×
GreekEnglish

×
  • Politics
  • Diaspora
  • World
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Cooking
Friday
19
Dec 2025
weather symbol
Athens 14°C
  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • World
  • Diaspora
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Mediterranean Cooking
  • Weather
Contact follow Protothema:
Powered by Cloudevo
> Culture

Demos Moutsis: The great Greek composer died at the age of 86 (videos)

A groundbreaking composer of the Greek music scene

Newsroom March 6 03:57

The news of the death of the great composer and songwriter Demos Moutsis, at the age of 86, has caused sorrow in the artistic community of the country.

The esteemed composer wrote music for many significant songs, such as “Don’t Knock on My Door at Midnight”, “Piraeus Girl”, “I Saw Myself in Your Eyes”, “Tomorrow Again”, “With a Complaint”, while his songs have been interpreted by artists such as Grigoris Bithikotsis, Vicky Moscholiou, Manolis Mitsias, Dimitra Galani, and many others.

Demos Moutsis was born in Piraeus in 1938 and began studying at the Athens Conservatory at the age of 7.

At the age of 20-21, he completed his music studies, winning the first prize as a violin soloist. Somewhere in the mid-60s, he met Nikos Gatsos and Manos Hadjidakis.

In 1967, Nikos Gatsos began giving him lyrics. Demos Moutsis’ first song was “God is Raining” performed by Stamatis Kokotas. The collaboration between Gatsos and Moutsis continued with songs like “Don’t Knock on My Door at Midnight,” “Piraeus Girl” with the same performer, “I Saw Myself in Your Eyes” with Vicky Moscholiou.

In 1969, with “Tomorrow Again” performed by Grigoris Bithikotsis, “With a Complaint” with Bithikotsis and the newcomer Manolis Mitsias.

In 1970, Manos Hadjidakis entrusted Moutsis with the orchestration and musical direction of his songs on the album “Return.”

All with lyrics by Nikos Gatsos and performed by Grigoris Bithikotsis and the then newcomer Dimitra Galani. This album included Hadjidakis’ songs “Talk to Me,” “Bitterness Today,” with orchestrations by Moutsis.

At the same time, Moutsis continued to write hits such as “These Hands” (lyrics by Lefteris Papadopoulos) and “Once in Eleusis” (lyrics by Vasilis Andreopoulos) with Manolis Mitsias.

A significant milestone in his career was “Saint February”, recorded in late 1971 and released in early 1972. The lyrics were by Manos Eleftheriou, with Dimitris Mitropanos and Petros Salpeas as performers. This work marked the entire first period, opening up new paths, in Greek discography. Apart from the titular song, the album “Saint February” features other great hits such as: “If Someone Is to Blame”, “The House on the Hill”, “The Plow Went Ahead”, “Someone Else Went to Chios”, and others.

In 1972, “Housing Estate A” followed, with lyrics by Giannis Logothetis (also known as Giannis Michaelidis), as well as Gatsos, Eleftheriou, and Varvara Tsimpouli. Performers included Antonis Kaloyiannis and Vicky Moscholiou, with songs that became big hits, like “White, Red, Yellow, Blue”, “That’s Life” with Vicky Moscholiou, “Gazing Out the Window” with Kaloyiannis, the folk instrumental “The Dance of Courage”, and more. In 1973, “Turns” were released, another folk and melodic record by Demos Moutsis. Solely performed by Vicky Moscholiou and with lyrics by Pythagoras, Logothetis, Eleftheriou, and Gatsos, this album included hits like: “Embrace and Side by Side”, “Cheers”, “An Evening in Larissa”, “I Am Me”, and the atmospheric “At the Hangouts”, dedicated to the memory of Markos Vamvakaris.

In 1974, during the transition to democracy, “Testimonies” emerged, containing Moutsis’ songs that had been censored by the military junta, with lyrics by Manos Eleftheriou, Giannis Logothetis, Giorgos Chronas, Varvara Tsimpouli, and the composer himself, and performed by Manolis Mitsias, Vasiliki Lavina, in one of her early record appearances, and Christos Lettonos.

