - egina fygas
Έγινα φυγάς - έγινα φυγάς
I became a fugitive - I became a fugitive

exaitias tis kakias kai tis aponias
εξαιτίας της κακίας και της απονιάς
because of the wickedness and heartlessness

Stelios became the family's breadwinner, after he was orphaned from his father when he was just 13, in order to support his mother and his baby brother, Stathis.

He recorded his first song in 1952, titled "I'm going for a swim" ("Gia mpanio pao"). The lyricist and also the composer of his first song was Apostolos Kaldaras, a man with a successful journey in Greek laiko music.

The same year the song "The suitcases" ("Oi valitses") (also known as "I don't want you to be harmed" - "De thelo to kako sou") was released. The great success of the song was the start of his unparalleled career that lasted for 5 decades, till his death in 2001.

Stelios was the singer who shaped Greek laiko music. He worked with many famous lyricists and composers of his era and offered his unbeatable voice to a great number of songs, for which I dare to say that many times reach a philosophical depth, always expressed with simple words and vivid pictures. He was a singer who always took the selection of the songs he would release seriously. He only chose songs that were expressing great meanings and important ideas. He chose songs that were speaking directly to the hearts of his audience, to their most pure and genuine emotions.

Undoubtedly, his voice had unlimited technical capabilities. What makes him a legend though isn't only his flawless, godsend voice, but his lifestyle and ethics, which were in harmony with the values he expressed through his songs. He always led a humble, law profile life, consistent with the ideas he "preached" about life.

In 1966, during the zenith of his career, he stopped public appearances, disappointed from the situation that was taking over nightlife. Night clubs were governed by thugs and mafias and their audience had shifted to nouveau rich people who were visiting night clubs in order to show off. Stelios promised to himself that he would never sing at a night club again, a promise that he kept till the end of his life, even by declining numerous huge monetary offers.

In 1975 he recorded the disk "I Exist" ("Yparcho"), which would be his last one for over a decade. When the disk was presented in a show of the Greek public television, the roads of Athens got deserted. Everyone rushed home in order not to miss Stelios' rare television appearance.

 After a dispute with his label, Minos, Kazantzidis released his next record in 1987, after 12 years of silence, maintaining an unbreakable stance against the company's monopoly practices. The new record was also published by Minos and was the last one with that label. The title was "On the way back" ("Ston dromo tis epistrofis"), referring to his comeback in discography.

 Taking advantage of a new law Kazantzidis terminated his 12 year contract with Minos and switched labels. His next record in 1988 was symbolically titled "Free" ("Eleftheros"), signaling the artist's freedom after a long era of silencing.

The last song he ever recorded was "Hard times ahead" ("Erhontai hronia dyskola") , a prophetic song about the future of the humanity. During the same recording, he recorded a short speech, thanking his audience for considering him a friend and calling him by his first name, as they did with their close friends and stated that he also considers them his friends too. He also thanked his audience for understanding the meaning and the messages of his songs.