Known endearingly as “Nionios” to generations of fans, his music was indelibly linked with the late 1960s and 1970s in Greece
Prominent and long-time Greek performer and songwriter Dionysis Savvopoulos passed away on Tuesday evening at the age of 81, after being hospitalised in Athens over the past few days.
Media reports stated that he had battled against cancer since 2021.
Known endearingly as “Nionios” to generations of fans, his music was indelibly linked with the late 1960s and 1970s in Greece, amid the turbulent political situation in the east Mediterranean country at the time.
Savvopoulos marked an entire era with his music. He was born in Thessaloniki on December 2, 1944. His ancestors came from Constantinople and Philippopolis (Plovdiv). In 1963, he moved to Athens and left the Thessaloniki Law School to pursue a career in music.
He enjoyed major success from his first days as a musician, combining influences from artists such as Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa with folk musical sounds from the province of Macedonia, and often using politically “biting” lyrics.
Savvopoulos began his career in 1964 and remained politically active throughout his musical journey, performing in nightclubs alongside Maria Farantouri and Manos Loizos. During the military Junta (1967-1974), he was imprisoned twice for his political beliefs, in August and September of 1967.
He wrote songs with political, romantic, and satirical content. In 1986-1987, he presented a television program entitled “Long Live Greek Song.”
Most of his songs were written by him, both lyrics and music.
He was married to Aspasia Arapidou (known by her nickname, Aspa, from his songs and performances), and they had two sons, Kornilios (born 1968) and Romanos (born 1972), and two grandsons, Dionysis and Andreas.
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Source: tothemaonline/ tovima.com
