Nikos Xilouris

Nikos Xylouris (Greek: Νίκος Ξυλούρης, 7 July 1936 – 8 February 1980), Cretan nickname: Psaronikos (Greek: Ψαρονίκος), was a Greek singer, Cretan Lyra player and composer, who was and remains to this day among the most renowned and beloved Greek folk musicians of all time. Xylouris' outstanding vocal ability and diverse discographic repertoire, which encompassed both rural traditional and urban orchestral music, managed to capture the essence of the Greek psyche, ethos and demeanor, rendering him extremely popular among the youth of his day, and making his work an essential part of the Great Greek Songbook. His remarkable artistic charisma, his appealing physical features (which were also reminiscent of Byzantine Iconography) and his enormous personal affability ("noble in both countenance and decorum" as per the Ancient Greek Ideal) along with an onstage presence that Greek urban audiences deemed majestic, inspiring and dignified earned him the honorific moniker Archangel of Crete which he is known by all across Greece, and especially in Athens. His songs continue to be played regularly on Greek radio stations, his contribution is universally recognized among his fellow musicians, and his legacy is held in the highest regard throughout the Greek Nation and the Greek Diaspora alike.

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