See Also:

Fredi Beleris: The Albanian court sentenced him to two years in prison

In 1975, he released “Tetralogy,” a groundbreaking cycle of set-to-music poetry based on works by C.P. Cavafy, Kostas Karyotakis, George Seferis, and Yannis Ritsos, with Manolis Mitsias, Christos Lettonos, and the newcomer singer Alkistis Protopsalti as performers. This was followed in 1976 by “Labor Agreement,” music from the theatrical work “Strike” by George Skourtis. In 1979, “Itinerary” was released, featuring lyrics by Nikos Gatsos and performed by Manolis Mitsias. The album includes pieces such as “Like Che Guevara”, “Far Away Love Hour”, “Greece Greece”, “In Mount Athos”, and more.

In 1981, “Dam” was released with lyrics by Kostas Tripolitis. Songs like “No Words”, “Delenda est (My Little Peace)”, “Letter from the Foreign Legion”, “Truck Driver”, among others, were included. The folk songs of the album were sung by the renowned rebetissa Sotiria Bellou, with Demos Moutsis singing only the refrain of the well-known “No Words”. The electric ballads of the album were sung by the composer himself. In the same work, Demos Moutsis also sang “Chats with Freud” along with Loukianos Kilaidonis and Alkistis Protopsalti.

>Related articles

Provocative stance by Pappas over the assault on a journalist: “I raised my hand, but he has no mark. I said, ‘Look at me and look at him’”

Christmas with rain, New Year with cold predicted by Marousakis

Mitsotakis: Yes to dialogue with farmers, no to unnecessary hardship for society – We will not give in to maximalism that leads outside the European framework

In 1983, he embarked on a solo journey with “Pawn.” In 1987, “There!” followed, featuring well-known songs like “The Dream” and “A Harmonica That Cries.” In 1990, “Traveler of Everything” with Nana Mouskouri was released, marking his last album written for a singer other than himself. In 1994, he returned with “For Sale, Then!” entirely written and performed by him.

In 1999, Demos Moutsis collaborated again with Dimitris Mitropanos and Dimitra Galani in a grand concert at the Herodes Atticus Odeon, where they performed both older and newer hits of the great composer. An eagerly awaited project of his with Haris Alexiou as the singer has never been released!

In the European Parliament elections of 2019, he ran as a candidate for MEP with the party MeRA25. However, the political formation suspended his party membership due to allegations against him.

Ask me anything

Explore related questions

#composer#culture#dead#Demos Moutsis#died#dies#greece
> More Culture

Follow en.protothema.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news

See all the latest News from Greece and the World, the moment they happen, at en.protothema.gr

> Latest Stories

Provocative stance by Pappas over the assault on a journalist: “I raised my hand, but he has no mark. I said, ‘Look at me and look at him’”

December 19, 2025

Our bright side with the Belharra and the downside with the roadblocks, Milena the “faux Zoitsa” of the Parliamentary Inquiry, the double deal in Insurance, the 15,000 properties

December 19, 2025

Christmas with rain, New Year with cold predicted by Marousakis

December 19, 2025

Politico: What the €90 billion loan for Ukraine symbolizes for the EU and the behind-the-scenes story of the 16 hours leading up to the agreement

December 19, 2025

Mitsotakis: Yes to dialogue with farmers, no to unnecessary hardship for society – We will not give in to maximalism that leads outside the European framework

December 19, 2025

Major crackdown begins on undeclared rents and “grey” properties – What the MIDAS platform changes for every property

December 19, 2025

The Greek flag was raised on the frigate “Kimon”: How the first Greek Belharra changes the balance in the Aegean

December 19, 2025

Timothée Chalamet reveals he trained in table tennis for seven years for his new film “Marty Supreme”

December 18, 2025
All News

> Economy

Major crackdown begins on undeclared rents and “grey” properties – What the MIDAS platform changes for every property

The new system is being presented today to the competent authorities – How property owners and managers are affected

December 19, 2025

Hellenic Competition Commission: The distortions that keep deposit interest rates low

December 18, 2025

Lamda and Athens Medical Group agreement for the development of a healthcare park at the Ellinikon

December 18, 2025

A plan for automatic collection of VAT from the State: The two scenarios under consideration

December 18, 2025

Morgan Stanley: Why Greek equities will continue to lead in 2026

December 17, 2025
Homepage
PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION POLICY COOKIES POLICY TERM OF USE
Powered by Cloudevo
Copyright © 2025 Πρώτο Θέμα