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Demis Roussos

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Demis Roussos was a Greek singer who was born in 1946 in Alexandria, Egypt, into a Greek family. As a child he sang in the city's Byzantine church choir and came into contact with jazz, Arabic music and Greek Orthodox music. After the Suez Crisis of 1956 the family moved to Greece. There he played in bands, including the Idols, where he met Vangelis and Loukas Sideras, his later bandmates in Aphrodite's Child.

Music and breakthrough

With that progressive rock group he broke through internationally. His operatic style of singing contributed to the success of their last album, 666, based on passages from the Book of Revelation and later a cult classic. In 1971 Roussos began a solo career with We Shall Dance, which reached the top ten in the Netherlands and Belgium. The peak came in the mid-1970s, with hit albums and singles such as Forever and Ever, My Friend the Wind and Happy to Be on an Island in the Sun, his first hit in Great Britain. In the 1980s he remained successful mainly in France, with Quand je t'aime, among other songs. With Vangelis he later made the album Magic and Race to the End, a version of Chariots of Fire.

Influence

Roussos sold more than sixty million albums and, with his kaftans, became a striking figure in European pop.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Forever and Ever and notice his voice. Do you hear something of an operatic voice in this pop song?

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.

Categories: Artists